Trends in Arctic sea ice and the role of atmospheric circulation

• Published in: Atmospheric Science Letters
• Main Authors: Ogi, Masayo, Rigor, Ignatius G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2013
• Subjects: Arctic; Beaufort Sea; Fram Strait; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/asl2.423; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fasl2.423; https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/asl2.423

Abstract The decrease in the September sea‐ice extent over the Arctic has been accelerating since 1996. This study examined the contributions of atmospheric circulation anomalies and trends in winter and summer to changes in Arctic sea ice during the periods 1979–1996 and 1996–2010. In recent years, winter westerly winds over the Beaufort Sea and summer anticyclonic circulation over the Arctic toward the Fram Strait have contributed to accelerated decreases in sea ice over areas east of Europe and north of Alaska. In particular, recent strong anticyclonic circulation has caused an accelerating decrease in the Arctic sea ice in summer. Copyright © 2013 Royal Meteorological Society