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News Release 11-063

Extra-Cold Winters in Northeastern North America and Northeastern Asia?

Warm water off continents' eastern coasts to blame

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Satellite image showing snow cover over North America and Europe in March, 2003.

Snow cover over North America and Europe in March, 2003, as imaged by a satellite instrument.

Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio; George Riggs (NASA/SSAI)


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northward flow of Gulf Stream along Eastern U.S., which diverges into the Atlantic.

The Gulf Stream flows northward along the Eastern United States then diverges out into the Atlantic Ocean.

Credit: NOAA


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sea-surface temperatures off Eastern North America where purple is freezing temp.

Sea-surface temperatures off Eastern North America; purple = freezing temperature of ocean water.

Credit: NASA


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surface temperature deviation averaged over northern hemisphere winter months.

Surface temperature deviation averaged over northern hemisphere winter months and across 40 years.

Credit: Tapio Schneider/Yohai Kaspi


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strong heating from ocean effects off the east coasts of America and Asia.

Blue colors in the southern hemisphere (summer there) show ocean heating; red colors, ocean heat loss. Strong heating of the atmosphere from the ocean off the east coasts of America and Asia is visible.

Credit: Tapio Schneider/Yohai Kaspi


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Simulation showing perturbation of northern hemisphere with a constant localized heating at surface.

Scientists have developed a new theory of how warm regions in the ocean lead to atmospheric cooling to their west. In these simulations, the northern hemisphere is perturbed with a constant localized heating at the ocean surface (seen as the redder triangular patch in the atmosphere). As a reference case the southern hemisphere is perturbed with the same amount of heating spread out in all longitudes. In these idealized simulations there is no seasonal cycle.

Credit: Yohai Kaspi


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