MOSCOW, May 3. Changes in the parameters of the earth's atmosphere, occurring over a period of more than two weeks, may be the cause of sharp temperature fluctuations in the Arctic, the physicists of St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation reported.
Global fluctuations in atmospheric parameters (pressure, density, temperature, wind speed), covering the entire thickness of the atmosphere, are called planetary waves. Such «ebb and flow» can last up to 30 days.
Using mathematical modeling methods, scientists from St Petersburg University have studied the impact of a number of planetary waves with periods from 3 to 16 days on the global circulation of the atmosphere. Modeling was carried out at the Laboratory for Research on the Ozone Layer and Upper Atmosphere of St. Petersburg State University, created as part of the mega-grant program of the Ministry of Education and Science.
Physicists separately studied the contribution of a planetary wave with a period of 16 days, which is regularly observed in the atmosphere, especially intensifying in winter in the northern hemisphere. Such waves have previously been studied using data obtained from satellites and radars, but no one has previously estimated the contribution of the 16-day wave to changes in wind speed and temperature on the planet.
The results of numerical experiments have shown that such waves are capable of causing disturbances in the stratosphere, which, in turn, lead to extreme warming and cooling in the Arctic and temperate latitudes.