7/6/2023 0 Comments Edu kids kate dust![]() In a paper published January 6 in Nature, climate researchers from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory describe a new method of tracking the ancient history of the westerly winds-a proxy for what we may experience in a future warming world. It’s been difficult to resolve this scientific question because our knowledge of the westerlies in past warm climates has until now been limited. But, scientists have been debating whether the poleward movement of the westerlies will continue as temperatures and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) increase further under future warming scenarios. Research suggests this is because of climate change. ![]() But scientists have noticed that over the last several decades, these winds are changing, migrating poleward. Typically, the westerlies blow from west to east across the planet’s middle latitudes. So, finding a way to assess how they will change as the climate warms is crucial. The westerlies-or westerly winds-play an important role in weather and climate both locally and on a global scale, by influencing precipitation patterns, impacting ocean circulation and steering tropical cyclones. Credit: SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE Their findings provide a better understanding of how the winds may change in the future. Researchers studied the dust deposited in ancient ocean sediments in order to understand how wind patterns in this area have shifted in the past. Image of a dust plume leaving China and crossing the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
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