Tuesday, 18 December 2012

How Arctic cyclones help warm up Europe

An Arctic hurricane (or polar low) northeast of Scandinavia, with a characteristic eye and counterclockwise swirl of clouds. The gray area in the upper left-hand corner is sea ice.
Santa better have hurricane insurance. Every year, there are thousands of cyclones in the Arctic, some with hurricane-force winds. Before satellites spotted these storms, sailors would return from the North with tales of massive squalls appearing out of nowhere, creating waves up to 36-feet (11-meters) high.