Influence of the stratospheric polar vortex on the Barents Sea ice extent in early 2012

• Published in: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
• Main Authors: Zuev, V V, Savelieva, E S
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: IOP Publishing 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; Barents Sea; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/386/1/012002; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/386/1/012002/pdf; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/386/1/012002

Abstract A significant decrease in the sea ice extent in the Barents Sea was observed in February 2012 due to a large increase in Arctic surface temperature. In early January 2012 a sudden stratospheric warming occurred simultaneously with a stratospheric polar vortex displacement. Based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis data, we show that the displacement of the stratospheric polar vortex led to a perturbation and splitting of the tropospheric polar vortex. An inflow of warm air masses into the polar region, mainly over the Barents Sea, occurred during the splitting of the tropospheric vortex, which resulted in an increase in Arctic surface temperature and a decrease in the sea ice extent.