A stratospheric pathway linking a colder Siberia to Barents-Kara sea ice loss
Abstract
Previous studies have extensively documented the impact of Arctic sea ice melting on the midlatitude circulation. However, whether and how sea ice retreat affects the adjacent continental cooling is still unclear and controversial among the scientific community. Here we use a state-of-the-art atmospheric general circulation model with a well-resolved stratosphere to provide evidence of the "Warm Arctic Cold Siberia" pattern. In particular, we explicitly show that an active stratosphere plays a key role in the cold conditions in northern Asia in the subsequent winter following sea ice loss over the Barents-Kara Sea. The mechanism involves two-way stratosphere-troposphere coupling and the downward effect from the stratosphere significantly enhances the ridge near the Ural Mountain and trough over East Asia, which favors more cold air outbreaks. The results demonstrate the critical role of stratosphere-troposphere coupling and the necessity to use a well-resolved stratosphere model to understand the full impact of Arctic sea ice retreat.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.A54E..04W
- Keywords:
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- 3319 General circulation;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSESDE: 3320 Idealized model;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSESDE: 3362 Stratosphere/troposphere interactions;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSESDE: 3363 Stratospheric dynamics;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES