INTERANNUAL FLUCTUATIONS OF SEA ICE EXTENT IN THE ANTARCTIC AND ASSOCIATED ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS

• Main Authors: Hiroyuki ENOMOTO, S.-F. TIAN, Takashi YAMANOUCHI
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Kitami Institute of Technology 1992
• Subjects: Antarctic; East Antarctica; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; ice pack; Ice Sheet; Polar meteorology and glaciology; Proceedings of the NIPR Symposium on Polar Meteorology and Glaciology; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=3746; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00003746/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=3746&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

Interannual fluctuations of sea ice extent might occur reflecting the interactions among the ice sheet, sea ice and polar atmosphere. This paper focuses on possible atmospheric driving forces for sea ice fluctuations. It is seen from synoptic correlation maps that, in the case of larger sea ice extent, the circumpolar trough is located in the lower latitudes in October. As significant relationship is found also between temperature rise over Antarctica and increase of sea ice area. The implication is that the mean wind field changes due to northward shift of the trough. Thus an outburst of cold air from the continent seems to strengthen the advection of ice pack to lower latitudes and freezing in specific sectors. The temperature rise observed in East Antarctica is due to the advection of warm air. The variations of the circumpolar trough are important for changes in sea ice extent. Long-term fluctuations of the pressure and wind fields in the Southern Hemisphere are described in this study. The fluctuations of circumpolar trough are observed to reflect large-scale atmospheric fluctuations.