Mary Gifford (a climate and renewable energy expert) recently shared a post on LinkedIn regarding polar vortex disruption. She states that ongoing climatology research connects a warmer Arctic to a disrupted stratospheric polar vortex, causing occasional southward stretches of the cold 'river' around our Arctic circle and bringing the frigid temperatures experienced across North America.
Takeaway from this is that global winters are warming, but expect occasional mid-winter extreme freezes.
Implications:
Energy Infrastructure: The 2021 Texas cold wave, a result of this phenomenon, caused massive disruptions and became the costliest natural disaster in Texan history. Designing power systems capable of handling increased loads during scorching summers and freezing winters is crucial.
Agriculture: Shifting northward for warmer growing seasons is evident. Additionally, cultivating tree crops resilient to extreme abiotic stress, such as freeze and drought, is essential.
She has demonstrated how important it is to design to cope with extremes. Practical opportunities/solutions and climate adaptation measures need to be considered in design and maintenance of infrastructure building resilience. However, this is not just the case for infrastructure but energy, water and agriculture systems as well.
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