Rapid Acceleration of Arctic Near‐Surface Wind Speed in a Warming Climate

Abstract Arctic near‐surface wind speed (NWS) plays an increasingly crucial role in influencing the local air‐sea interactions and the safety of trans‐Arctic shipping, but its potential changes in a warming climate and underlying causes remain unclear. Using reanalysis and model simulation data sets...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Wanlei Liu, Song Yang, Deliang Chen, Jinlin Zha, Gangfeng Zhang, Zhengtai Zhang, Tuantuan Zhang, Lianlian Xu, Xiaoming Hu, Kaiqiang Deng
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Beaufort Sea
Kara Sea
Sea ice
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109385
https://doaj.org/article/c1da3373d44041a6847cf4e1335acd92
Description
Summary:Abstract Arctic near‐surface wind speed (NWS) plays an increasingly crucial role in influencing the local air‐sea interactions and the safety of trans‐Arctic shipping, but its potential changes in a warming climate and underlying causes remain unclear. Using reanalysis and model simulation data sets, we reveal that the Arctic NWS has increased remarkably since the 1960s, with the strongest increase in the Arctic Ocean surface. We propose that the acceleration of Arctic NWS is primarily driven by reduced stability in the lower troposphere due to increased upward heat fluxes and decreased surface roughness owing to the losses of Arctic glaciers and sea ice in a warming climate. In addition, the coupled climate models project a robust increase in the Arctic NWS under various warming scenarios during the 21st century, especially in the vicinity of the Kara Sea and the Beaufort Sea.

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