How long have you been in power in the winter? Remember how hot exhaust non-uniformly mixed with cold air? Easy to convince yourself that the mere burning of fossil fuels (not even the greenhouse gases released during the incineration) leads to climate change.

In fact, the energy released thus, it is very small on a global scale, so the researchers consider it an error due to rounding. And yet, although electricity generation does not add much heat, it affects the way heat is distributed. According to new data in some areas is clearly visible.

It is possible to estimate global energy use from all sources and to measure its impact on climate. The average rate is extremely low - less than 0.1 W/m2, while, for example, the impact of anthropogenic carbon dioxide is about 1.5 W/m2. It is not surprising that direct heating of the atmosphere at the expense of energy consumption largely ignored in the climate models.

New research suggests that this omission should be corrected. The authors note that in some cities the energy consumed so intensively (for example, in Tokyo - up to 1 590 W/m2), and this can be enough to change the regional air circulation. Given the large number of these points, it can be assumed that the regional effects are added in a prominent global shift.

The authors have used the model CAM3 National center for atmospheric research (USA), adding 86 city points that distinguish estimated to be more than 0.4 W/m2 in the lower layer of the atmosphere below 130 m With standard other conditions model has worked 100 years.

As expected, the warming in General has not changed, which cannot be said about the place and time of warming. In the winter months in some areas of the globe was warmer on a degree in comparison with the models that do not take account of these points. Distinguished North-East of North America, Western region of the Canadian Arctic and Siberia. In the spring of this picture disappeared, and in summer and autumn was even cooler.

Our findings may explain some of the discrepancies between models and observations. Models usually predict that the Arctic will Deplete faster than the rest of the globe, and observations confirm this. But it is warming even faster than predicted, and this is still unclear.

But the model link the area of low pressure in the Russian Arctic with area of high pressure in Central Asia. This explains the shift of warm air to the North. Perhaps this is the reason above.

The authors acknowledge that this is only a first attempt: accounted for only 42% of global output of heat resulting from the use of energy (heat else is likely to be more dispersed), and there are no data for many cities.

The study is published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Prepared according to Ars Technica.