Recent weakening of the southern stratospheric polar vortex and its impact on the surface climate over Antarctica

• Published in: Environmental Research Letters
• Main Authors: Hataek Kwon, Hyesun Choi, Baek-Min Kim, Sang-Woo Kim, Seong-Joong Kim
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 2020
• Subjects: southern stratospheric polar vortex; polar cap height(PCH); Antarctic surface air temperature; Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering; TD1-1066; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Science; Q; Physics; QC1-999; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; East Antarctica; The Antarctic; Weddell; Weddell Sea; Antarc*; Antarctica; King Edward VII Land
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9d3d; https://doaj.org/article/c729dc1e74464add9d3f37aa888d6ee3

The variability in the southern stratospheric polar vortex (SSPV) and its downward coupling with the troposphere are known to play a crucial role in driving climate variability over Antarctica. In this study, SSPV weakening events and their impacts on the surface climate of Antarctica are examined using in-situ observation and reanalysis data. Combining criteria from several previous studies, we introduce a new detection method for SSPV weakening events. Based on the new criteria, the occurrence frequency of SSPV weakening events has exhibited a systematic increasing trend since the 2000 s. However, the weakened anomalies of individual SSPV events are not statistically different (95% confidence level) between the earlier (1979–1999) and later (2000–2017) periods examined in this study. The recent increase in the occurrence of SSPV weakening events is largely controlled by tropospheric mechanisms, i.e. the poleward heat flux carried by southern hemispheric planetary waves and associated vertical wave propagation. Among the various scales of planetary waves, the wavenumber 1 contributes most of the poleward eddy heat flux. We show that SSPV weakening events induce statistically significant cooling over the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) region and warming over the rest of Antarctica. Typically, surface air temperature anomalies with large negative values smaller than − 0.6 °C and positive values larger than + 0.8 °C are observed over the east coast of the tip of the AP and King Edward VII Land, respectively. The influence of an SSPV weakening event on the surface lasts for approximately three months with higher height anomalies off western Antarctica, providing favorable conditions for the atmosphere to transport cold air from the interior of Antarctica to the AP via the Weddell Sea. Distinct positive surface air temperature anomalies over the rest of Antarctica are associated with the northerly circulation anomaly from the eastern Weddell Sea to east Antarctica.