scholarly journals Mechanism of Seasonal Arctic Sea Ice Evolution and Arctic Amplification

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwang-Yul Kim ◽  
Benjamin D. Hamlington ◽  
Hanna Na ◽  
Jinju Kim
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Arctic Amplification ◽  
Ice Melting ◽  
Downward Longwave Radiation

Abstract. Sea ice melting is proposed as a primary reason for the Artic amplification, although physical mechanism of the Arctic amplification and its connection with sea ice melting is still in debate. In the present study, monthly ERA-interim reanalysis data are analyzed via cyclostationary empirical orthogonal function analysis to understand the seasonal mechanism of sea ice melting in the Arctic Ocean and the Arctic amplification. While sea ice melting is widespread over much of the perimeter of the Arctic Ocean in summer, sea ice remains to be thin in winter only in the Barents-Kara Seas. Excessive turbulent heat flux through the sea surface exposed to air due to sea ice melting warms the atmospheric column. Warmer air increases the downward longwave radiation and subsequently surface air temperature, which facilitates sea surface remains to be ice free. A 1 % reduction in sea ice concentration in winter leads to ~ 0.76 W m−2 increase in upward heat flux, ~ 0.07 K increase in 850 hPa air temperature, ~ 0.97 W m−2 increase in downward longwave radiation, and ~ 0.26 K increase in surface air temperature. This positive feedback mechanism is not clearly observed in the Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas, since sea ice refreezes in late fall (November) before excessive turbulent heat flux is available for warming the atmospheric column in winter. A detailed seasonal heat budget is presented in order to understand specific differences between the Barents-Kara Seas and Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas.

scholarly journals Contribution of sea ice albedo and insulation effects to Arctic amplification in the EC-Earth Pliocene simulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianqiu Zheng ◽  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Ming Cai
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Arctic Amplification ◽  
Sst Warming

Abstract. In the present work, we simulate the Pliocene climate with the EC-Earth climate model as an equilibrium state for the current warming climate induced by rising CO2 in the atmosphere. The simulated Pliocene climate shows a strong Arctic amplification featuring pronounced warming sea surface temperature (SST) over the North Atlantic, in particular over the Greenland Sea and Baffin Bay, which is comparable to geological SST reconstructions from the Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping group (PRISM; Dowsett et al., 2016). To understand the underlying physical processes, the air–sea heat flux variation in response to Arctic sea ice change is quantitatively assessed by a climate feedback and response analysis method (CFRAM) and an approach similar to equilibrium feedback assessment. Given the fact that the maximum SST warming occurs in summer while the maximum surface air temperature warming happens during winter, our analyses show that a dominant ice-albedo effect is the main reason for summer SST warming, and a 1 % loss in sea ice concentration could lead to an approximate 1.8 W m−2 increase in shortwave solar radiation into open sea surface. During the winter months, the insulation effect induces enhanced turbulent heat flux out of the sea surface due to sea ice melting in previous summer months. This leads to more heat released from the ocean to the atmosphere, thus explaining why surface air temperature warming amplification is stronger in winter than in summer.

scholarly journals Contribution of sea-ice albedo and insulation effects to Arctic amplification in the EC-Earth Pliocene simulation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianqiu Zheng ◽  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Ming Cai
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Arctic Amplification ◽  
Maximum Warming

Abstract. In the present work, we simulate the Pliocene climate with EC-Earth climate model as an analogue for current warming climate induced by massive CO2 in the atmosphere. The simulated Pliocene climate shows a strong Arctic amplification featured by pronounced warming sea surface temperature (SST) over North Atlantic in particular over Greenland Sea and Baffin Bays, which is comparable with geological SST reconstructions from PRISM. To understand the underlying physical processes, the air-sea heat flux variation in response to Arctic sea-ice change is quantitatively assessed by a climate feedback and response analysis method (CFRAM) and an equilibrium feedback assessment (EFA)-like approach. Giving the facts that the maximum warming in SST occurs in summer while the maximum warming in surface air temperature happens during winter, our analyses show that dominant ice-albedo effect is the main reason for summer SST warming, a 1 % loss in sea-ice concentration could lead to an approximate 2 W m-2 increase in shortwave solar radiation into open sea surface. During winter month, the insulation effect induces enhanced turbulent heat flux out of sea surface due to sea-ice melting in previous summer months. This leads to more heat release from the ocean to atmosphere, thus explaining the stronger surface air temperature warming amplification in winter than in summer.

scholarly journals Understanding the Mechanism of Arctic Amplification and Sea Ice Loss

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwang-Yul Kim ◽  
Jinju Kim ◽  
Saerim Yeo ◽  
Hanna Na ◽  
Benjamin D. Hamlington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Feedback Process ◽  
Downward Longwave Radiation ◽  
Barents And Kara Seas ◽  
Sea Ice Reduction

Abstract. Sea ice reduction is accelerating in the Barents and Kara Seas. Several mechanisms are proposed to explain the accelerated loss of polar sea ice, which remains an open question. In the present study, the detailed physical mechanism of sea ice reduction in winter is identified using the daily ERA interim reanalysis data. Downward longwave radiation is an essential element for sea ice reduction, but can only be sustained by excessive upward heat flux from the sea surface exposed to air in the region of sea ice loss. The increased turbulent heat flux is used to increase air temperature and specific humidity in the lower troposphere, which in turn increases downward longwave radiation. This feedback process is clearly observed in the Barents and Kara Seas in the reanalysis data. A quantitative assessment reveals that this feedback process is amplifying at the rate of ~ 8.9 % every year during 1979–2016. Based on this estimate, sea ice will completely disappear in the Barents and Kara Seas by around 2025. Availability of excessive heat flux is necessary for the maintenance of this feedback process; a similar mechanism of sea ice loss is expected to take place over the sea-ice covered polar region when sea ice is not fully recovered in winter.

scholarly journals Warm-Air Advection Over Melting Sea-Ice: A Lagrangian Case Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng You ◽  
Michael Tjernström ◽  
Abhay Devasthale
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Initial Surface ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
Surface Inversion ◽  
Strong Surface

AbstractObservations from the 2014 Arctic Clouds in Summer Experiment indicate that, in summer, warm-air advection over melting sea-ice results in a strong surface melting feedback forced by a very strong surface-based temperature inversion and fog formation exerting additional heat flux on the surface. Here, we analyze this case further using a combination of reanalysis dataset and satellite products in a Lagrangian framework, thereby extending the view spatially from the local icebreaker observations into a Langrangian perspective. The results confirm that warm-air advection induces a positive net surface-energy-budget anomaly, exerting positive longwave radiation and turbulent heat flux on the surface. Additionally, as warm and moist air penetrates farther into the Arctic, cloud-top cooling and surface mixing eventually erode the surface inversion downstream. The initial surface inversion splits into two elevated inversions while the air columns below the elevated inversions transform into well-mixed layers.

scholarly journals Arctic Summer Airmass Transformation, Surface Inversions, and the Surface Energy Budget

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 769-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Tjernström ◽  
Matthew D. Shupe ◽  
Ian M. Brooks ◽  
Peggy Achtert ◽  
John Prytherch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Temperature Inversion ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Surface Heating ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Turbulent Heat

During the Arctic Clouds in Summer Experiment (ACSE) in summer 2014 a weeklong period of warm-air advection over melting sea ice, with the formation of a strong surface temperature inversion and dense fog, was observed. Based on an analysis of the surface energy budget, we formulated the hypothesis that, because of the airmass transformation, additional surface heating occurs during warm-air intrusions in a zone near the ice edge. To test this hypothesis, we explore all cases with surface inversions occurring during ACSE and then characterize the inversions in detail. We find that they always occur with advection from the south and are associated with subsidence. Analyzing only inversion cases over sea ice, we find two categories: one with increasing moisture in the inversion and one with constant or decreasing moisture with height. During surface inversions with increasing moisture with height, an extra 10–25 W m−2 of surface heating was observed, compared to cases without surface inversions; the surface turbulent heat flux was the largest single term. Cases with less moisture in the inversion were often cloud free and the extra solar radiation plus the turbulent surface heat flux caused by the inversion was roughly balanced by the loss of net longwave radiation.

scholarly journals Mechanism of seasonal Arctic sea ice evolution and Arctic amplification

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 2191-2202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwang-Yul Kim ◽  
Benjamin D. Hamlington ◽  
Hanna Na ◽  
Jinju Kim
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Turbulent Heat Flux ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Arctic Amplification ◽  
Atmospheric Column ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

Abstract. Sea ice loss is proposed as a primary reason for the Arctic amplification, although the physical mechanism of the Arctic amplification and its connection with sea ice melting is still in debate. In the present study, monthly ERA-Interim reanalysis data are analyzed via cyclostationary empirical orthogonal function analysis to understand the seasonal mechanism of sea ice loss in the Arctic Ocean and the Arctic amplification. While sea ice loss is widespread over much of the perimeter of the Arctic Ocean in summer, sea ice remains thin in winter only in the Barents–Kara seas. Excessive turbulent heat flux through the sea surface exposed to air due to sea ice reduction warms the atmospheric column. Warmer air increases the downward longwave radiation and subsequently surface air temperature, which facilitates sea surface remains to be free of ice. This positive feedback mechanism is not clearly observed in the Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, since sea ice refreezes in late fall (November) before excessive turbulent heat flux is available for warming the atmospheric column in winter. A detailed seasonal heat budget is presented in order to understand specific differences between the Barents–Kara seas and Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas.

The Role of Horizontal Temperature Advection on Arctic Amplification

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-54
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Clark ◽  
Vivek Shenoy ◽  
Steven B. Feldstein ◽  
Sukyoung Lee ◽  
Michael Goss
Keyword(s):  
Chukchi Sea ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Warming Trend ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Arctic Amplification ◽  
Self Organizing Maps ◽  
Temperature Advection ◽  
Downward Longwave Radiation ◽  
Barents And Kara Seas

AbstractThe wintertime (December – February) 1990 - 2016 Arctic surface air temperature (SAT) trend is examined using self-organizing maps (SOMs). The high dimensional SAT dataset is reduced into nine representative SOM patterns, with each pattern exhibiting a decorrelation time scale about 10 days and having about 85% of its variance coming from intraseasonal timescales. The trend in the frequency of occurrence of each SOM pattern is used to estimate the interdecadal Arctic winter warming trend associated with the SOM patterns. It is found that trends in the SOM patterns explain about one-half of the SAT trend in the Barents and Kara Seas, one-third of the SAT trend around Baffin Bay and two-thirds of the SAT trend in the Chukchi Sea. A composite calculation of each term in the thermodynamic energy equation for each SOM pattern shows that the SAT anomalies grow primarily through the advection of the climatological temperature by the anomalous wind. This implies that a substantial fraction of Arctic amplification is due to horizontal temperature advection that is driven by changes in the atmospheric circulation. An analysis of the surface energy budget indicates that the skin temperature anomalies as well as the trend, although very similar to that of the SAT, are produced primarily by downward longwave radiation.

An Intraseasonal Mode Linking Wintertime Surface Air Temperature over Arctic and Eurasian Continent

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-47
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Free Atmosphere ◽  
Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Downward Longwave Radiation

Abstract Key processes associated with the leading intraseasonal variability mode of wintertime surface air temperature (SAT) over Eurasia and the Arctic region are investigated in this study. Characterized by a dipole distribution in SAT anomalies centered over north Eurasia and the Arctic, respectively, and coherent temperature anomalies vertically extending from the surface to 300hPa, this leading intraseasonal SAT mode and associated circulation have pronounced influences on global surface temperature anomalies including the East Asian winter monsoon region. By taking advantage of realistic simulations of the intraseasonal SAT mode in a global climate model, it is illustrated that temperature anomalies in the troposphere associated with the leading SAT mode are mainly due to dynamic processes, especially via the horizontal advection of winter mean temperature by intraseasonal circulation. While the cloud-radiative feedback is not critical in sustaining the temperature variability in the troposphere, it is found to play a crucial role in coupling temperature anomalies at the surface and in the free-atmosphere through anomalous surface downward longwave radiation. The variability in clouds associated with the intraseasonal SAT mode is closely linked to moisture anomalies generated by similar advective processes as for temperature anomalies. Model experiments suggest that this leading intraseasonal SAT mode can be sustained by internal atmospheric processes in the troposphere over the mid-to-high latitudes by excluding forcings from Arctic sea ice variability, tropical convective variability, and the stratospheric processes.

scholarly journals Projected Changes in Daily Variability and Seasonal Cycle of Near-Surface Air Temperature over the Globe during the Twenty-First Century

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (24) ◽  
pp. 8537-8561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiao Chen ◽  
Aiguo Dai ◽  
Yaocun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
First Century ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
Twenty First Century

Abstract Increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases will not only raise Earth’s temperature but may also change its variability and seasonal cycle. Here CMIP5 model data are analyzed to quantify these changes in surface air temperature (Tas) and investigate the underlying processes. The models capture well the mean Tas seasonal cycle and variability and their changes in reanalysis, which shows decreasing Tas seasonal amplitudes and variability over the Arctic and Southern Ocean from 1979 to 2017. Daily Tas variability and seasonal amplitude are projected to decrease in the twenty-first century at high latitudes (except for boreal summer when Tas variability increases) but increase at low latitudes. The day of the maximum or minimum Tas shows large delays over high-latitude oceans, while it changes little at low latitudes. These Tas changes at high latitudes are linked to the polar amplification of warming and sea ice loss, which cause larger warming in winter than summer due to extra heating from the ocean during the cold season. Reduced sea ice cover also decreases its ability to cause Tas variations, contributing to the decreased Tas variability at high latitudes. Over low–midlatitude oceans, larger increases in surface evaporation in winter than summer (due to strong winter winds, strengthened winter winds in the Southern Hemisphere, and increased winter surface humidity gradients over the Northern Hemisphere low latitudes), coupled with strong ocean mixing in winter, lead to smaller surface warming in winter than summer and thus increased seasonal amplitudes there. These changes result in narrower (wider) Tas distributions over the high (low) latitudes, which may have important implications for other related fields.

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