Welcome to The Environmentalist, your column for understanding the natural world. Today we will explore how interconnected the Earth’s climate is!
How can the deserts in Africa feed the Amazon rainforest? How can polar air cause snow in Texas? The Earth’s weather is not made up of stand-alone events; instead, what happens in one place triggers an effect halfway across the globe.
These links are known as teleconnections. They are an interwoven net of phenomena that connect both weather and climate events from one hemisphere to the other. Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions, while climate refers to the conditions of an area over a longer period — usually more than 30 years. There are different forms of teleconnections which all play a role in Earth’s weather and climate.
One form of teleconnection is jet streams; they are narrow bands of strong wind caused by air temperature differences that form around 11-13 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, generally blowing from west to east. One can see their effects with the polar vortex, which is a large spiral of freezing cold air located near the North or South Pole. When the vortex is disrupted, usually during the winter, the polar jet stream’s waviness creates colder weather in North America and Europe. This, combined with polar amplification — a phenomena that causes rapid arctic warming — is why snow in Texas happens.
Another form of teleconnection is volcanic eruptions, which can release immense quantities of dust particles into the air, causing temperatures to temporarily cool by shading solar radiation. When Mount Pinatubo erupted for example, it caused the global temperature to decrease by about 0.5 degrees Celsius over a year!
Ocean currents work as rivers of varying lengths with a set path — they can flow close to the surface or almost at the bottom of the ocean. The most important role they play is acting as the planet’s heat highways. For example, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is an elaborate set of ocean currents that spans the length of the Atlantic Ocean. Its collapse may lead to a cooling of about 15 degrees Celsius and could result in irreversible changes in the climate systems of the world.
Lastly, I want to get into what I consider to be one of the most beautiful connections on our planet: the relationship between the Sahara Desert and the Amazon rainforest. These environments are linked by a massive trans-Atlantic cloud of dust. Phosphorous rich dust originates from the Sahara, and is sent to the Amazon rainforest through extreme winds. The Amazon’s soil lacks phosphorus, which is a key component for plant growth. Cool, huh?
Our planet is a living, breathing being and comprehending the invisible threads that run through it may be key to predicting climate change and protecting ecosystems even across our borders. As the Lorax once said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.” So, let’s care.
