Illustration showing the effects of two Beaufort Gyre air pressure shifts

Arctic climate is regulated by an intricate series of interconnected mechanisms that shift winds, ice, currents, and other conditions. In the recent past, the Arctic had reliably shifted between high-pressure clockwise (top) and low-pressure counterclockwise (bottom) wind-driven circulation regimes. But global warming may be causing the system to stick longer in the clockwise high-pressure mode. (Illustration by Eric S. Taylor, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)