Does polar amplification exist in Antarctic surface during the recent four decades?

• Published in: Journal of mountain science 2021-10, Vol.18 (10), p.2626-2634
• Main Authors: Wang, Shi-meng, Xie, Ai-hong, Zhu, Jiang-ping
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air temperature; Amplification; Anomalies; Atmospheric models; Climate; Climate models; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecology; Environment; Fluctuations; Geography; Glaciation; Ice sheets; Latitude; Original Article; Regions; Remote observing; Remote sensing; Seasonal variation; Seasonal variations; Seasons; South Pole; Southern Hemisphere; Spring; Spring (season); Summer; Surface temperature; Temperature anomalies; Trends; Weather forecasting
• ISSN: 1672-6316; 1993-0321; 1008-2786
• DOI: 10.1007/s11629-021-6912-2

There are numerous studies on polar amplification and its influence on mid-latitude weather and climate. However, assessments on whether polar amplification occurs in Antarctica are rarely conducted. Based on the latest atmospheric reanalysis of ERA5 produced by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), we have defined the Antarctic amplification index, and calculated the trend of annual and seasonal Surface Air Temperature (SAT) mean during 1979–2019 for Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) and the trend mean of different meridional sectors of Antarctic sub regions including East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and Antarctic Peninsula (AP). Antarctic amplification shows regional differences and seasonal variations. Antarctica shows a slight warming with the largest magnitude in AP. The temperature anomalies indicate the least fluctuations in austral summer, and the more fluctuations in winter and spring. In austral summer, the warming trend domains EAIS and WAIS, while the cooling trend appears over AP. The zonal mean in Southern Hemisphere maintains a warming trend in the low latitudes, and fluctuates greatly in the middle and high latitudes. The strongest Antarctic amplification phenomenon occurs in spring, with the amplification index of 1.20. For AP, the amplification occurs in austral autumn, and the amplification index is 2.16. At South Pole and the surrounding regions, SAT for land only fluctuates largely and shows different trends in different seasons. The mechanism of Antarctic amplification is unclear till now, and its research suffers from the limitation of measured data. This suggests that future research needs progress in comprehensive ground observation network, remote sensing data accumulation, and high-resolution climate modeling with better representation of both atmospheric and cryospheric processes in Antarctica.