Brief Communication: Trends in sea ice extent north of Svalbard and its impact on cold air outbreaks as observed in spring 2013

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Authors: A. Tetzlaff, C. Lüpkes, G. Birnbaum, J. Hartmann, T. Nygård, T. Vihma
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2014
• Subjects: Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Geology; QE1-996.5; Svalbard; Sea ice; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1757-2014; https://doaj.org/article/742473783a21498f8e65ef50248d24f7

An analysis of Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) satellite data reveals that the Whaler's Bay polynya north of Svalbard was considerably larger in the three winters from 2012 to 2014 compared to the previous 20 years. This increased polynya size leads to strong atmospheric convection during cold air outbreaks in a region north of Svalbard that was typically ice-covered in the last decades. The change in ice cover can strongly influence local temperature conditions. Dropsonde measurements from March 2013 show that the unusual ice conditions generate extreme convective boundary layer heights that are larger than the regional values reported in previous studies.