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North Atlantic spring storms have grown more common since 1940, analysis reveals

Phys · · 532 words · By University
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What to know about North Atlantic spring storms have grown more common since 1940, analysis reveals

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have analyzed weather data from 1940 to 2024, finding that spring storms in the North Atlantic and Arctic, as well as autumn storms in the North Pacific, have become more frequent and intense. The study suggests these changes are linked to climate change and the reduction of Arctic sea ice.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

North Atlantic spring storms have grown more common since 1940, analysis reveals Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor Storm Dave, which swept across northern Europe over the Easter weekend, is an example of what new research from the…

Why it matters

Spring storms forming over the North Atlantic have become more common than they were 80 years ago, and this is due to climate change.

Common ground

In the Northern Hemisphere, storm seasons follow a seasonal cycle.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have analyzed weather data from 1940 to 2024, finding that spring storms in the North Atlantic and Arctic, as well as autumn storms in the North Pacific, have become more frequent and intense. The study suggests these changes are linked to climate change and the reduction of Arctic sea ice.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-06-north-atlantic-storms-grown-common.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 3
verified Verified 1
info
Claim 1: “In the Arctic, north of the 65th parallel, spring storms are becoming more powerful, lasting longer and traveling farther.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail about storms north of the 65th parallel becoming more powerful, lasting longer, and traveling farther is found in one specific source (YACHT), but not independently corroborated by others in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_fox
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Arctic haze is the phenomenon of a visible reddish-brown springtime haze in the atmosphere at high latitudes in the Arctic due to anthropogenic air pollution. A major distinguishing factor of Arctic h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_haze
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_sun
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “Zhi‐Bo Li et al, All‐Season Analysis of Extratropical and Arctic Cyclones Over the Northern Hemisphere Oceans During 1940–2024, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (2026). DOI: 10.1029/2025jd044894”
CORROBORATED
The full citation, including the title, authors, journal, and date (2026), is corroborated by multiple web search results referencing the study by Zhi-Bo Li.
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Claim 3: “The researchers used historical weather data from 1940 to 2024 to build a picture of how storms have changed.”
CORROBORATED
The evidence shows the study used ERA5 re-analysis data, and multiple sources (Wikipedia, Wiley Online Library) confirm that ERA5 spans from 1940 to the present/2024.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1940th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 940th year of the 2nd millennium, the 40th ye…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following events occurred in June 1940:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_1940
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — World War II, or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945), was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “Spring storms forming over the North Atlantic have become more common than they were 80 years ago, and this is due to climate change.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results link the increase in North Atlantic storm frequency to climate change and greenhouse warming, specifically citing research and experts.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance between 32 member states (thirty in Europe and two in North America). Founded in the aftermath of World War II, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, forms the legal basis of, and is implemented by, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Treaty
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about 85,133,000 square kilometers (32,870,000 sq mi). It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “The paper is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including ResearchGate and a news report, confirm the paper was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1839 Ava earthquake, also known as the Amarapura earthquake or Inwa earthquake, was a disastrous seismic event that struck present-day central Myanmar on March 23. This earthquake with an estimate…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1839_Ava_earthquake
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1976 Tangshan earthquake (Chinese: 唐山大地震; pinyin: Tángshān dà dìzhèn; lit. 'Great Tangshan earthquake') was a Mw 7.6 earthquake that hit the region around Tangshan, Hebei, China, at 19:42:55 UTC o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Tangshan_earthquake
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Permian–Triassic extinction event, colloquially known as the Great Dying, was an extinction event that occurred around the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods, and with them…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permian–Triassic_extinction_ev…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “several studies have indicated that winter storms appear to be occurring more frequently and with even greater intensity.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including 'Climate Signals' and 'PMC', indicate that global studies attribute increases in winter storm risk and intensity to climate change.
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web search NEUTRAL — Global studies attribute increases in winter storm risk to climate change · (Diffenbaugh et al. · (Fischer and Knutti 2015): About 18 percent of the "moderate" ( ...
https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/winter-storm-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The frequency and intensity of dust storms increased over the last few decades due to land use and land cover changes and climate-related factors in many ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9013542/
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web search NEUTRAL — Studies suggest that the increase in tropical storm frequency in the Atlantic basin since the 1970s has been at least partly driven by decreases in aerosols ...
https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/global-warming-and-hurricanes/
info
Claim 7: “In the North Atlantic, more spring storms are forming than before”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that more spring storms are forming in the North Atlantic is mentioned in the YACHT source, but the other provided results for this claim are general dictionary definitions of 'frequency'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. [1] Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency
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web search NEUTRAL — Radio-frequency electrical currents are usually carried by specially-designed transmission line such as coaxial cable, as ordinary electrical cables would have high power loss. Radio frequency (RF) is…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_frequency
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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · The meaning of FREQUENCY is the fact or condition of occurring frequently. How to use frequency in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frequency
verified
Claim 8: “Open water can release more heat and moisture into the atmosphere than when there is a layer of ice covering the sea.”
VERIFIED
The National Snow and Ice Data Center explains that open water (leads) absorbs more solar energy and releases more heat than ice-covered surfaces, which is a fundamental principle of oceanography and climatology.
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web search NEUTRAL — Because of lower reflectivity, leads absorb more solar energy than the surrounding ocean, which heats the water in the leads and speeds up the melting of ...
https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/sea-ice/science-sea…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sea ice formation contributes to this process by increasing the salinity and density of surrounding waters as salt is expelled during ice growth. Sinking water ...
https://climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2025/sea-ice
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web search NEUTRAL — Not only does water cover more than 70 percent of our planet's surface, it can also absorb large amounts of heat without a large increase in temperature.
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/…
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Claim 9: “Zhi-Bo Li and his colleagues chose to investigate how storms in the Northern Hemisphere have changed during spring and autumn from the 1940s to the present day.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results explicitly mention Zhi-Bo Li and colleagues conducting a study on Northern Hemisphere storm changes during spring and autumn from the 1940s to the present.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of Mesozoic bird-line archosaur genera is a comprehensive listing of all Mesozoic genera that are included in the clade Avemetatarsalia (alternatively known as Pan-Aves), including dinosaurs…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mesozoic_bird-line_arc…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 5, 2026 ... However, in a new study, Zhi-Bo Li and his colleagues ... Hemisphere have changed during spring and autumn from the 1940s to the present day.
https://www.miragenews.com/spring-storms-are-becoming-more-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 12, 2026 ... ... Over the Northern Hemisphere Oceans During 1940–2024. Zhi-Bo Li,. Zhi ... in the North Atlantic storm track region during spring and autumn.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025JD04…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
Claim 10: “in the North Pacific, it is the autumn storms that have intensified and are lasting longer.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Although the search results for claim 8 were empty, the evidence provided for claim 6 (YACHT) explicitly mentions that 'in the North Pacific, autumn storms have become mor[e]'. This is a single source corroboration.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.