Sea Ice Loss and Arctic Cyclone Activity from 1979 to 2014

Extensive summer sea ice loss has occurred within the Beaufort, Chukchi, East Siberian, and Laptev Seas over the last decade. Associated anomalies in sensible and latent heat fluxes in autumn have increased Arctic atmospheric precipitable water and air temperatures, with the potential to impact autu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of climate 2017-06, Vol.30 (12), p.4735-4754
Main Authors: Koyama, Tomoko, Stroeve, Julienne, Cassano, John, Crawford, Alex
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ablation
Air temperature
Anomalies
Arctic cyclones
Arctic sea ice
Autumn
Baroclinic mode
Cyclogenesis
Cyclones
Cyclonic activity
Heat flux
Heat transfer
Latent heat
Moisture
Moisture availability
Precipitable water
Sea ice
Sensible and latent heat
Storms
Studies
Temperature
Vertical stability
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Summary:Extensive summer sea ice loss has occurred within the Beaufort, Chukchi, East Siberian, and Laptev Seas over the last decade. Associated anomalies in sensible and latent heat fluxes in autumn have increased Arctic atmospheric precipitable water and air temperatures, with the potential to impact autumn and winter cyclone activity. To examine if a connection exists between recent Arctic sea ice loss and cyclone activity, several cyclone metrics from 60° to 90°N are analyzed. Results show that following years with less September sea ice, there is a subsequent increase in moisture availability, regional baroclinicity, and changes in vertical stability that favor cyclogenesis. However, tracking of individual cyclones indicates no coherent increase in cyclone frequency or intensity associated with sea ice loss. Furthermore, no robust northward progression of extreme cyclones is observed.
ISSN:0894-8755
1520-0442
DOI:10.1175/jcli-d-16-0542.1