The “Warm‐Arctic/Cold‐continents” pattern during 1901–2010

• Published in: International Journal of Climatology
• Main Authors: Chen, Linling, Francis, Jennifer, Hanna, Edward
• Other Authors: NordForsk, Norges Forskningsråd
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2018
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/joc.5725; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjoc.5725; https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/joc.5725

The “Warm‐Arctic/Cold‐continents” (WACC) winter weather pattern is investigated using the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts 20th Century reanalysis data (ERA20C) spanning 1901–2010. Both the 1920–1940 and 1990–2010 periods are characterized by Arctic amplification (AA) and mid‐latitude continental cooling, although the Arctic warming signal for 1990–2010 is twice as strong as that for 1920–1940. Significant weakening in the mid‐latitude polewards temperature gradient and zonal wind, wavier upper‐level flow character, and strong regional blocking frequency/intensity changes are also detected during both AA periods. These results based on statistical analyses highlight the possible role of AA in affecting mid‐latitude weather patterns, but further work is needed to quantify the influence of AA on particular mid‐latitude dynamical features.