Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Antarctic Summer Sea Ice Trend in the Context of High-Latitude Atmospheric Circulation Changes

Lejiang Yu State Oceanic Administration Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, China, and Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

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Shiyuan Zhong Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

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Mingyu Zhou State Oceanic Administration Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, and National Marine Environment Prediction Center, Beijing, China

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Bo Sun State Oceanic Administration Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, China

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Donald H. Lenschow National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

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Print Publication:
15 May 2018
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0739.1
Page(s):
3909–3920
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Abstract

The potential mechanisms underlying the observed increasing trend in Antarctic summertime sea ice cover for the 1979–2017 period have been investigated using a relatively novel method called the self-organizing map (SOM). Among the nine nodes generated to explain the variability of Antarctic sea ice cover, two (nodes 3 and 7) exhibit a statistically significant linear trend in the time series of the frequency of the SOM pattern occurrence that together explain 40% of the total trend in the sea ice cover. These two nodes have completely opposite spatial patterns and directions of trend and are associated with different atmospheric circulation patterns. Node 3, which represents an increase in sea ice over the Weddell Sea and the eastern Ross Sea and a decrease over the other coastal seas of West Antarctica, appears to be related to the positive phase of the southern annular mode (SAM) linked with the La Niña pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) over the tropical Pacific Ocean. The opposite spatial pattern and trend represented by node 7 is associated with a wave train originating over northern Australia. The anomalous wind field, surface downward longwave radiation, and surface air temperature generated by these circulation patterns are consistent with the spatial pattern and overall trends in the Antarctic sea ice cover.

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0739.s1.

© 2018 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).

Corresponding author: Dr. Lejiang Yu, yulejiang@sina.com.cn

Abstract

The potential mechanisms underlying the observed increasing trend in Antarctic summertime sea ice cover for the 1979–2017 period have been investigated using a relatively novel method called the self-organizing map (SOM). Among the nine nodes generated to explain the variability of Antarctic sea ice cover, two (nodes 3 and 7) exhibit a statistically significant linear trend in the time series of the frequency of the SOM pattern occurrence that together explain 40% of the total trend in the sea ice cover. These two nodes have completely opposite spatial patterns and directions of trend and are associated with different atmospheric circulation patterns. Node 3, which represents an increase in sea ice over the Weddell Sea and the eastern Ross Sea and a decrease over the other coastal seas of West Antarctica, appears to be related to the positive phase of the southern annular mode (SAM) linked with the La Niña pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) over the tropical Pacific Ocean. The opposite spatial pattern and trend represented by node 7 is associated with a wave train originating over northern Australia. The anomalous wind field, surface downward longwave radiation, and surface air temperature generated by these circulation patterns are consistent with the spatial pattern and overall trends in the Antarctic sea ice cover.

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0739.s1.

© 2018 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).

Corresponding author: Dr. Lejiang Yu, yulejiang@sina.com.cn

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