Distinct Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Linking Historical Barents‐Kara Sea‐Ice Loss and Late Winter Eurasian Temperature Variability
Abstract Reduced Arctic sea‐ice has been proposed to induce severe Eurasian cold events. However, the physical mechanisms for this connection, particularly the relative importance of tropospheric and stratospheric processes, remain unclear. Using ERA‐Interim reanalysis data and WACCM‐SC simulations,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095262 |
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| author | Mian Xu Wenshou Tian Jiankai Zhang James A. Screen Jinlong Huang Kai Qie Tao Wang |
| author_facet | Mian Xu Wenshou Tian Jiankai Zhang James A. Screen Jinlong Huang Kai Qie Tao Wang |
| author_sort | Mian Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Reduced Arctic sea‐ice has been proposed to induce severe Eurasian cold events. However, the physical mechanisms for this connection, particularly the relative importance of tropospheric and stratospheric processes, remain unclear. Using ERA‐Interim reanalysis data and WACCM‐SC simulations, we show that the Eurasian cooling induced by reduced sea‐ice centers over eastern Asia and northern Europe. Tropospheric and stratospheric processes contribute roughly equally to the cooling over eastern Asia, while the stratospheric and tropospheric contributions are 60% and 40%, respectively, over northern Europe. In the tropospheric pathway, weakened meridional temperature gradient due to reduced sea‐ice strengthens the Ural blocking and enhances the Siberian High. The enhanced Siberian High favors two streams of cold air‐mass, reaching northern Europe and eastern Asia. In the stratospheric pathway, enhanced upward‐propagating planetary wave 1 causes a shift of the stratospheric polar vortex toward Eurasia and consequently, tropospheric cyclonic anomalies are induced that enhance surface cold anomalies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a464f13824c44a589df8237447cd3cc3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-a464f13824c44a589df8237447cd3cc32025-08-20T02:36:27ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072021-10-014820n/an/a10.1029/2021GL095262Distinct Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Linking Historical Barents‐Kara Sea‐Ice Loss and Late Winter Eurasian Temperature VariabilityMian Xu0Wenshou Tian1Jiankai Zhang2James A. Screen3Jinlong Huang4Kai Qie5Tao Wang6College of Atmospheric Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou ChinaCollege of Atmospheric Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou ChinaCollege of Atmospheric Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou ChinaCollege of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences University of Exeter Exeter UKCollege of Atmospheric Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou ChinaCollege of Atmospheric Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou ChinaCollege of Atmospheric Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou ChinaAbstract Reduced Arctic sea‐ice has been proposed to induce severe Eurasian cold events. However, the physical mechanisms for this connection, particularly the relative importance of tropospheric and stratospheric processes, remain unclear. Using ERA‐Interim reanalysis data and WACCM‐SC simulations, we show that the Eurasian cooling induced by reduced sea‐ice centers over eastern Asia and northern Europe. Tropospheric and stratospheric processes contribute roughly equally to the cooling over eastern Asia, while the stratospheric and tropospheric contributions are 60% and 40%, respectively, over northern Europe. In the tropospheric pathway, weakened meridional temperature gradient due to reduced sea‐ice strengthens the Ural blocking and enhances the Siberian High. The enhanced Siberian High favors two streams of cold air‐mass, reaching northern Europe and eastern Asia. In the stratospheric pathway, enhanced upward‐propagating planetary wave 1 causes a shift of the stratospheric polar vortex toward Eurasia and consequently, tropospheric cyclonic anomalies are induced that enhance surface cold anomalies.https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095262Arctic sea‐ice lossEurasian coolingStratosphere‐troposphere couplingQuantitative analysis |
| spellingShingle | Mian Xu Wenshou Tian Jiankai Zhang James A. Screen Jinlong Huang Kai Qie Tao Wang Distinct Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Linking Historical Barents‐Kara Sea‐Ice Loss and Late Winter Eurasian Temperature Variability Geophysical Research Letters Arctic sea‐ice loss Eurasian cooling Stratosphere‐troposphere coupling Quantitative analysis |
| title | Distinct Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Linking Historical Barents‐Kara Sea‐Ice Loss and Late Winter Eurasian Temperature Variability |
| title_full | Distinct Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Linking Historical Barents‐Kara Sea‐Ice Loss and Late Winter Eurasian Temperature Variability |
| title_fullStr | Distinct Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Linking Historical Barents‐Kara Sea‐Ice Loss and Late Winter Eurasian Temperature Variability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Distinct Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Linking Historical Barents‐Kara Sea‐Ice Loss and Late Winter Eurasian Temperature Variability |
| title_short | Distinct Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Linking Historical Barents‐Kara Sea‐Ice Loss and Late Winter Eurasian Temperature Variability |
| title_sort | distinct tropospheric and stratospheric mechanisms linking historical barents kara sea ice loss and late winter eurasian temperature variability |
| topic | Arctic sea‐ice loss Eurasian cooling Stratosphere‐troposphere coupling Quantitative analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095262 |
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