Thread: Climate Change and wind

Is wind largely a product of the polar ice-caps and if so does that mean it will decrease as the earth heats up and the caps melt?

Wind is (on the most basic level) a result of the difference in heat between the equator and the poles. If the poles get hotter relative to the equator, I would expect a decrease in wind, but if the equator heats up at an equal or greater rate, probably not.

This is a really simplified view, and I haven't got a clue what complicating factors might affect it on a more local scale.

The climate models point towards a reduction of strength and increase in latitude of the jet stream.

There's one observational study which suggest this is already starting the happen.
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/200...GL033614.shtml

on the other hand, the strength of tropical storms is related to the temperature of the ocean or sea over which it forms, not so much what happens in the polar regions