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- Author or Editor: Cecilia Bitz x
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Abstract
Rain on snow (ROS) events are rare in most parts of the circumpolar Arctic, but have been shown to have great impact on soil surface temperatures and serve as triggers for avalanches in the midlatitudes, and they have been implicated in catastrophic die-offs of ungulates. The study of ROS is inherently challenging due to the difficulty of both measuring rain and snow in the Arctic and representing ROS events in numerical weather predictions and climate models. In this paper these challenges are addressed, and the occurrence of these events is characterized across the Arctic. Incidents of ROS in Canadian meteorological station data and in the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) are compared to evaluate the suitability of these datasets for characterizing ROS. The ERA-40 adequately represents the large-scale synoptic fields of ROS, but too often has a tendency toward drizzle. Using the ERA-40, a climatology of ROS events is created for thresholds that impact ungulate populations and permafrost. It is found that ROS events with the potential to harm ungulate mammals are widespread, but the large events required to impact permafrost are limited to the coastal margins of Beringia and the island of Svalbard. The synoptic conditions that led to ROS events on Banks Island in October of 2003, which killed an estimated 20 000 musk oxen, and on Svalbard, which led to significant permafrost warming in December of 1995, are examined. Compositing analyses are used to show the prevailing synoptic conditions that lead to ROS in four disparate parts of the Arctic. Analysis of ROS in the daily output of a fully coupled GCM under a future climate change scenario finds an increase in the frequency and areal extent of these events for many parts of the Arctic over the next 50 yr and that expanded regions of permafrost become vulnerable to ROS.
Abstract
Rain on snow (ROS) events are rare in most parts of the circumpolar Arctic, but have been shown to have great impact on soil surface temperatures and serve as triggers for avalanches in the midlatitudes, and they have been implicated in catastrophic die-offs of ungulates. The study of ROS is inherently challenging due to the difficulty of both measuring rain and snow in the Arctic and representing ROS events in numerical weather predictions and climate models. In this paper these challenges are addressed, and the occurrence of these events is characterized across the Arctic. Incidents of ROS in Canadian meteorological station data and in the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) are compared to evaluate the suitability of these datasets for characterizing ROS. The ERA-40 adequately represents the large-scale synoptic fields of ROS, but too often has a tendency toward drizzle. Using the ERA-40, a climatology of ROS events is created for thresholds that impact ungulate populations and permafrost. It is found that ROS events with the potential to harm ungulate mammals are widespread, but the large events required to impact permafrost are limited to the coastal margins of Beringia and the island of Svalbard. The synoptic conditions that led to ROS events on Banks Island in October of 2003, which killed an estimated 20 000 musk oxen, and on Svalbard, which led to significant permafrost warming in December of 1995, are examined. Compositing analyses are used to show the prevailing synoptic conditions that lead to ROS in four disparate parts of the Arctic. Analysis of ROS in the daily output of a fully coupled GCM under a future climate change scenario finds an increase in the frequency and areal extent of these events for many parts of the Arctic over the next 50 yr and that expanded regions of permafrost become vulnerable to ROS.
Abstract
North Atlantic sea ice anomalies are thought to play an important role in the abrupt Dansgaard–Oeschger (D–O) cycles of the last glacial period. This model study investigates the impacts of changes in North Atlantic sea ice extent in glacial climates to help provide geographical constraints on their involvement in D–O cycles. Based on a coupled climate model simulation of the Last Glacial Maximum (21 ka), the Nordic seas and western North Atlantic (broadly, south of Greenland) are identified as two plausible regions for large and persistent displacements of the sea ice edge in the glacial North Atlantic. Sea ice retreat scenarios targeting these regions are designed to represent ice cover changes associated with the cold-to-warm (stadial-to-interstadial) transitions of D–O cycles. The atmospheric responses to sea ice retreat in the Nordic seas and in the western North Atlantic are tested individually and together using an atmospheric general circulation model. The Nordic seas ice retreat causes 10°C of winter warming and a 50% increase in snow accumulation at Greenland Summit; concomitant ice retreat in the western North Atlantic has little additional effect. The results suggest that displacements of the winter sea ice edge in the Nordic seas are important for creating the observed climate signals associated with D–O cycles in the Greenland ice cores.
Abstract
North Atlantic sea ice anomalies are thought to play an important role in the abrupt Dansgaard–Oeschger (D–O) cycles of the last glacial period. This model study investigates the impacts of changes in North Atlantic sea ice extent in glacial climates to help provide geographical constraints on their involvement in D–O cycles. Based on a coupled climate model simulation of the Last Glacial Maximum (21 ka), the Nordic seas and western North Atlantic (broadly, south of Greenland) are identified as two plausible regions for large and persistent displacements of the sea ice edge in the glacial North Atlantic. Sea ice retreat scenarios targeting these regions are designed to represent ice cover changes associated with the cold-to-warm (stadial-to-interstadial) transitions of D–O cycles. The atmospheric responses to sea ice retreat in the Nordic seas and in the western North Atlantic are tested individually and together using an atmospheric general circulation model. The Nordic seas ice retreat causes 10°C of winter warming and a 50% increase in snow accumulation at Greenland Summit; concomitant ice retreat in the western North Atlantic has little additional effect. The results suggest that displacements of the winter sea ice edge in the Nordic seas are important for creating the observed climate signals associated with D–O cycles in the Greenland ice cores.
Abstract
A hierarchy of general circulation models (GCMs) is used to investigate the linearity of the response of the climate system to changes in Antarctic topography. Experiments were conducted with a GCM with either a slab ocean or fixed SSTs and sea ice, in which the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) and coastal Antarctic topography were either lowered or raised in an idealized way. Additional experiments were conducted with a fully coupled GCM with topographic perturbations based on an ice-sheet model in which the WAIS collapses. The response over the continent is the same in all model configurations and is mostly linear. In contrast, the response has substantial nonlinear elements over the Southern Ocean that depend on the model configuration and are due to feedbacks with sea ice, ocean, and clouds. The atmosphere warms near the surface over much of the Southern Ocean and cools in the stratosphere over Antarctica, whether topography is raised or lowered. When topography is lowered, the Southern Ocean surface warming is due to strengthened southward atmospheric heat transport and associated enhanced storminess over the WAIS and the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean. When topography is raised, Southern Ocean warming is more limited and is associated with circulation anomalies. The response in the fully coupled experiments is generally consistent with the more idealized experiments, but the full-depth ocean warms throughout the water column whether topography is raised or lowered. These results indicate that ice sheet–climate system feedbacks differ depending on whether the Antarctic ice sheet is gaining or losing mass.
Significance Statement
Throughout Earth’s history, the Antarctic ice sheet was at times taller or shorter than it is today. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean around Antarctica respond to changes in ice sheet height. We find that the response to lowering the ice sheet is not the opposite of the response to raising it, and that in either case the ocean surface near the continent warms. When the ice sheet is raised, the ocean warming is related to circulation changes; when the ice sheet is lowered, the ocean warming is from an increase in southward atmospheric heat transport. These results are important for understanding how the ice sheet height and local climate evolve together through time.
Abstract
A hierarchy of general circulation models (GCMs) is used to investigate the linearity of the response of the climate system to changes in Antarctic topography. Experiments were conducted with a GCM with either a slab ocean or fixed SSTs and sea ice, in which the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) and coastal Antarctic topography were either lowered or raised in an idealized way. Additional experiments were conducted with a fully coupled GCM with topographic perturbations based on an ice-sheet model in which the WAIS collapses. The response over the continent is the same in all model configurations and is mostly linear. In contrast, the response has substantial nonlinear elements over the Southern Ocean that depend on the model configuration and are due to feedbacks with sea ice, ocean, and clouds. The atmosphere warms near the surface over much of the Southern Ocean and cools in the stratosphere over Antarctica, whether topography is raised or lowered. When topography is lowered, the Southern Ocean surface warming is due to strengthened southward atmospheric heat transport and associated enhanced storminess over the WAIS and the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean. When topography is raised, Southern Ocean warming is more limited and is associated with circulation anomalies. The response in the fully coupled experiments is generally consistent with the more idealized experiments, but the full-depth ocean warms throughout the water column whether topography is raised or lowered. These results indicate that ice sheet–climate system feedbacks differ depending on whether the Antarctic ice sheet is gaining or losing mass.
Significance Statement
Throughout Earth’s history, the Antarctic ice sheet was at times taller or shorter than it is today. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean around Antarctica respond to changes in ice sheet height. We find that the response to lowering the ice sheet is not the opposite of the response to raising it, and that in either case the ocean surface near the continent warms. When the ice sheet is raised, the ocean warming is related to circulation changes; when the ice sheet is lowered, the ocean warming is from an increase in southward atmospheric heat transport. These results are important for understanding how the ice sheet height and local climate evolve together through time.
Abstract
A new method, called contour shifting, is proposed for correcting the bias in forecasts of contours such as sea ice concentration above certain thresholds. Retrospective comparisons of observations and dynamical model forecasts are used to build a statistical spatiotemporal model of how predicted contours typically differ from observed contours. Forecasted contours from a dynamical model are then adjusted to correct for expected errors in their location. The statistical model changes over time to reflect the changing error patterns that result from reducing sea ice cover in the satellite era in both models and observations. For an evaluation period from 2001 to 2013, these bias-corrected forecasts are on average more accurate than the unadjusted dynamical model forecasts for all forecast months in the year at four different lead times. The total area, which is incorrectly categorized as containing sea ice or not, is reduced by 3.3 × 105 km2 (or 21.3%) on average. The root-mean-square error of forecasts of total sea ice area is also reduced for all lead times.
Abstract
A new method, called contour shifting, is proposed for correcting the bias in forecasts of contours such as sea ice concentration above certain thresholds. Retrospective comparisons of observations and dynamical model forecasts are used to build a statistical spatiotemporal model of how predicted contours typically differ from observed contours. Forecasted contours from a dynamical model are then adjusted to correct for expected errors in their location. The statistical model changes over time to reflect the changing error patterns that result from reducing sea ice cover in the satellite era in both models and observations. For an evaluation period from 2001 to 2013, these bias-corrected forecasts are on average more accurate than the unadjusted dynamical model forecasts for all forecast months in the year at four different lead times. The total area, which is incorrectly categorized as containing sea ice or not, is reduced by 3.3 × 105 km2 (or 21.3%) on average. The root-mean-square error of forecasts of total sea ice area is also reduced for all lead times.
Abstract
The response of the Southern Ocean to a repeating seasonal cycle of ozone loss is studied in two coupled climate models and is found to comprise both fast and slow processes. The fast response is similar to the interannual signature of the southern annular mode (SAM) on sea surface temperature (SST), onto which the ozone hole forcing projects in the summer. It comprises enhanced northward Ekman drift, inducing negative summertime SST anomalies around Antarctica, earlier sea ice freeze-up the following winter, and northward expansion of the sea ice edge year-round. The enhanced northward Ekman drift, however, results in upwelling of warm waters from below the mixed layer in the region of seasonal sea ice. With sustained bursts of westerly winds induced by ozone hole depletion, this warming from below eventually dominates over the cooling from anomalous Ekman drift. The resulting slow time-scale response (years to decades) leads to warming of SSTs around Antarctica and ultimately a reduction in sea ice cover year-round. This two-time-scale behavior—rapid cooling followed by slow but persistent warming—is found in the two coupled models analyzed: one with an idealized geometry and the other with a complex global climate model with realistic geometry. Processes that control the time scale of the transition from cooling to warming and their uncertainties are described. Finally the implications of these results are discussed for rationalizing previous studies of the effect of the ozone hole on SST and sea ice extent.
Abstract
The response of the Southern Ocean to a repeating seasonal cycle of ozone loss is studied in two coupled climate models and is found to comprise both fast and slow processes. The fast response is similar to the interannual signature of the southern annular mode (SAM) on sea surface temperature (SST), onto which the ozone hole forcing projects in the summer. It comprises enhanced northward Ekman drift, inducing negative summertime SST anomalies around Antarctica, earlier sea ice freeze-up the following winter, and northward expansion of the sea ice edge year-round. The enhanced northward Ekman drift, however, results in upwelling of warm waters from below the mixed layer in the region of seasonal sea ice. With sustained bursts of westerly winds induced by ozone hole depletion, this warming from below eventually dominates over the cooling from anomalous Ekman drift. The resulting slow time-scale response (years to decades) leads to warming of SSTs around Antarctica and ultimately a reduction in sea ice cover year-round. This two-time-scale behavior—rapid cooling followed by slow but persistent warming—is found in the two coupled models analyzed: one with an idealized geometry and the other with a complex global climate model with realistic geometry. Processes that control the time scale of the transition from cooling to warming and their uncertainties are described. Finally the implications of these results are discussed for rationalizing previous studies of the effect of the ozone hole on SST and sea ice extent.
Abstract
The mechanisms forcing variability in Southern Ocean sea ice and sea surface temperature from 600 years of a control climate coupled model integration are discussed. As in the observations, the leading mode of simulated variability exhibits a dipole pattern with positive anomalies in the Pacific sector associated with negative anomalies in the Atlantic. It is found that in the Pacific ocean circulation changes associated with variable wind forcing modify the ocean heat flux convergence and sea ice transport, resulting in sea surface temperature and sea ice anomalies. The Pacific ice and ocean anomalies persist over a number of years due to reductions in ocean shortwave absorption reinforcing the initial anomalies. In the Atlantic sector, no single process dominates in forcing the anomalies. Instead there are contributions from changing ocean and sea ice circulation and surface heat fluxes. While the absorbed solar radiation in the Atlantic is modified by the changing surface albedo, the anomalies are much shorter-lived than in the Pacific because the ocean circulation transports them northward, removing them from ice formation regions. Sea ice and ocean anomalies associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode both exhibit a dipole pattern and contribute to the leading mode of ice and ocean variability.
Abstract
The mechanisms forcing variability in Southern Ocean sea ice and sea surface temperature from 600 years of a control climate coupled model integration are discussed. As in the observations, the leading mode of simulated variability exhibits a dipole pattern with positive anomalies in the Pacific sector associated with negative anomalies in the Atlantic. It is found that in the Pacific ocean circulation changes associated with variable wind forcing modify the ocean heat flux convergence and sea ice transport, resulting in sea surface temperature and sea ice anomalies. The Pacific ice and ocean anomalies persist over a number of years due to reductions in ocean shortwave absorption reinforcing the initial anomalies. In the Atlantic sector, no single process dominates in forcing the anomalies. Instead there are contributions from changing ocean and sea ice circulation and surface heat fluxes. While the absorbed solar radiation in the Atlantic is modified by the changing surface albedo, the anomalies are much shorter-lived than in the Pacific because the ocean circulation transports them northward, removing them from ice formation regions. Sea ice and ocean anomalies associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode both exhibit a dipole pattern and contribute to the leading mode of ice and ocean variability.
Abstract
The simulated influence of Arctic sea ice on the variability of the North Atlantic climate is discussed in the context of a global coupled ice–ocean–atmosphere model. This coupled system incorporates a general circulation ocean model, an atmospheric energy moisture balance model, and a dynamic–thermodynamic sea ice model. Under steady seasonal forcing, an equilibrium solution is obtained with very little variability. To induce variability in the model, daily varying stochastic anomalies are applied to the wind forcing of the Northern Hemisphere sea ice cover. These stochastic anomalies have observed spatial patterns but are random in time. Model simulations are run for 1000 yr from an equilibrium state and the variability in the system is analyzed. The sensitivity of the system to the ice–ocean coupling of both heat and freshwater is also examined.
Under the stochastic forcing conditions, the thermohaline circulation (THC) responds with variability that is approximately 10% of the mean. This variability has enhanced spectral power at interdecadal timescales that is concentrated at approximately 20 yr. It is forced by fluctuations in the export of ice from the Arctic into the North Atlantic. Substantial changes in sea surface temperature and salinity are related to changes in the overturning circulation and the sea ice coverage in the northern North Atlantic. Additionally, the THC variability influences the Arctic Basin through heat transport under the ice pack.
Results from sensitivity studies suggest that the freshwater exchange from the variable ice cover is the dominant process for forcing variability in the overturning. The simulated Arctic ice export appears to provide stochastic forcing to the northern North Atlantic that excites a damped oscillatory ocean-only mode. The insulating capacity of the variable sea ice has a negligible effect on the THC. Ice–ocean thermal coupling acts to damp THC variability, causing an approximately 25% reduction in the THC standard deviation.
Abstract
The simulated influence of Arctic sea ice on the variability of the North Atlantic climate is discussed in the context of a global coupled ice–ocean–atmosphere model. This coupled system incorporates a general circulation ocean model, an atmospheric energy moisture balance model, and a dynamic–thermodynamic sea ice model. Under steady seasonal forcing, an equilibrium solution is obtained with very little variability. To induce variability in the model, daily varying stochastic anomalies are applied to the wind forcing of the Northern Hemisphere sea ice cover. These stochastic anomalies have observed spatial patterns but are random in time. Model simulations are run for 1000 yr from an equilibrium state and the variability in the system is analyzed. The sensitivity of the system to the ice–ocean coupling of both heat and freshwater is also examined.
Under the stochastic forcing conditions, the thermohaline circulation (THC) responds with variability that is approximately 10% of the mean. This variability has enhanced spectral power at interdecadal timescales that is concentrated at approximately 20 yr. It is forced by fluctuations in the export of ice from the Arctic into the North Atlantic. Substantial changes in sea surface temperature and salinity are related to changes in the overturning circulation and the sea ice coverage in the northern North Atlantic. Additionally, the THC variability influences the Arctic Basin through heat transport under the ice pack.
Results from sensitivity studies suggest that the freshwater exchange from the variable ice cover is the dominant process for forcing variability in the overturning. The simulated Arctic ice export appears to provide stochastic forcing to the northern North Atlantic that excites a damped oscillatory ocean-only mode. The insulating capacity of the variable sea ice has a negligible effect on the THC. Ice–ocean thermal coupling acts to damp THC variability, causing an approximately 25% reduction in the THC standard deviation.
Abstract
Different parameterizations for vertical mixing and the effects of ocean mesoscale eddies are tested in an eddy-permitting ocean model. It has a horizontal resolution averaging about 0.7° and was used as the ocean component of the parallel climate model. The old ocean parameterizations used in that coupled model were replaced by the newer parameterizations used in the climate system model. Both ocean-alone and fully coupled integrations were run for at least 100 years. The results clearly show that the drifts in the upper-ocean temperature profile using the old parameterizations are substantially reduced in both sets of integrations using the newer parameterizations. The sea-ice distribution in the fully coupled integration using the newer ocean parameterizations is also improved. However, the sea-ice distribution is sensitive to both sea-ice parameterizations and the atmospheric forcing, in addition to being dependent on the ocean simulation. The newer ocean parameterizations have been shown to improve considerably the solutions in non-eddy-resolving configurations, such as in the climate system model, where the horizontal resolution of the ocean component is about 2°. The work presented here is a clear demonstration that the improvements continue into the eddy-permitting regime, where the ocean component has an average horizontal resolution of less than 1°.
Abstract
Different parameterizations for vertical mixing and the effects of ocean mesoscale eddies are tested in an eddy-permitting ocean model. It has a horizontal resolution averaging about 0.7° and was used as the ocean component of the parallel climate model. The old ocean parameterizations used in that coupled model were replaced by the newer parameterizations used in the climate system model. Both ocean-alone and fully coupled integrations were run for at least 100 years. The results clearly show that the drifts in the upper-ocean temperature profile using the old parameterizations are substantially reduced in both sets of integrations using the newer parameterizations. The sea-ice distribution in the fully coupled integration using the newer ocean parameterizations is also improved. However, the sea-ice distribution is sensitive to both sea-ice parameterizations and the atmospheric forcing, in addition to being dependent on the ocean simulation. The newer ocean parameterizations have been shown to improve considerably the solutions in non-eddy-resolving configurations, such as in the climate system model, where the horizontal resolution of the ocean component is about 2°. The work presented here is a clear demonstration that the improvements continue into the eddy-permitting regime, where the ocean component has an average horizontal resolution of less than 1°.
Abstract
Recent observations of Arctic sea ice show that the decrease in summer ice cover over the last few decades has occurred in conjunction with a significant loss of multiyear ice. The transition to an Arctic that is populated by thinner, first-year sea ice has important implications for future trends in area and volume. Here, a reduced model for Arctic sea ice is developed. This model is used to investigate how the survivability of first-year and multiyear ice controls the mean state, variability, and trends in ice area and volume. A hindcast with a global dynamic–thermodynamic sea ice model that traces first-year and multiyear ice is used to estimate the survivability of each ice type. These estimates of survivability, in concert with the reduced model, yield persistence time scales of September area and volume anomalies and the characteristics of the sensitivity of sea ice to climate forcing that compare well with a fully coupled climate model. The September area is found to be nearly in equilibrium with climate forcing at all times, and therefore the observed decline in summer sea ice cover is a clear indication of a changing climate. Keeping an account of first-year and multiyear ice area within global climate models offers a powerful way to evaluate those models with observations, and could help to constrain projections of sea ice decline in a warming climate.
Abstract
Recent observations of Arctic sea ice show that the decrease in summer ice cover over the last few decades has occurred in conjunction with a significant loss of multiyear ice. The transition to an Arctic that is populated by thinner, first-year sea ice has important implications for future trends in area and volume. Here, a reduced model for Arctic sea ice is developed. This model is used to investigate how the survivability of first-year and multiyear ice controls the mean state, variability, and trends in ice area and volume. A hindcast with a global dynamic–thermodynamic sea ice model that traces first-year and multiyear ice is used to estimate the survivability of each ice type. These estimates of survivability, in concert with the reduced model, yield persistence time scales of September area and volume anomalies and the characteristics of the sensitivity of sea ice to climate forcing that compare well with a fully coupled climate model. The September area is found to be nearly in equilibrium with climate forcing at all times, and therefore the observed decline in summer sea ice cover is a clear indication of a changing climate. Keeping an account of first-year and multiyear ice area within global climate models offers a powerful way to evaluate those models with observations, and could help to constrain projections of sea ice decline in a warming climate.
Abstract
Arctic cyclones are an extremely common, year-round phenomenon, with substantial influence on sea ice. However, few studies address the heterogeneity in the spatial patterns in the atmosphere and sea ice during Arctic cyclones. We investigate these spatial patterns by compositing on cyclones from 1985 to 2016 using a novel, cyclone-centered approach that reveals conditions as functions of bearing and distance from cyclone centers. An axisymmetric, cold-core model for the structure of Arctic cyclones has previously been proposed; however, we show that the structure of Arctic cyclones is comparable to those in the midlatitudes, with cyclonic surface winds, a warm, moist sector to the east of cyclones and a cold, dry sector to the west. There is no consensus on the impact of Arctic cyclones on sea ice, as some studies have shown that Arctic cyclones lead to sea ice growth and others to sea ice loss. Instead, we find that sea ice decreases to the east of Arctic cyclones and increases to the west, with the greatest changes occurring in the marginal ice zone. Using a sea ice model forced with prescribed atmospheric reanalysis, we reveal the relative importance of the dynamic and thermodynamic forcing of Arctic cyclones on sea ice. The dynamic and thermodynamic responses of sea ice concentration to cyclones are comparable in magnitude; however, dynamic processes dominate the response of sea ice thickness and are the primary driver of the east–west difference in the sea ice response to cyclones.
Abstract
Arctic cyclones are an extremely common, year-round phenomenon, with substantial influence on sea ice. However, few studies address the heterogeneity in the spatial patterns in the atmosphere and sea ice during Arctic cyclones. We investigate these spatial patterns by compositing on cyclones from 1985 to 2016 using a novel, cyclone-centered approach that reveals conditions as functions of bearing and distance from cyclone centers. An axisymmetric, cold-core model for the structure of Arctic cyclones has previously been proposed; however, we show that the structure of Arctic cyclones is comparable to those in the midlatitudes, with cyclonic surface winds, a warm, moist sector to the east of cyclones and a cold, dry sector to the west. There is no consensus on the impact of Arctic cyclones on sea ice, as some studies have shown that Arctic cyclones lead to sea ice growth and others to sea ice loss. Instead, we find that sea ice decreases to the east of Arctic cyclones and increases to the west, with the greatest changes occurring in the marginal ice zone. Using a sea ice model forced with prescribed atmospheric reanalysis, we reveal the relative importance of the dynamic and thermodynamic forcing of Arctic cyclones on sea ice. The dynamic and thermodynamic responses of sea ice concentration to cyclones are comparable in magnitude; however, dynamic processes dominate the response of sea ice thickness and are the primary driver of the east–west difference in the sea ice response to cyclones.
