Webinar abstract:

The Arctic polar vortex is one of the largest circulation systems on Earth, occurring every winter over the Arctic region and persisting from November through April. The vortex creates persistent winds of up to 400 km/h at its edge and extremely low temperatures in its core, which leads to formation of the ozone hole every Spring. On the other hand, the sub-seasonal dynamics of the vortex drives the weather patterns in Europe and North America, causing extreme cold and snowy weather. In this presentation, we review the international effort towards monitoring and understanding the role of the polar vortex as a driver of the weather and climate.