“In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!”
芝加哥一个寒冷的早晨。 JOSE M. OSORIO/CHICAGO TRIBUNE, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Polar和vortex首次被放在一起使用可追溯到1853年的一篇文章《空气地图》(Air Maps),文章作者约翰·卡珀(John Capper)是一位商人和记者。这篇稍显堆砌的文章描述了一门关于风的科学,并指出风是航海旅行和贸易的关键因素,这在当时较为新鲜。卡珀认为地球上风的运动模式可以被追踪,并且遵循这样的规律——“在持续的圆形大风中绕着极点旋转:最后,成为巨大的极地涡旋 (whirled about the pole in a continued circular gale: at last, reaching the great polar vortex)”。