How do sea currents affect the weather? Advances of modern natural science.
Big influence have an impact on the climate sea currents. They transfer heat from one latitude to another and lead to climate cooling and warming. The coasts of continents, which are washed by cold currents, are colder than their interior parts, located at the same latitudes. The climate of the coasts washed by warm currents is warmer and milder than inside the mainland. Cold currents also increase the dryness of the climate. They cool the lower layers of air, and cold air, as you know, is denser and heavier and cannot rise, which is not conducive to the formation of clouds and precipitation. Warm currents warm the air and humidify it. As it rises, it becomes oversaturated, clouds form, and precipitation falls (Fig. 7).
Rice. 7.
An example of the different influence of warm and cold currents on climate is the climate of the east coast of North America and the west coast of Europe between 550 and 700 northern latitude. The American coast is washed by the cold Labrador Current, the European coast by the warm North Atlantic Current. The first lies between annual temperatures 0 and -10 0С, the second - +10 and 0 0С. The length of the frost-free period on the American coast is 60 days a year, on the European coast from 150 to 210 days. On the Labrador Peninsula there are treeless spaces (tundra), in Europe there are coniferous and mixed forests.
Relief and climate
Relief has a large and varied influence on climate. Mountains and ridges are mechanical obstacles on the way air masses. In some cases, mountains are the border of areas with different climates, so they interfere with air exchange. Thus, the dry climate of central Asia is largely explained by the presence of large mountain systems on its outskirts.
The distribution of mountain slopes and ridges in relation to the oceans and sides of the horizon is the cause of the uneven distribution of precipitation. The windward slopes of the mountains receive more precipitation than the leeward ones, because the air, when rising along the slopes of the mountains, cools, becomes supersaturated and releases a lot of precipitation (Fig. 8). It is on the windward slopes mountainous countries The wettest regions of the Earth are located.
For example, the southern slopes of the Himalayas delay the summer monsoons and receive a lot of rainfall, so the flora and fauna there are rich and diverse. The northern slopes of the Himalayas are dry and deserted.
Rice. 8.
Climatic conditions in the mountains depend on absolute altitude. With altitude, the air temperature decreases, atmospheric pressure and humidity drop, the amount of precipitation increases up to a certain altitude and then decreases, the speed and direction of the wind and all other meteorological elements change. This leads to the formation of high-altitude climatic zones, the location and number of which are closely related to geographical location, height of mountains, direction of slopes. The climate in the mountains varies over relatively short distances and differs significantly from the climate of the neighboring plains.
Many people know about the Gulf Stream, which, carrying huge masses of water from equatorial latitudes to the polar, literally warms the north of Western Europe and Scandinavia. But few people know that there are other warm and cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean. How do they affect the climate of coastal areas? Our article will talk about this. In fact, there are a lot of currents in the Atlantic. Let us briefly list them for general development. These are the West Greenland, Angolan, Antilles, Benguela, Guinea, Lomonosov, Brazilian, Guiana, Azores, Gulf Stream, Irminger, Canary, East Icelandic, Labrador, Portuguese, North Atlantic, Florida, Falklands, North Equatorial, South Trade Wind, and also the Equatorial countercurrent . Not all of them have a big impact on the climate. Some of them are generally part or fragments of main, larger currents. These are what we will discuss in our article.
Why do currents form?
Large invisible “rivers without banks” are constantly circulating in the World Ocean. Water is generally a very dynamic element. But with rivers everything is clear: they flow from source to mouth due to the difference in altitude between these points. But what makes huge masses of water move within the ocean? Of the many reasons, the main ones are two: trade winds and changes in atmospheric pressure. Because of this, currents are divided into drift and barogradient. The first are formed by trade winds - winds constantly blowing in one direction. These are the majority of currents. Mighty rivers carry to the seas a large number of water different from sea water in density and temperature. Such flows are called drainage, gravitational and frictional. One should also take into account the great extent from north to south that the Atlantic Ocean has. Currents in this water area therefore have a more meridional than latitudinal direction.
What are trade winds
Winds are the main reason for the movement of huge masses of water in the World Ocean. But what are trade winds? The answer should be sought in the equatorial regions. The air there warms up more than in other latitudes. He rises up and over upper layers The troposphere spreads towards the two poles. But already at a latitude of 30 degrees, having cooled thoroughly, it descends. This creates a circulation of air masses. A zone appears in the equator region low pressure, and in tropical latitudes - high. And here the rotation of the Earth around its axis manifests itself. If it were not for it, the trade winds would blow from the tropics of both hemispheres to the equator. But, as our planet rotates, the winds are deflected, taking on a westerly direction. This is how the trade winds form the main currents of the Atlantic Ocean. In the Northern Hemisphere they move clockwise, and in the Southern Hemisphere they move counterclockwise. This happens because in the first case the trade winds blow from the northeast, and in the second case from the southeast.
Impact on climate
Based on the fact that the main currents originate in equatorial and tropical regions, it would be reasonable to assume that they are all warm. But this does not always happen. The warm current in the Atlantic Ocean, having reached the polar latitudes, does not fade away, but, having made a smooth circle, turns back, but has already cooled considerably. This can be observed in the example of the Gulf Stream. It carries warm masses of water from the Sargasso Sea to northern Europe. Then, under the influence of the Earth's rotation, it deviates to the west. Under the name of the Labrador Current, it descends along the coast of the North American continent to the south, cooling the coastal areas of Canada. It should be said that these masses of water are called warm and cold conditionally - relative to temperature environment. For example, in the North Cape Current, the temperature in winter is only +2 °C, and in summer - a maximum of +8 °C. But it is called warm because the water in the Barents Sea is even colder.
Main Atlantic currents in the Northern Hemisphere
Here, of course, one cannot fail to mention the Gulf Stream. But other currents passing through the Atlantic Ocean also have an important influence on the climate of nearby areas. The northeast trade wind is born near Cape Verde (Africa). It drives huge heated masses of water to the west. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean, they connect with the Antilles and Guiana currents. This intensified jet moves towards Caribbean Sea. After this, the waters rush north. This continuous clockwise movement is called the warm North Atlantic Current. Its edge is vague and blurry at high latitudes, while at the equator it is more distinct.
The mysterious “Current from the Gulf” (Golf-Stream)
This is the name of the current in the Atlantic Ocean, without which Scandinavia and Iceland would have turned, based on their proximity to the pole, into a land of eternal snow. It used to be thought that the Gulf Stream originated in the Gulf of Mexico. Hence the name. In fact, only a small portion of the Gulf Stream flows out of the Gulf of Mexico. The main flow comes from Sargasso Sea. What is the mystery of the Gulf Stream? The fact is that, contrary to the rotation of the Earth, it flows not from west to east, but in the opposite direction. Its power exceeds the drainage of all the rivers on the planet. The speed of the Gulf Stream is impressive - two and a half meters per second on the surface. The current can also be traced at a depth of 800 meters. And the width of the stream is 110-120 kilometers. Due to the high speed of the current, water from equatorial latitudes does not have time to cool. The surface layer has a temperature of +25 degrees, which, of course, plays a primary role in shaping the climate of Western Europe. The mystery of the Gulf Stream also lies in the fact that it does not wash the continents anywhere. Between it and the shore there is always a strip of colder water.
Atlantic Ocean: Southern Hemisphere Currents
From African continent The trade wind drives a jet towards the American one, which, due to low pressure in the equatorial region, begins to deviate to the south. This is how a cycle similar to the northern one begins. However, the South Trade Wind Current moves counterclockwise. It also runs across the entire Atlantic Ocean. The Guiana, Brazilian (warm), Falklands, Benguela (cold) currents are part of this circulation.
Ocean currents redistribute absorbed solar heat in the horizontal direction and significantly influence the climate coastal areas they wash.
Yes, it's cold Bengal Current lowers the air temperature of the coastal part West Africa. In addition, it is not conducive to rainfall, because... cools the lower layers of air in the coastal part, and cold air, as is known, becomes heavier, denser, cannot rise, form clouds and give precipitation.
Warm currents ( Mozambique, Cape Agulhas Current), on the contrary, increase the air temperature by east coast continent, contribute to the saturation of the air with moisture and the formation of precipitation.
Warm East Australian Current, washing the coast of Australia, causes an abundance of precipitation on the eastern slopes Great Dividing Range.
Cold Peruvian Current, passing along the west coast South America, greatly cools the air in coastal areas and does not contribute to precipitation. Therefore here is Atacama Desert, where rain is a rare occurrence.
The warm current has a great influence on the climate of both Europe and North America. Gulf Stream (North Atlantic). Scandinavian Peninsula lies at approximately the same latitudes as Greenland island. However, the latter is covered with a thick layer of snow and ice all year round, while coniferous and broad-leaved forests grow in the southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, washed by the North Atlantic Current.
Ebbs and flows
Periodic fluctuations in ocean (sea) level caused by the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun are tides And low tides.
Tidal currents in the World Ocean arise under the influence of gravitational forces (forces of attraction) of the Moon and the Sun. These are periodic fluctuations in water levels off the coasts of the open sea. The tidal force of the Moon is almost 2 times greater than the tidal force of the Sun. In the open sea, the tide is no more than 1 m, but upon entering narrowing bays the tidal wave rises; highest altitudes tides in the Bay of Fundy in southeastern Canada - 18 m. The frequency of tides can be semi-diurnal, diurnal or mixed.
The world's oceans are of great importance in people's lives. This is the source natural resources: biological(fish, seafood, pearls, etc.) and mineral(oil Gas). This is a transport space and a source of energy resources.
1The article makes an attempt to clarify the issue of the degree of influence of ocean surface currents on climate indicators adjacent land. The leading role of the ocean in the entire climate system of the Earth has been determined. It has been shown that the transfer of heat and moisture to land is carried out from the entire surface of the ocean by air masses. The role of surface ocean currents is to mix warm and cold water masses. It is noted that long-period Rossby waves, which are predominantly vertical, play a significant role in the heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere. water flows. It has been revealed that ocean currents act locally on adjacent land - only under the condition that the land area is very small and comparable to the size of the ocean current itself. In this case, depending on the relationship between the characteristics of the current itself and the adjacent land, small temperature changes are possible (both upward and downward). The direct influence of currents on the amount of precipitation on land could not be established.
ocean surface currents
ocean-atmosphere interaction
climate system
Gulf Stream
Rossby waves
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IN last years Of great interest are questions related to changes in the characteristics of the Earth's climate system and their causes. It should be noted that systematic observations of climate change began relatively recently. Back in the 17th century, meteorology was part of the science of physics. It is to physicists that we owe the invention of meteorological instruments. Thus, Galileo and his students invented a thermometer, a rain gauge, and a barometer. Only from the second half of the 17th century did instrumental observations begin to be made in Tuscany. At the same time, the first meteorological theories were developed. But it took almost two centuries on the way to systematic meteorological observations. They begin in the second half of the 19th century in Europe, after the invention of the telegraph. In the 1960s Was held big job on creation global network weather observation systems. IN Lately increasingly in means mass media There have been reports of increased incidences of unusually high amounts of rainfall in Europe, sudden snowfall in tropical areas of the United States and North Africa, flowering plants in the Atacama Desert. For a long time Disputes continue about the degree of influence of the Gulf Stream on the climate of Europe, about the adverse consequences of the possible cessation of the functioning of this warm current. Unfortunately, the material is presented in such a way that it seems that the world has turned upside down and some catastrophic climate phenomena should be expected soon. The complex factual picture is fueled by various futuristic predictions about significant changes in the usual order of things, such as a significant rise in sea level, a significant change in the angle of inclination of the earth's axis, and a strong increase in the temperature of the surface layer of the atmosphere.
In this regard great importance has the clarification of the causes of climate phenomena, which should help to adequately perceive reality and take reasonable steps to adapt to upcoming changes. This article attempts to determine the degree of influence of ocean surface currents on the climate of the adjacent land. This aspect was chosen because in Earth science the influence of ocean currents on the climate of the adjacent land is slightly overestimated. Because of this, the role of the ocean in shaping the climate of land is downplayed, thereby distorting the understanding of the behavior of the Earth's climate system and delaying the moment of taking adequate adaptation measures.
There is an opinion that warm sea currents bring precipitation and heat to the adjacent land. This is taught in schools and universities. A comprehensive analysis of the existing picture shows the ambiguous manifestation of this postulate.
Ocean water can be thought of as a reservoir solar heat on the ground. Ocean water absorbs 2/3 of solar radiation. The heat capacity of the ocean is so great that ocean water (except for the surface layer) practically does not change temperature over the seasons (unlike the land surface). Therefore, it is warm on the ocean coast in winter and cool in summer. If the land area (compared to the ocean area) is small (as in Europe), then the warming influence of the ocean can spread over large areas. A close connection has been revealed between the loss of heat by the ocean and the warming of atmospheric air, and vice versa, which is logical. However, recent research data indicate a more complex picture of the thermal dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere. Scientists give the leading role in the loss of heat by the ocean to such a still little-studied phenomenon as the North Atlantic Oscillation. These are periodic multi-decadal changes in ocean temperature observed in the North Atlantic. Since the late 1990s. There was a wave of warming ocean water. As a result, many areas of the northern hemisphere experienced an unusually high number of hurricanes. Currently, there is a transition to a period of lowering the temperature of surface ocean waters. This will likely reduce the number of hurricanes in the northern hemisphere.
The seasonal constancy of the temperature of the entire mass of ocean water, especially in the tropics, led to the formation of permanent centers above the ocean surface high pressure, which are called centers of atmospheric action. Thanks to them, there is a general circulation of the atmosphere, which is the triggering mechanism for the general circulation of ocean waters. Thanks to action constant winds surface currents of the World Ocean arise. With their help, mixing of ocean water is carried out, namely: the flow of warm waters into cold areas (with the help of “warm” currents) and cool waters into warm ones (with the help of “cold” currents). It must be remembered that these currents are “warm” or “cold” only in relation to the surrounding waters. For example, the temperature of the warm Norwegian Current is + 3 °C, the cold Peruvian Current is + 22 °C. Systems of ocean currents coincide with systems of constant winds and are closed rings. As for the Gulf Stream, it does bring heat to the waters of the North Atlantic (but not to Europe). In turn, the warm waters of the North Atlantic transfer their heat atmospheric air, which, together with western transport, may spread to Europe.
Recent studies on the issue of heat exchange between the ocean waters of the North Atlantic and the atmosphere have shown that the leading role in changing the temperature of ocean waters is played not so much by currents as by Rossby waves.
Thermal interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere occurs when the temperature of the surface layer of ocean water and the lower layer of air in the atmosphere differs. If the water temperature of the ocean surface layer more temperature lower layer of the atmosphere, then heat from the ocean is transferred to the atmosphere. Conversely, heat is transferred to the ocean if the air is warmer than the ocean. If the temperatures of the ocean and atmosphere are equal, then heat transfer between the ocean and atmosphere does not occur. In order for there to be a flow of heat between the ocean and the atmosphere, there must be mechanisms that change the temperature of the air or water in the ocean-atmosphere contact zone. On the atmospheric side, this can be wind; on the ocean side, these are mechanisms for the movement of water in the vertical direction, ensuring the supply of water with a temperature different from the temperature of the contact zone of the ocean and the atmosphere. Such vertical movements of water in the ocean are long-period Rossby waves. These waves differ from the wind waves we know in many ways. Firstly, they are long (up to several hundred kilometers) and lower in height. Researchers usually judge their presence in the sea by changes in the vector of currents of water particles. Secondly, these are long-period inertial waves, the lifetime of which reaches ten or more years. Such waves are classified as gradient-vortex waves, which owe their existence to gyroscopic forces and are determined by the law of conservation of potential vortex.
In other words, the wind generates a flow, which in turn generates inertial waves. In relation to this movement of water, the term “wave” is conditional. Water particles perform predominantly rotational movements, both in the horizontal and vertical planes. As a result, either warm or cold water masses rise to the surface. One of the consequences of this phenomenon is the movement and curvature (meaning) of current systems.
Research results and discussion
Currents, as a special case of the manifestation of the properties of ocean waters at the confluence of certain factors, can have a significant impact on the meteorological indicators of coastal land. For example, the warm East Australian Current contributes to an even greater saturation of ocean air with moisture, from which, when rising along the Great Vodorazdelny ridge rainfall occurs in eastern Australia. The warm Norwegian Current melts arctic ice in the western part Barents Sea. As a result, the waters of the Murmansk port do not freeze in winter (while in Murmansk itself in winter the temperature drops below - 20 ° C). It also heats a narrow strip of the western coast of Norway (Fig. 1, a). Thanks to the warm Kuroshio Current off the eastern shores Japanese Islands winter temperatures higher than in the western part (Fig. 1, b).
Rice. 1. Distribution average annual temperatures air in Norway (a) and Japan (b); in deg. Celsius: red arrow indicates warm currents
Cold currents can also affect the meteorological characteristics of coastal land. Thus, cold currents in the tropics off the western coasts of South America, Africa and Australia (Peruvian, Benguela, Western Australian, respectively) deviate to the west, and even colder deep waters rise in their place. As a result, the lower layers of coastal air cool, causing temperature inversion(when the lower layers are colder than the upper ones) and the conditions for the formation of precipitation disappear. Therefore, some of the most lifeless deserts are located here - coastal ones (Atacama, Namib). Another example is the influence of the cold Kamchatka Current off the eastern coast of Kamchatka. It additionally cools the coastal areas (especially in summer) of the elongated small peninsula, and, as a result, the southern border of the tundra extends much south of the mid-latitude border.
At the same time, it should be noted that it is impossible to speak with a sufficient degree of certainty about the direct influence of warm ocean currents on the increase in the amount of precipitation on coastal land. Knowing the mechanism of precipitation formation, priority in its occurrence must be given to the presence of mountainous areas on the coasts, along which the air rises, cools, moisture in the air condenses and precipitation forms. The presence of warm currents on the coast should be considered a coincidence or an additional stimulating factor, but not main reason precipitation formation. Where there are no large mountains (for example, in the east of South America and the Arabian coast of Southwest Asia), the presence of warm currents does not lead to an increase in precipitation (Fig. 2). And this despite the fact that in these areas the wind blows from the ocean to the land, i.e. All conditions exist for the full manifestation of the influence of warm currents on the coast.
Rice. 2. Distribution of annual precipitation in the east of South America (a) and the Arabian coast of South-West Asia (b): the red arrow indicates warm currents
As for the formation of precipitation itself, it is well known that they are formed when air rises upward and its subsequent cooling. In this case, moisture condenses and precipitation forms. Neither warm nor cold currents have a significant effect on the rise of air. We can distinguish three regions of the Earth in which there are ideal conditions for precipitation formation:
1) at the equator, where air masses are always ascending due to the existing atmospheric circulation system;
2) on the windward slopes of mountains, where air rises up the slope;
3) in the regions temperate zone, experiencing the influence of cyclones, where air flows are always upward. On the world precipitation map you can see that these are the areas of the earth where the amount of precipitation is greatest.
An important condition for the formation of precipitation is favorable stratification of the atmosphere. Thus, on a number of islands located in the center of the oceans, especially in areas adjacent to subtropical anticyclones, during all year round rain falls extremely rarely, despite the fact that the moisture content of the air here is quite high, and moisture transfer exists here towards these islands. Most often, this situation is observed in the trade wind region, where the rising currents are weak and do not reach the level of condensation. The formation of a trade wind inversion is explained by the heating of air during its descent in the zone of subtropical anticyclones, followed by cooling of the lower layers from the colder water surface.
conclusions
Thus, the influence of surface ocean currents on the climate of the adjacent land is local and appears only when certain factors coincide. A favorable confluence of factors manifests itself in at least two types of regions of the Earth. Firstly, in small areas comparable to the size of the currents. Secondly, in areas with extreme (high or low) temperatures. In these cases, if the water is warmer, narrow coastal strip sushi will be heated (North Atlantic Current in Britain). If the water temperature of the current is lower, on the contrary, the narrow coastal strip of land will cool (the Peruvian Current off the western coast of South America). IN general case greatest influence The supply of heat to land is influenced by the entire mass of ocean water through the transfer of heat by circulating atmospheric flows.
Moisture comes to land in the same way - from the surface of the entire ocean through atmospheric currents. In this case, one additional condition must be met - in order for the air to release the moisture received over the ocean, it must rise to the upper layers of the atmosphere to cool. Only then does the moisture condense and precipitation occurs. Ocean currents play a very minor role in this process. Most of all, ocean currents (cold in tropical latitudes) contribute to precipitation deficiency. This manifests itself during the passage of cold currents in the tropics off the western coasts of South America, Africa and Australia.
As for the areas lying in the interior of the continent, for example, the Central Black Earth regions of the Russian Plain, the nature of atmospheric circulation in the frost-free period of the year determines predominantly the regime of anticyclonic, sunny weather that forms in masses of continentally temperate air. Marine air masses come to this territory mainly in a modified form, having lost a significant part of its basic properties along the way.
When talking about the influence of the Gulf Stream on the climate of Europe, we must keep in mind two things: important points. Firstly, by the Gulf Stream in this case it is necessary to understand the entire system of warm North Atlantic currents, and not the Gulf Stream itself (it is North American and has nothing to do with Europe). Secondly, remember about the supply of heat and moisture from the surface of the entire Atlantic Ocean through their transport by air masses. A warm ocean current alone is clearly not enough to warm the whole of Europe.
In the end, it is necessary to recall that, being wind-driven, the surface currents of the World Ocean are unlikely to disappear as long as the atmospheric circulation system established on Earth exists.
Bibliographic link
Anichkina N.V., Rostom G.R. ON THE DEGREE OF INFLUENCE OF OCEAN SURFACE CURRENTS ON THE CLIMATE OF ADJACENT LAND // Advances modern natural science. – 2016. – No. 12-1. – pp. 122-126;URL: http://natural-sciences.ru/ru/article/view?id=36273 (access date: 03/29/2019). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences"
Sometimes they say that it would be more correct to call our planet not Earth, but Water, because land (“earth” as such) is only a quarter of its surface. The rest of the space belongs to the oceans that make up the world's oceans. It is in it, as scientists suggest, that life once originated... and to this day, the ocean largely determines life on land. And this is not only about shipping, which connects cities and countries, about fishing, which has fed many nations from time immemorial, not only about a pleasant holiday on the sea coasts... The “breath” of the ocean is felt by the earth’s atmosphere - it is this that largely determines the climate.
The world's oceans are in constant motion. The flows of water in it - a kind of “rivers in the ocean” - are called currents. They can be permanent and periodic, underwater and surface, cold and warm, steady (not changing over time) and steady (changing).
The reasons that give rise to sea currents are very diverse. There are tidal currents, especially strong near the coast, compensatory currents associated with the slope of the sea level, wind currents, and constant winds, changing direction depending on the season, generate the same currents - monsoon and trade winds. Causes currents and difference in atmospheric pressure above the surface of the ocean.
Constant currents have different directions. Some of them start at low latitudes and move to high latitudes - they carry warm waters, others, on the contrary, are cold currents. Since the main “accumulator” of solar energy on our planet is the ocean, the weather on Earth largely depends on how sea currents “carry” and “distribute” heat to different land areas, and since the currents are constant, so does the climate.
Some permanent currents have even received proper names– for example, the Gulf Stream. This warm current from Florida to Scandinavia, the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The width of this current is from 70 to 90 km, and the depth extends almost to the bottom. This warm “river in the ocean” moves approximately 50 million cubic meters of water every second - that’s more than all the rivers on Earth combined! The world's most powerful ocean current carries warm waters from the Gulf of Mexico to the north, transferring up to 100 kcal/cm2 of heat - approximately as much as the world's oceans as a whole receive from the Sun. It is thanks to him that the port of Murmansk does not freeze in winter - despite the fact that it is located beyond the Arctic Circle. It also softens the climate European countries adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean: in North America at the same latitude the climate is more severe. However, this is also the merit of another movement - Labrador. By itself it is cold, but when it encounters the warm Gulf Stream, it deflects it, directing it towards Europe.
However, no less important role in the creation climatic conditions Cold currents also play. So, everyone knows that it’s hot in the tropics, but few people think that it could be even hotter there (maybe it would be impossible to live), if not for the cold Benguela Current off the southwestern coast of Africa and the same current Humboldt (aka Peruvian) off the west coast of South America. It is they who have a “cooling” effect on the tropical region. At the same time, the influence Peruvian Current“dries out” the climate of South America, forming deserts.
Sea currents affect not only air temperature, but also the movement of air masses, sometimes even provoking hurricanes.
As you can see, ocean currents are a real weather “factory”. If they change, the climate as a whole will change. And these changes are happening right before our eyes. So, this is not the first year that the winter has been covered with snow. Western Europe, not accustomed to this state of affairs. Scientists explain this by the fact that the Gulf Stream is slowing down and cooling. This is due to the process of global cooling... yes, exactly cooling. There is no global warming - but cooling has been going on for about three centuries, and clear evidence of this is the cooling of the Gulf Stream. Is this somehow related to human activity? The head of the department of rational environmental management and ecology of the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, Academician A. Kapitsa, believes that to assume this is sheer megalomania: a person cannot seriously damage nature. Global cooling is associated with a shift in the magnetic poles, the earth's axis and changes in solar activity.
