A new study says that the atmospheric impact of declining Arctic sea ice could extend beyond the Arctic.
In the recent past many studies have been conducted on the atmospheric impact of the rapidly declining Arctic sea ice. A new study was conducted on the impact of 2007 ice conditions, the second lowest Arctic sea ice extent in the satellite era, on atmospheric circulation and surface temperatures. The results from the study showed evidence that the atmospheric impact of declining Arctic sea ice could extend far beyond the Arctic resulting in conditions like "decrease in the pole to equator temperature gradient, given the increased temperatures associated with the increase in open water, leading to a weaker jet stream and less storminess in the mid-latitudes."
"In the context of decreasing Arctic sea ice extent, our experiments investigating the impacts of anomalous open water on the atmosphere showed increased heat transfer from the ocean to the atmosphere and warmer temperatures in areas of reduced sea ice. Comparing the model simulated circulation to the observed circulation for the summer of 2007 (the year of focus for the model experiments), we found the simulated circulation to be quite different than what was observed for spring and summer while more similar for autumn and fall," said Elizabeth Cassano from the University of Colorado.
"This suggests the sea ice conditions in the months preceding and during the summer of 2007 were not responsible for contributing to a circulation pattern which favored the large observed sea ice loss in that year. The circulation during autumn and winter which was more similar between the model simulations and the observed circulation suggests that the reduced sea ice in 2007 was in part responsible for the observed atmospheric circulation during autumn and winter of that year."
This research is published in the International Journal of Climatology.
