GREENBELT, Md. -- Two of the most destructive natural disasters of 2010 were closely linked by a single meteorological event, a Rossby wave, even though they occurred 1,500 miles apart and the results were completely different, according to a new NASA study.
The research finds that the same abnormal Rossby wave sparked extreme heat and persistent wildfires in Russia as well as unusual downstream wind patterns that shifted rainfall in the Indian monsoon region and fueled heavy flooding in Pakistan.