Antarctic Sea Ice and Temperature Variations

• Main Authors: Walsh, John E., Zwally, H. Jay, Weatherly, John W.
• Other Authors: ILLINOIS UNIV AT URBANA DEPT OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: Meteorology; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *SEA ICE; *TEMPERATURE; *ANTARCTIC REGIONS; ANOMALIES; GRIDS; ICE; OCEANS; ORGANIZATIONS; SEASONS; VARIABLES; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; GREENHOUSE EFFECT; *Global climate change; Component Reports; Temperature changes; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Fairbanks; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADP007297; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADP007297

Monthly antarctic station temperatures are used in conjunction with grids of sea ice coverage in order to evaluate temporal trends and the strength of associations between the two variables at lags of up to several seasons. The trends of temperature are predominantly positive in winter and summer, but predominantly negative in spring. The spatially aggregated trend of temperature is small but positive, while the corresponding trend of ice coverage is small but negative. Cross-correlations between concurrent anomalies of the two variables are negative over most of the continent and are strongest over the Antarctic Peninsula, especially in winter. In regions other than the Antarctic Peninsula, lag correlations between seasonal anomalies are generally stronger with ice lagging the summer temperatures and with ice leading the winter temperatures. This article is from 'Proceedings of the International Conference on the Role of the Polar Regions in Global Change Held in Fairbanks, Alaska on 11-15 June 1990. Volume 1', AD-A253 027, p263-268. See also Volume 2, AD-A253 028.