Relationship between Arctic Sea Ice in Autumn and Subsequent July Air Temperature over East Asia and the Western North Pacific

Author(s):  
Wookap Choi ◽  
Simchan Yook
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Fu ◽  
Ruifen Zhan ◽  
Zhiwei Wu ◽  
Yuqing Wang ◽  
Jiuwei Zhao

Although many studies have revealed that Arctic sea ice may impose a great impact on the global climate system, including the tropical cyclone (TC) genesis frequency over the western North Pacific (WNP), it is unknown whether the Arctic sea ice could have any significant effects on other aspects of TCs; and if so, what are the involved physical mechanisms. This study investigates the impact of spring (April-May) sea ice concentration (SIC) in the Bering Sea on interannual variability of TC activity in terms of the accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) over the WNP in the TC season (June-September) during 1981–2018. A statistical analysis indicates that the spring SIC in the Bering Sea is negatively correlated with the TC season ACE over the WNP. Further analyses demonstrate that the reduction of the spring SIC can lead to the westward shift and intensification of the Aleutian low, which strengthens the southward cold-air intrusion, increases low clouds, and reduces surface shortwave radiation flux, leading to cold sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly in the Japan Sea and its adjacent regions. This local cloud-radiation-SST feedback induces the persistent increasing cooling in SST (and also the atmosphere above) in the Japan Sea through the TC season. This leads to a strengthening and southward shift of the subtropical westerly jet (SWJ) over the East Asia, followed by an anomalous upper-level anticyclone, low-level cyclonic circulation anomalies, increased convective available potential energy, and reduced vertical wind shear over the tropical WNP. These all are favorable for the increased ACE over the WNP. The opposite is true for the excessive spring SIC. The finding not only has an important implication for seasonal TC forecasts but also suggests a strengthened future TC activity potentially resulting from the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice.


2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (11) ◽  
pp. 3786-3800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingyi Wu ◽  
Dörthe Handorf ◽  
Klaus Dethloff ◽  
Annette Rinke ◽  
Aixue Hu

Abstract Using NCEP–NCAR reanalysis and Japanese 25-yr Reanalysis (JRA-25) winter daily (1 December–28 February) data for the period 1979–2012, this paper reveals the leading pattern of winter daily 850-hPa wind variability over northern Eurasia from a dynamic perspective. The results show that the leading pattern accounts for 18% of the total anomalous kinetic energy and consists of two subpatterns: the dipole and the tripole wind patterns. The dipole wind pattern does not exhibit any apparent trend. The tripole wind pattern, however, has displayed significant trends since the late 1980s. The negative phase of the tripole wind pattern corresponds to an anomalous anticyclone over northern Eurasia during winter, as well as two anomalous cyclones occurring over southern Europe and in the mid- to high latitudes of East Asia. These anomalous cyclones in turn lead to enhanced winter precipitation in these two regions, as well as negative surface temperature anomalies over the mid- to high latitudes of Asia. The intensity of the tripole wind pattern and the frequency of its extreme negative phase are significantly correlated with autumn Arctic sea ice anomalies. Simulation experiments further demonstrate that the winter atmospheric response to Arctic sea ice decrease is dynamically consistent with the observed trend in the tripole wind pattern over the past 24 winters, which is one of the causes of the observed declining winter surface air temperature trend over Central and East Asia. The results of this study also imply that East Asia may experience more frequent and/or intense winter extreme weather events in association with the loss of Arctic sea ice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lejiang Yu ◽  
Shiyuan Zhong ◽  
Timo Vihma ◽  
Cuijuan Sui ◽  
Yubao Qiu ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1537-1552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe M. Osborne ◽  
James A. Screen ◽  
Mat Collins

Abstract The Arctic is warming faster than the global average. This disproportionate warming—known as Arctic amplification—has caused significant local changes to the Arctic system and more uncertain remote changes across the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes. Here, an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) is used to test the sensitivity of the atmospheric and surface response to Arctic sea ice loss to the phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO), which varies on (multi-) decadal time scales. Four experiments are performed, combining low and high sea ice states with global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with opposite phases of the AMO. A trough–ridge–trough response to wintertime sea ice loss is seen in the Pacific–North American sector in the negative phase of the AMO. The authors propose that this is a consequence of an increased meridional temperature gradient in response to sea ice loss, just south of the climatological maximum, in the midlatitudes of the central North Pacific. This causes a southward shift in the North Pacific storm track, which strengthens the Aleutian low with circulation anomalies propagating into North America. While the climate response to sea ice loss is sensitive to AMO-related SST anomalies in the North Pacific, there is little sensitivity to larger-magnitude SST anomalies in the North Atlantic. With background ocean–atmosphere states persisting for a number of years, there is the potential to improve predictions of the impacts of Arctic sea ice loss on decadal time scales.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 2797-2813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Wu ◽  
Xinxin Li ◽  
Yanjie Li ◽  
Yun Li

Abstract Arctic sea ice (ASI) and its potential climatic impacts have received increasing attention during the past decades, yet the relevant mechanisms are far from being understood, particularly how anomalous ASI affects climate in midlatitudes. The spring precipitation takes up as much as 30% of the annual total and significantly influences agriculture in East Asia. Here, observed evidence and numerical experiment results show that the ASI variability in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea in the preceding winter is intimately connected with interannual variations of the East Asian spring precipitation (EAP). The former can explain about 14% of the total variance of the latter. The ASI anomalies persist from winter through the ensuing spring and excite downstream teleconnections of a distinct Rossby wave train prevailing over the Eurasian continent. For the reduced ASI, such a wave train pattern is usually associated with an anomalous low pressure center over the Mongolian plateau, which accelerates the East Asian subtropical westerly jet. The intensified subtropical westerly jet, concurrent with lower-level convergence and upper-level divergence, enhances the local convection and consequently favors rich spring precipitation over East Asia. For the excessive ASI, the situation tends to be opposite. Given that seasonal prediction of the EAP remains a challenging issue, the winter ASI variability may provide another potential predictability source besides El Niño–Southern Oscillation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (17) ◽  
pp. 6841-6858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingyi Wu ◽  
Jingzhi Su ◽  
Rosanne D’Arrigo

Abstract This paper describes two dominant patterns of Asian winter climate variability: the Siberian high (SH) pattern and the Asia–Arctic (AA) pattern. The former depicts atmospheric variability closely associated with the intensity of the Siberian high, and the latter characterizes the teleconnection pattern of atmospheric variability between Asia and the Arctic, which is distinct from the Arctic Oscillation (AO). The AA pattern plays more important roles in regulating winter precipitation and the 850-hPa meridional wind component over East Asia than the SH pattern, which controls surface air temperature variability over East Asia. In the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas, sea ice loss in both autumn and winter could bring the positive phase of the SH pattern or cause the negative phase of the AA pattern. The latter corresponds to a weakened East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and enhanced winter precipitation in the midlatitudes of the Asian continent and East Asia. For the SH pattern, sea ice loss in the prior autumn emerges in the Siberian marginal seas, and winter loss mainly occurs in the Barents Sea, Labrador Sea, and Davis Strait. For the AA pattern, sea ice loss in the prior autumn is observed in the Barents–Kara Seas, the western Laptev Sea, and the Beaufort Sea, and winter loss only occurs in some areas of the Barents Sea, the Labrador Sea, and Davis Strait. Simulation experiments with observed sea ice forcing also support that Arctic sea ice loss may favor frequent occurrence of the negative phase of the AA pattern. The results also imply that the relationship between Arctic sea ice loss and winter atmospheric variability over East Asia is unstable, which is a challenge for predicting the EAWM based on Arctic sea ice loss.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Delhaye ◽  
Thierry Fichefet ◽  
François Massonnet ◽  
David Docquier ◽  
Rym Msadek ◽  
...  

Abstract. The retreat of Arctic sea ice is frequently considered as a possible driver of changes in climate extremes in the Arctic and possibly down to mid-latitudes. However, it is unclear how the atmosphere will respond to a near-total retreat of summer Arctic sea ice, a reality that might occur in the foreseeable future. This study explores this question by conducting sensitivity experiments with two global coupled climate models run at two different horizontal resolutions to investigate the change in temperature and precipitation extremes during summer over peripheral Arctic regions following a sudden reduction in summer Arctic sea ice cover. An increase in frequency and persistence of maximum surface air temperature is found in all peripheral Arctic regions during the summer when sea ice loss occurs. For each million km2 of Arctic sea ice extent reduction, the absolute frequency of days exceeding the surface air temperature of the climatological 90th percentile increases by ~4 % over the Svalbard area, and the duration of warm spells increases by ~1 day per month over the same region. Furthermore, we find that the 10th percentile of surface daily air temperature increases more than the 90th percentile, leading to a weakened diurnal cycle of surface air temperature. Finally, an increase in extreme precipitation, which is less robust (statistically speaking) than the increase in extreme temperatures, is found in all regions in summer. These findings suggest that a sudden retreat of summer Arctic sea ice clearly impacts the extremes in maximum surface air temperature and precipitation over the peripheral Arctic regions with the largest influence over inhabited islands such as Svalbard or Northern Canada. Nonetheless, even with a large sea ice reduction in regions close to the North Pole, the local precipitation response is relatively small compared to internal climate variability.


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