Latest news with #MikaRantanen
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Summer 2024 was Lapland's warmest in 2,000 years: Study
Representative image HELSINKI: The summer of 2024 was the warmest in 2,000 years in the Lapland region of northern Finland, Norway and Sweden, driven by climate change, the Finnish Meteorological Institute told AFP on Monday. "Last summer's average temperature in Lapland, or northern Fennoscandia, was the highest in both direct observations which we have from the late 1800s onwards and so-called indirect tree ring observations, of which the longest time series extends to 2,000 years ago," Mika Rantanen, researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, told AFP. He cited a study carried out by the Meteorological Institute and the Natural Resources Institute in Finland, published in US scientific journal Nature, showing that the summer of 2024 in the northern Finnish town of Sodankyla had been around 2.1 degrees Celsius warmer as a result of human-caused climate change. The mean temperature of 15.9C degrees between June and August 2024 broke the previous record dating back to 1937 by 0.4C degrees. Climate change increased the likelihood of such exceptionally warm summers by around a hundred times, the study estimated. "If it were not for climate change, the previous summer would have been a very, very rare event, occurring about once every 1,400 years," Rantanen said. "In the current climate, however, such a summer is likely to reoccur every 16 years," he added. Rantanen warned the region stretching over the northern areas of Finland, Sweden and Norway and parts of Russia was moving "beyond the natural range of variation" due to the soaring temperatures in the area. This was resulting in consequences such as more frequent heatwaves, forest fires and an increased greening of the tundra bringing irreversible changes to the sensitive Arctic ecosystems and its local populations. Compared to other parts of the globe, the Arctic region is warming four times faster since 1979, according to a study published in Nature in 2022. "We found out that in 2050, a summer as warm as the one we had last year would be so common that it would happen every four years. This warming will continue unless these global climate emissions can be limited," Rantanen said.
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Science
- RTÉ News
Summer 2024 was Lapland's warmest in 2,000 years: study
The summer of 2024 was the warmest in 2,000 years in the Lapland region of northern Finland, Norway and Sweden, driven by climate change, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said. "Last summer's average temperature in Lapland, or northern Fennoscandia, was the highest in both direct observations which we have from the late 1800s onwards and so-called indirect tree ring observations, of which the longest time series extends to 2,000 years ago," Mika Rantanen, researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, said. He cited a study carried out by the Meteorological Institute and the Natural Resources Institute in Finland, published in US scientific journal Nature, showing that the summer of 2024 in the northern Finnish town of Sodankyla had been around 2.1 degrees Celsius warmer as a result of human-caused climate change. The mean temperature of 15.9C degrees between June and August 2024 broke the previous record dating back to 1937 by 0.4C degrees. Climate change increased the likelihood of such exceptionally warm summers by around a hundred times, the study estimated. "If it were not for climate change, the previous summer would have been a very, very rare event, occurring about once every 1,400 years," Dr Rantanen said. "In the current climate, however, such a summer is likely to reoccur every 16 years," he added. Dr Rantanen warned the region stretching over the northern areas of Finland, Sweden and Norway and parts of Russia was moving "beyond the natural range of variation" due to the soaring temperatures in the area. This was resulting in consequences such as more frequent heatwaves, forest fires and an increased greening of the tundra bringing irreversible changes to the sensitive Arctic ecosystems and its local populations. Compared to other parts of the globe, the Arctic region is warming four times faster since 1979, according to a study published in Nature in 2022. "We found out that in 2050, a summer as warm as the one we had last year would be so common that it would happen every four years. This warming will continue unless these global climate emissions can be limited," Dr Rantanen said.
Korea Herald
06-02-2025
- Science
- Korea Herald
Why has weather been so cold recently?
Arctic warming blamed for brutal cold wave gripping Korea South Korea has been experiencing an intense cold wave this week, with temperatures plummeting well below sub-zero for the fifth consecutive day. The severe cold wave currently battering the Korean Peninsula has been attributed to warming in the Arctic, according to recent reports. The Arctic is experiencing a period of significant warming, with temperatures soaring over 20 degrees Celsius higher than the 30-year average between 1991 and 2020. This abnormal warmth is disrupting the Arctic's air currents, leading to frigid air spilling southward. On February 2, temperatures at the 87th parallel, or 87 degrees North latitude, rose to nearly minus 1 degree Celsius, close to the melting point of ice. Finnish meteorologist Mika Rantanen described this event as one of the most extreme winter warming occurrences in the Arctic. This unusually warm air in the Arctic interacts with low pressure over Iceland, further drawing warm air towards the North Pole. This exceptional warming is destabilizing the Arctic's airflow, causing cold air to descend upon the Korean Peninsula. Ordinarily, the polar vortex traps this frigid air, preventing it from reaching Korea. However, as the Arctic warms and the vortex weakens, the cold air masses break free and travel south, impacting the Korean Peninsula. The rapid pace of Arctic warming raises further concerns. Scientists warn that the Arctic is heating at nearly four times the global average, accelerating ice melt and intensifying climate disruptions worldwide. A study from the University of Colorado Boulder suggests that the Arctic Ocean could see its first 'ice-free' day as soon as 2027. Meanwhile, snow is expected to fall across most parts of South Korea throughout Friday. The Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon Province will see snow in the morning, while the Chungcheong and Gyeongsang regions can expect snowfall in the afternoon. Light snow is also possible in the eastern coastal areas of Gangwon Province and parts of the Gyeongsang region. Morning lows will range from minus 14 to 0 degrees Celsius, with Seoul expecting a low of minus 12 degrees Celsius. Daytime highs will remain below freezing in most areas, with Seoul reaching a high of minus 6 degrees Celsius, Incheon minus 6 degrees Celsius, and other major cities ranging from minus 6 to 3 degrees Celsius. The cold weather is expected to continue through the weekend. On Saturday, snow is forecast for the western parts of Jeolla Province in the afternoon, and for the Jeolla and Jeju Island regions in the evening.
