"Advanced analysis reveals more complex causes," says Daran Rife, whose DNV GL mesoscale modeling team of atmospheric scientists and wind power engineers conducted the study.
The true source of the wind drought was a “high-pressure ridge of unprecedented proportions and longevity, which formed and sustained itself from June 2013 to June 2015," according to Rife.
The study Whither the Winds in 2015? finds that a mass of warm Pacific water nearly the size of the contiguous US caused the high-pressure system.
