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The long cool wet summer persists
In England and Wales, we did not need the news to tell us that this has been the wettest summer for a hundred years and one of the summers with the least direct sunshine. We can blame the wet and colder than usual weather on the jet stream, which positioned itself further southerly than normal, causing those of us that like to sit in the sun, barbeque or just play cricket to look for indoor pursuits of leisure. What we do not know is why the jet stream decided to position itself further south.
One theory goes that ass the jet stream – a bundle of air which is caused by the warm southerly air meeting the cold northerly air – is a function of the contrasting temperatures, the fact that the Arctic ice cap has melted very quickly this year means that the contrast is less than normal, which weakens the jet stream and a weaker jet stream may be pushed further south than normal and persist longer than normal.
It is also possible that the weaker solar activity (fewer sunspots, solar flares and the like) may be responsible but, since July solar activity has been strong and our weather has not improved, so it may be that we can discount this possibility.
Filed under: climate change Tagged: climate, english summer, environment, jet stream, rainfall, solar activity, weather 
2012-08-31 04:39:00
Source: http://robertkyriakides.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/the-long-cool-wet-summer-persists/
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