New Sea Ice Research Available
Is the Dipole Anomaly a Major Driver to Record Lows in Arctic Summer Sea
Ice Extent?
For further information please go to:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/wang/Related_Papers/Wang_paper63_2009_GRL.pdf
Or contact:
Jia Wang
Email: Jia.Wang [at] noaa.gov
New research is now available on the causes the arctic summer sea ice
minimum in 2007 and other previous minima. Dr. Jia Wang of NOAA Great
Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and his colleagues recently
published an article in Geophysical Research Letters to explain that the
Arctic Dipole (DA) is the major driver for the Arctic sea ice minima.
For more information, please go to:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/wang/Related_Papers/Wang_paper63_2009_GRL.pdf.
Abstract:
The previous record lows of arctic summer sea ice extent are found to be
triggered by the arctic atmospheric Dipole Anomaly (DA) pattern. This
local, second-leading mode of sea-level pressure anomaly in the Arctic
produced a strong meridional wind anomaly that drove more sea ice out of
the Arctic Ocean from the western to the eastern Arctic into the
northern Atlantic during the summers of 1995, 1999, 2002, 2005, and
2007. In the 2007 summer, the DA also enhanced anomalous oceanic heat
flux into the Arctic Ocean via Bering Strait, which accelerated bottom
and lateral melting of sea ice and amplified the ice-albedo feedback. A
coupled ice-ocean model was used to confirm the historical record lows
of summer sea ice extent.
For further information please go to:
ftp://ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/wang/Related_Papers/Wang_paper63_2009_GRL.pdf
Or contact:
Jia Wang
Email: Jia.Wang [at] noaa.gov