For a long time, it has been known the Southern Hemisphere is stormier than the Northern one, and finally, scientists have figured out why this is the case.
The research was led by climate scientist Tiffany Shaw from the University of Chicago and was supported by the US National Science Foundation.
The researchers discovered that the main reason the Southern Hemisphere is 24% stormier than the north is due to two factors: The large mountain ranges that exist in the Northern Hemisphere and ocean circulation. These factors combine to create a stronger Jet Stream and more extreme weather events in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to Eric DeWeaver, the program director of the NSF’s Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences:
“You might think a mariner’s battle with a Southern Ocean storm had nothing to do with sea ice loss in the Arctic, at the other end of the world. But the ocean connects the two, and we need to understand how these connections work and what they mean for climate change around the world.”
Check out the original study here.