Wintertime Cold Extremes in Northeast China and Their Linkage with Sea Ice in Barents-Kara Seas

• Published in: Atmosphere
• Main Authors: Yongyue Luo, Chun Li, Jian Shi, Xiadong An, Yaqing Sun
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021
• Subjects: winter extreme low temperature; Northeast China; interannual variability; atmospheric circulation; sea ice; Meteorology. Climatology; QC851-999; Arctic; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12030386; https://doaj.org/article/bc0974943c974a409fc4898cc6e67e19

The impacts of Arctic sea ice on the interannual variability of winter extreme low temperature (WELT) in Northeast China (NEC) and the associated atmospheric circulation patterns are explored in this study based on meteorological observation and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data. Results show that WELT in NEC has prominent interannual variability. We further use ±0.8 standard deviation as the threshold to select the years of frequent and rare extreme low temperature anomalies. Using composite analysis, we find that there are significant negative geopotential height anomalies at 500 hPa over NEC and positive geopotential height anomalies along the Arctic region, which represent the intensification of the East Asian trough (EAT) and the negative Arctic Oscillation (AO) phase in the years of more frequent WELT. The opposite characteristics are detected in the years of rare WELT. Furthermore, we determine that the Barents-Kara Seas are key sea ice regions in Arctic area. In the years of frequent WELT, the decrease of autumn Barents-Kara Seas sea ice and the positive sea surface temperature anomaly can last until the following winter, which is conducive to the intensification of anticyclonic anomalies in Ural regions and the northward extension of Ural ridge (UR). The northerly flow in front of UR guides the cold air penetrating southward from polar regions. Moreover, the anomalous cyclone over East Asia deepens the EAT. The northerly wind behind EAT guides the cold air to the NEC region, causing the wintertime low temperature there. The almost opposite situation occurs in the years of rare WELT.