An index of sea ice variations in the Nordic seas

• Published in: Journal of Climatology
• Main Author: Sear, C. B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1988
• Subjects: Arctic; Barents Sea; Greenland; Greenland Sea; Nordic Seas; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/joc.3370080403; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjoc.3370080403; https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/joc.3370080403

Abstract Twentieth century sea ice data from the Nordic Seas (the Atlantic Sector of the Arctic) are examined using a simple index of variations in sea ice extent. The index measures overall sea ice extent variations in the Nordic Seas between 1901 and 1977. Variations in the marginal ice zone during the melt season are shown to reflect regional air temperature changes. Reduction of the index data using principal component analysis highlights sub‐regional heterogeneity in melt season sea ice extent variations. An important spatial pattern of variation is one in which sea ice extent in the Barents Sea varies out of phase with that in the central Greenland Sea. This alternating pattern has a quasi‐periodicity of around three years. Time series analyses of other sea ice records indicate significant quasi‐periodicities in the region of between 3 and 4 years and 2.5 years. Three years may be a key time scale of variation in the Atlantic Sector of the Arctic seasonal sea ice zone.