Role of Extratropical Wintertime Cyclones in Regulating the Variations of Baffin Bay Sea Ice Export

A cyclone is an intensive synoptic activity that occurs frequently over Baffin Bay. By modifying the large-scale distribution pattern of sea level pressure, a passing cyclone can serve as an important regulator of sea ice outflow via the Davis Strait. We obtain a nearly 40-year-long record (1979/198...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Main Authors: Liang, Yu, Bi, Haibo, Wang, Yunhe, Huang, Haijun, Zhang, Zehua, Huang, Jue, Liu, Yanxia
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION 2021
Subjects:
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Arctic
Baffin Bay
Baffin Island
Baffin
Davis Strait
Sea ice
Online Access:http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/170386
http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/170387
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033616
Description
Summary:A cyclone is an intensive synoptic activity that occurs frequently over Baffin Bay. By modifying the large-scale distribution pattern of sea level pressure, a passing cyclone can serve as an important regulator of sea ice outflow via the Davis Strait. We obtain a nearly 40-year-long record (1979/1980-2017/2018) of the sea ice area flux (SIAF) through the Davis Strait and Arctic cyclone activities in winter. A case study and statistical results indicate that the sea ice concentration and motion fields can be greatly altered by the occurrence of cyclones, thereby contributing to changes in sea ice export. Moreover, the effects of cyclones on sea ice export in Baffin Bay are dependent on the spatial distribution pattern of the storms. In terms of the cyclone center count and intensity, the key regions with significant impacts on sea ice export out of Baffin Bay are identified, one around Baffin Island (80 degrees W-60 degrees W, 60 degrees N-70 degrees N) and the other over the southern Labrador Peninsula (70 degrees W-50 degrees W, 40 degrees N-60 degrees N). A robust correlation exists between the winter-accumulated SIAF via the Davis Strait and the average winter cyclone intensity (center count) in the critical regions with R = -0.57 (+0.49), affirming the vital role of cyclone activity in modulating the interannual variability of sea ice export in Baffin Bay.

Similar Items