Arctic Atmospheric River Labels and Climatology Based on 3-hourly ERA5 and MERRA-2 From 1980 to 2019 [version 1.0]

• Main Authors: Chen Zhang, Wen-wen Tung, William S Cleveland
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Arctic Region; atmospheric river; Climatology; Data Science; ERA5; MERRA-2; moisture; teleconnection; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Atlantic Arctic; Atlantic-Arctic; Chukchi; Chukchi Sea; North Pole
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4231/EHZ2-DP09

A. Background In "Climatology and decadal changes of Arctic atmospheric rivers based on ERA5 and MERRA-2" by Zhang, Tung, and Cleveland (Environmental Research: Climate, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/acdf0f), we analyzed Arctic atmospheric river (AR) patterns from 1980-2019 using twelve sets of AR labels derived from the ERA5 and MERRA-2 reanalyses. Employing a multifactorial approach, ARs were identified by analyzing vertically integrated water vapor and its transport in the atmosphere using three climate thresholds (75th, 85th, and 95th percentiles). Our findings indicate an upward trend in AR events since the mid-1990s. Labels based on the 75th percentile were more sensitive to Arctic surface warming and revealed an expansion of AR-affected areas. Furthermore, the maximum frequency of ARs shifted towards the Arctic Ocean from 2000-2019. There was a notable increase in AR occurrence, surface temperature, and moisture across the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans. ARs also contributed to increased moisture transport into the Arctic. While the rise in AR occurrence was mainly linked to long-term Arctic surface warming and moistening, local atmospheric circulation changes were also significant, such as over the Chukchi Sea. Teleconnection patterns influenced AR activity. The extreme events identified by the 95th-percentile labels displayed the most significant changes and were most influenced by the teleconnection. The AR labels and graphics presented in this study can aid in understanding and assessing Arctic ARs and their impacts in ongoing and future research. B. Contents of Repository 1. Readme File The file Readme.txt is the document about each of the twelve datasets for Arctic Atmospheric River Labels and the Supplementary Figures. 2. Twelve Sets of Arctic Atmospheric River Labels These are binary (0 or 1) labels indicating the presence of atmospheric river at a latitude-longitude location from 35◦ N to the North Pole. The spatial resolution of the ERA5-based labels is 0.25◦ longitude × 0.25◦ ...