Polar Vortex, Definition, Formation, Causes, Impacts, Diagram

Polar Vortex

The polar vortex is a sizable region of cold and low-pressure air that surrounds both poles of the planet. The Polar Pig was another name for it. The anticlockwise air movement that keeps the colder air close to the Poles is referred to as a “vortex.” It is always present close to the poles, however, it is weaker in the summer and stronger in the winter.

The polar vortex will occasionally grow during the northern hemisphere’s winter, bringing cold air south. This happens rather frequently in the winter and is frequently accompanied by severe outbreaks of Arctic air in the US and parts of Europe and Asia.

Furthermore, it is an atmospheric feature that is hundreds of feet above the surface of the Earth rather than at its surface. The only risk to people from the polar vortex expansion, which will bring Arctic air southward into regions that are not ordinarily that cold, is the severity of the frigid temperatures that will result.

Read More: El Nino and La Nina

Polar Vortex Diagram

The movement of mass and the transmission of heat in the arctic area cause the Polar Vortex to wax and wane. The polar vortex climbs into the stratosphere in the autumn when the circumpolar winds quicken. As a result, the polar air condenses into the polar vortex, a cohesive rotating air mass. Here is the illustration of the Polar Vortex.

Polar Vortex Formation

The anticlockwise air movement that keeps the colder air close to the Poles is referred to as a “vortex.” In a technical sense, it alludes to a belt of winds that surrounds the Arctic and keeps the cold frozen far to the North. It was referred to as the “polar pig” by gas dealers.

The Polar Vortex will frequently grow throughout the winter in the northern hemisphere, pushing frigid air south with the jet stream. This happens rather frequently during the winter and is frequently connected to significant Arctic air outbreaks in the US.

Polar Vortex Formed in Past

It has happened numerous times in the past (1977, 1982, 1985, and 1989), with the most recent instance taking place in January 2014. This is not exclusive to the United States. Additionally, there are cold waves in parts of Europe and Asia. Furthermore, it is an atmospheric feature that is hundreds of feet above the surface of the Earth rather than at its surface. The only threat to people comes from how cold it will get as the polar vortex deepens.

Read More: Pressure Belts

Polar Vortex Northern Hemisphere

Depending on its temperature, the air in the polar vortex in the Northern Hemisphere is referred to as polar air or Arctic air, with the Arctic air being the coldest. The atmosphere is substantially warmer south of the polar vortex, corresponding to sub-tropical air and, further south, tropical air. A zone of sharp temperature gradients, with temperatures falling to the north, separates the frigid air inside the vortex from the warmer air to the south.

The polar front jet stream, a relatively thin ribbon of exceptionally fast-moving air that flows mostly from west to east, is created by these high-temperature disparities. Therefore, the polar front jet stream’s location and the southern edge of the polar vortex essentially line up.

Read More: Atmospheric Circulation

Polar Vortex Impacts

The environment of Earth may be impacted by the following polar vortex-related events.

• Breakups of the Polar Vortex in the upper atmosphere can have substantial immediate or delayed effects on the environment, such as lowering air temperature and incredibly harsh winters in the Eastern United States, Western areas, and Northern Europe.
• The Arctic region may become warm in both the stratosphere and troposphere as a result of abrupt stratospheric warming brought on by the polar vortex. The warm Arctic region encourages the movement of cold air, making winters in the Northern Hemisphere and the mid-latitudes that make up the Eastern United States more severe.
• The band may buckle as a result of the stratospheric warming (temperature surge), allowing chilly air to move south. Since 1880, the average world temperature has increased by 0.8°C, while the Arctic has warmed by more than twice that amount.

Read More: Types of Winds

Polar Vortex and Global Warming

The polar vortex is frequently linked to Global Warming. Many problems associated with global warming are thought to be brought on by the polar vortex. Since the 1880s, the global temperature has risen by about 0.8°C. Due to the polar vortex, the Arctic has warmed and melted at a rate that is more than twice as fast.

The Arctic region’s temperature little differs from that of the North Pole, North America, or other comparable places. The Polar Vortex gets perturbed and begins to split as the energy of the Jet Streams ascends.

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Polar Vortex and Jet Stream

The polar vortex and polar jet stream are separate entities, despite the fact that they interact with one another. The polar jet stream moves northward when the polar vortex, which is up in the stratosphere (left globe), is very strong and stable. Arctic air is captured in these containers.

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Polar Vortex and Natural Cycles

The Arctic Oscillation, a pattern of increasing and dropping air pressure over the Arctic and intermediate latitudes, is related to the phase of the polar vortex. The polar vortex tends to move closer to the pole when the Arctic Oscillation enters a positive phase. The Arctic Oscillation tends to move farther south and become more wavelike when it enters a negative phase, making the longwave ridges and troughs more noticeable.

Some researchers correlate changes in the vortex in the Northern Hemisphere to a significant warming of the Arctic due to the region’s persistent sea ice loss. However, there is debate surrounding this association, which is being researched.

Read More: List of Major Local Winds

Polar Vortex UPSC

The USA and Europe recently experienced extreme cold January and February in the northeastern parts which is an unusual phenomenon. Scientists site the formation of the “polar vortex” has led to such unusual cold winters.

Polar vortexes are referred to as whirling cones of low pressure over the poles that are strongest in the winters due to stark differences in the temperature between the polar regions and the mid-latitudes.

The polar vortex spins in the stratosphere, 10 to 48 kilometres above the ground and the troposphere. A strong jet stream contains the polar vortex behaving as a boundary wall.

The strong jet checks the polar vortex from sliding south of the northern hemisphere. The polar vortex at times gets stronger and pushes jet-stream south and invades the northeast regions of the USA and Europe bringing severe cold. Retreating winters and the advent of summers weakens the polar vortex. This leads the polar vortex to withdraw and retreat back to the poles.

We have covered all the facts and information about the Polar Vortex in this post, which will aid UPSC candidates in their preparation. Additionally, the accompanying PDF has comprehensive notes on the topic of the Polar Vortex for UPSC candidates.

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