Study: Shifting jet streams are influencing climate and weather patterns

The jet stream, a fast-moving river of air thousands feet above Earth, steers storms and weather systems around the globe.

Scientists have been studying how climate changes impact the jet stream for decades. Now, one study in the scientific journal Nature, discovered a jet stream behavior change.

“The jet streams are shifting,” said Larry Di Girolamo, professor and climate researcher with the University of Illinois.

Di Girolamo worked with NASA to gather statistics from Earth’s atmosphere through the launch of a satellite carrying a Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer. Over the span of 25 years, his research showed that both subtropical and polar jet streams are shifting position and speed, leading to a change in weather patterns.

“And this will continue as long as we continue to increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” Di Girolamo said.

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