TNPSC Thervupettagam

Reversal of Arctic Polar Vortex

April 12 , 2024 20 days 136 0
  • Polar vortex, an air current that circles the polar region, mysteriously changed direction for 21 days.
  • It is one of the biggest events in the last four decades.
  • The polar vortex is a prominent feature of Earth’s atmosphere that describes the high-altitude winds that blow around the pole every winter, several kilometres above the surface in a region called the stratosphere.
  • The stratospheric polar vortex emerges during the winter season in the hemisphere where Earth's pole faces away from the sun.
  • As this happens, the polar stratosphere enters a phase of darkness and cools in comparison to the tropical stratosphere.
  • This temperature contrast leads to robust west-to-east winds in the stratosphere.
  • These wintertime stratospheric winds are commonly referred to as the Arctic polar vortex.

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