Arctic decadal variability from an idealized atmosphere-ice-ocean model: 1. Model description, calibration, and validation

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research
• Main Authors: Dukhovskoy, Dmitry S., Johnson, Mark A., Proshutinsky, Andrey
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Geophysical Union 2006
• Subjects: Arctic decadal oscillations; Idealized Arctic model; Arctic–Greenland Sea interaction; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Bering Strait; Fairbanks; Greenland; Pacific; Greenland Sea; International Arctic Research Center; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1912/1162

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 111 (2006): C06028, doi:10.1029/2004JC002821. This paper describes a simple “multibox” model of the Arctic atmosphere-ice-ocean system. The model consists of two major modules (an Arctic module and a Greenland Sea module) and several sub-modules. The Arctic module includes a shelf box model coupled with a thermodynamic sea ice model, and an Arctic Ocean model coupled with a sea ice model and an atmospheric box model. The Greenland Sea module includes an oceanic model coupled with a sea ice model and a statistical model of surface air temperature over the Greenland Sea. The full model is forced by daily solar radiation, wind stress, river runoff, and Pacific Water inflow through Bering Strait. For validation purposes, results from model experiments reproducing seasonal variability of the major system parameters are analyzed and compared with observations and other models. The model reproduces the seasonal variability of the Arctic system reasonably well and is used to investigate decadal Arctic climate variability in Part 2 of this publication. This publication is the result of research sponsored by Alaska Sea Grant with funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Sea Grant, Department of Commerce, under grant no. NA 86RG0050 (project no. GC/01-02), and from the University of Alaska with funds appropriated by the state. This research has also been supported by the National Science Foundation and by the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, under auspices of the United States National Science Foundation.