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Analysing the 2021 North American heatwave to understand extraordinary heat events

Investigating the unprecedented 2021 heatwave in the North American Pacific Northwest revealed that a complex interaction between atmospheric dynamics, soil moisture and temperature nonlinearly amplified the event beyond a five-sigma anomaly. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the physical drivers of future heat extremes.

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Fig. 1: The multivariate drivers and increasing historical likelihood of PNW heatwaves.

References

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This is a summary of: Bartusek, S. et al. 2021 North American heatwave amplified by climate change-driven nonlinear interactions. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01520-4 (2022).

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Analysing the 2021 North American heatwave to understand extraordinary heat events. Nat. Clim. Chang. 12, 1096–1097 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01532-0

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