Long-term trends of the Polar and Arctic cells influencing the Arctic climate since 1989

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
• Main Authors: Qian, Weihong, Wu, Kaijun, Leung, Jeremy Cheuk-Hin, Shi, Jian
• Other Authors: Qian, WH (reprint author), Peking Univ, Sch Phys, Dept Atmospher & Ocean Sci, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China., Peking Univ, Sch Phys, Dept Atmospher & Ocean Sci, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China.
• Format: Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Chinese
• Published: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES 2016
• Subjects: Polar cell; Arctic cell; trend; sea ice; Arctic climate; SEA-ICE; HADLEY CIRCULATION; ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION; NORTHERN-HEMISPHERE; REANALYSIS PROJECT; TEMPERATURE; VARIABILITY; GREENLAND; WINTER; MELT; Arctic; Greenland; Climate change; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11897/438417; https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024252

The strengthening and broadening trends of the Hadley cell have been revealed, while the existence of the Arctic cell has also been confirmed in previous studies. This study extends previous strengthening trend analyses of the Hadley cell to the Polar and Arctic cells in the Northern Hemisphere and explores their climate influences. Results show that the Polar cell experienced an abrupt change from a slow to a rapid strengthening trend in 1989, while the Arctic cell showed an insignificant strengthening trend and a significant weakening trend successively. The strengthening subsidence flow associated with the Polar and Arctic cells can partly explain the warming surface air temperature and declining sea ice concentration through the increasing tropospheric height and temperature trends. These results provide new insights for understanding the interdecadal relationship between atmospheric circulation and climate change in the Arctic region. National Natural Science Foundation of China [41375073]; Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences [XDA05090407]; Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction Program [GASI-03-02-01-02] SCI(E) ARTICLE [e-mail] 6 2679-2690 121