Globe diagram with fairly regular bull's eye pattern and another with irregular shape and two centers

This pair of images compares the boundary of the long-term average polar vortex (all Januarys from 1981–2010) on the left to the polar vortex boundary observed for January 1–5, 2014, on the right. The images show the 500 millibar height surface: the polar vortex is defined by the blue and purple colors poleward of the yellow colors. The boundary separates Arctic air from warmer air to the south, and defines the location of the jet stream.

Image Credit: M. Serreze, NSIDC. Source data: NOAA ESRL Physical Sciences Division.

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Last modified
3 January 2017 - 4:44pm