Antarctic sea‐ice variation associated with vertical geopotential height and temperature anomalies. (21st June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Qian, Weihong; Wu, Kaijun; Leung, Jeremy Cheuk‐Hin
• Is Part Of: International journal of climatology. Volume 39:Number 14(2019)
• Page Start: 5380
• Page End: 5395
• Publication Date: 2019-06-21
• Subjects: Antarctica sea ice anomaly -- extreme year -- geopotential height anomaly -- long‐term trend -- temperature anomaly; Climatology -- Periodicals; Climat -- Périodiques; Climatologie -- Périodiques; 551.605
• DOI: 10.1002/joc.6161
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0899-8418

Abstract

Abstract: It is well‐known that the increasing zonal‐mean trend of sea‐ice concentration (SIC) surrounding Antarctica is up to 2015 so this paper first summarized this trend with opposing regional trends in each season along the latitude band 60°–70°S during 1979–2015. The surface wind trends can partly explain the observed regional SIC trends. By analysing the surface wind, as well as the tropospheric geopotential height (GPH) and temperature trends, the study revealed that the increasing zonal‐mean SIC trend and opposing regional SIC trends surrounding Antarctica are vertically associated with GPH and temperature trends in the troposphere. This relationship is also found in extreme years for seven SIC maximum and four SIC minimum autumns from 1979 to 2015, particularly reconfirmed in the two SIC minimum autumns of 2017 and 2018, indicating that a positive regional SIC anomaly is vertically associated with an anomalously cold air mass centred around 850 hPa in the troposphere which is located beneath a negative GPH anomaly at the upper troposphere, and vice versa. Abstract : The increasing zonal mean and regional sea‐ice concentration (SIC) trends during 1979–2015 are vertically associated with geopotential height (GPH) and temperature trends in the troposphere, indicating that positive SIC trends are vertically associated with cooling air masses centred around 850 hPa in the troposphere which is located beneath negative GPH trends at the upper troposphere, and vice versa. This relationship also stands in extreme years for seven SIC maximum and four SIC minimum autumns from 1979 to 2015, particularly reconfirmed in the two SIC minimum autumns of 2017 and 2018.