Arctic warming may lead to longer periods of extreme weather

A study shows that the decrease in temprature difference between the poles and the equator may lead to a more stable and more ondulating jetstream.
This can push cold weather deaper south and warm weather higher north.
This weather also remains there for a longer time.
This could explain the long warm winter in Europe this year,
the long cold winter in Europe last year
and the long cold winter in the US this year.

Arctic warming feedback

In 2012 Arctic Sea Ice was only half of the 1979-2000 average.
The decline is accelerating, because the additional water surface absorbs more warmth then the ice.
Because a third of the Arctic Ocean is shallow, the icy underground will melt, releasing large quantities of methane. Methane is greenhouse gas with a much greater greenhouse warming effect than C02, taking the arctic warming into third gear.