Warm Arctic, Increased Winter Sea Ice Growth?

Abstract We explore current variability and future projections of winter Arctic sea ice thickness and growth using data from climate models and satellite observations. Winter ice thickness in the Community Earth System Model's Large Ensemble compares well against thickness estimates from the Pa...

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Main Authors: Alek A. Petty, Marika M. Holland, David A. Bailey, Nathan T. Kurtz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-12-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079223
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author Alek A. Petty
Marika M. Holland
David A. Bailey
Nathan T. Kurtz
author_facet Alek A. Petty
Marika M. Holland
David A. Bailey
Nathan T. Kurtz
author_sort Alek A. Petty
collection DOAJ
description Abstract We explore current variability and future projections of winter Arctic sea ice thickness and growth using data from climate models and satellite observations. Winter ice thickness in the Community Earth System Model's Large Ensemble compares well against thickness estimates from the Pan‐Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System and CryoSat‐2, despite some significant regional differences—for example, a high thickness bias in Community Earth System Model's Large Ensemble in the western Arctic. Differences across the available CryoSat‐2 thickness products hinder more robust validation efforts. We assess the importance of the negative conductive feedback of sea ice growth (thinner ice grows faster) by regressing October atmosphere/ice/ocean conditions against winter ice growth. Our regressions demonstrate the importance of a strong negative conductive feedback process in our current climate, which increases winter growth for thinner initial ice, but indicate that later in the 21st century this negative feedback is overwhelmed by variations in the fall atmosphere/ocean state.
format Article
id doaj-art-0151642d2aa5412c8b60ef37cc2e132c
institution DOAJ
issn 0094-8276
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language English
publishDate 2018-12-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-0151642d2aa5412c8b60ef37cc2e132c2025-08-20T03:09:42ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072018-12-01452312,92212,93010.1029/2018GL079223Warm Arctic, Increased Winter Sea Ice Growth?Alek A. Petty0Marika M. Holland1David A. Bailey2Nathan T. KurtzCryospheric Sciences Laboratory NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USANational Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USANational Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USAAbstract We explore current variability and future projections of winter Arctic sea ice thickness and growth using data from climate models and satellite observations. Winter ice thickness in the Community Earth System Model's Large Ensemble compares well against thickness estimates from the Pan‐Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System and CryoSat‐2, despite some significant regional differences—for example, a high thickness bias in Community Earth System Model's Large Ensemble in the western Arctic. Differences across the available CryoSat‐2 thickness products hinder more robust validation efforts. We assess the importance of the negative conductive feedback of sea ice growth (thinner ice grows faster) by regressing October atmosphere/ice/ocean conditions against winter ice growth. Our regressions demonstrate the importance of a strong negative conductive feedback process in our current climate, which increases winter growth for thinner initial ice, but indicate that later in the 21st century this negative feedback is overwhelmed by variations in the fall atmosphere/ocean state.https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079223Arcticsea iceclimate modelssatellite observations
spellingShingle Alek A. Petty
Marika M. Holland
David A. Bailey
Nathan T. Kurtz
Warm Arctic, Increased Winter Sea Ice Growth?
Geophysical Research Letters
Arctic
sea ice
climate models
satellite observations
title Warm Arctic, Increased Winter Sea Ice Growth?
title_full Warm Arctic, Increased Winter Sea Ice Growth?
title_fullStr Warm Arctic, Increased Winter Sea Ice Growth?
title_full_unstemmed Warm Arctic, Increased Winter Sea Ice Growth?
title_short Warm Arctic, Increased Winter Sea Ice Growth?
title_sort warm arctic increased winter sea ice growth
topic Arctic
sea ice
climate models
satellite observations
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079223
work_keys_str_mv AT alekapetty warmarcticincreasedwinterseaicegrowth
AT marikamholland warmarcticincreasedwinterseaicegrowth
AT davidabailey warmarcticincreasedwinterseaicegrowth
AT nathantkurtz warmarcticincreasedwinterseaicegrowth