 | An oceanic eddy or vortex over the marginal ice zone near Greenland. The oceanic circulation can be seen in the movement of small ice floes on the surface. Kent Moore |
26 March 2007Andrea Thompson
Greenland is not known for hurricanes, but the frigid land mass does host some of the strongest—and most mysterious—winds on the planet. Now scientists say the bizarre winds could be linked to weather and climate phenomena far from the icy realm.
After two weeks of flying head-on into hurricane-force winds that whipped recently around the southern tip of Greenland, a group of scientists has a better idea of just how these winds relate to broader weather patterns, global ocean circulation and climate.
Weather experts have only really known about these so-called tip jets for less than a decade, and most of what they knew was from satellite data. The team of scientists, as part of the International Polar Year effort, recently sought to go airborne for a close-up look at the roaring winds.
