Global warming hits Walker circulation
a vast system of winds over the Pacific Ocean is getting weak due to global warming, which portends ill for worldwide weather systems, including the Indian monsoon, claims a recent study.
A team of us researchers from the University Cooperation for Atmospheric Research (ucar) in Colorado has found that the Walker circulation, which pushes the Pacific Ocean's trade winds from east to west, has weakened by 3.5 per cent since the mid-1800s, and may weaken by another 10 per cent by 2100. The circulation, which spans almost half the earth, is named after British physicist Gilbert Walker, who was also the first director general of the India Meteorological Department (imd). Walker was the first scientist to establish that the Indian monsoon is affected by climate phenomena in other regions.
Fluctuations in the circulation can affect temperatures along the Indonesian coast, a key factor for monsoon rains in India, says M Rajeevan of
imd. The Walker circulation also influences El Ni
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