Abstract
Satellite records show the minimum Arctic sea ice extents (SIEs) were observed in the Septembers of 2007 and 2012, but the spatial distributions of sea ice concentration reduction in these two years were quite different. Atmospheric circulation pattern and the upper-ocean state in summer were investigated to explain the difference. By employing the ice-temperature and ice-specific humidity (SH) positive feedbacks in the Arctic Ocean, this paper shows that in 2007 and 2012 the higher surface air temperature (SAT) and sea level pressure (SLP) accompanied by more surface SH and higher sea surface temperature (SST), as a consequence, the strengthened poleward wind was favorable for melting summer Arctic sea ice in different regions in these two years. SAT was the dominant factor influencing the distribution of Arctic sea ice melting. The correlation coefficient is–0.84 between SAT anomalies in summer and the Arctic SIE anomalies in autumn. The increase SAT in different regions in the summers of 2007 and 2012 corresponded to a quicker melting of sea ice in the Arctic. The SLP and related wind were promoting factors connected with SAT. Strengthening poleward winds brought warm moist air to the Arctic and accelerated the melting of sea ice in different regions in the summers of 2007 and 2012. Associated with the rising air temperature, the higher surface SH and SST also played a positive role in reducing summer Arctic sea ice in different regions in these two years, which form two positive feedbacks mechanism.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cavalieri D J, Parkinson C L, Gloersen P J, et al. 1999. Deriving longterm time series of sea ice cover from satellite passive-microwave multisensor data sets. J Geophys Res, 104(C7): 15803–15814, doi: 10.1029/1999JC900081
Comiso J C, Parkinson C L, Gersten R, et al. 2008. Accelerated decline in the Arctic sea ice cover. Geophys Res Lett, 35(1): L01703, doi: 10.1029/2007GL031972
Dee D P, Uppala S. 2009. Variational bias correction of satellite radiance data in the ERA-Interim reanalysis. Quart J Roy Meteor Soc, 135(644): 1830–1841, doi: 10.1002/qj.493
Dee D P, Uppala1 S M, Simmonsl A J, et al. 2011. The ERA-interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system. Quart J Roy Meteor Soc, 137(656): 553–597, doi: 10.1002/qj.828
Devasthale A, Koenigk T, Sedlar J, et al. 2013. The thermodynamic state of the Arctic atmosphere observed by AIRS: comparisons during the record minimum sea-ice extents of 2007 an. 2012. Atmos Chem Phys Discuss, 13(1): 177–199, doi: 10.5194/acpd-13-177-2013
Fetterer F, Knowles K, Meier W, et al. 2002. Sea Ice Index. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center (updated 2009)
Gill A E. 1982. Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics. University of Cambridge, England: Academic Press, 662–663
Hassol S J. 2004. Impacts of A Warming Arctic: Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. New York: Cambridge University Press, 139–140
Kay J E, L’Ecuyer T, Gettelman A, et al. 2008. The contribution of cloud and radiation anomalies to the 2007 Arctic sea ice extent minimum. Geophys Res Lett, 35(8): L08503, doi: 10.1029/2008GL033451
L’Heureux M L, Kumar A, Bell G D, et al. 2008. Role of the Pacific- North American (PNA) pattern in the 2007 Arctic sea ice decline. Geophys Res Lett, 35(20): L20701, doi: 10.1029/ 2008GL035205
Notz D, Marotzke J. 2012. Observations reveal external driver for Arctic sea-ice retreat. Geophys Res Lett, 39(8): L08502, doi: 10.1029/2012GL051094
Ogi M, Rigor I G, McPhee M G, et al. 2008. Summer retreat of Arctic sea ice: Role of summer winds. Geophys Res Lett, 35(24): L24701, doi: 10.1029/2008GL035672
Ogi M, Wallace J M. 2007. Summer minimum Arctic sea-ice extent and the associated summer atmospheric circulation. Geophys Res Lett, 34(12): L12705, doi: 10.1029/2007GL029897
Ogi M, Wallace J M. 2012. The role of summer surface wind anomalies in the summer Arctic sea ice extent in 2010 an. 2011. Geophys Res Lett, 39(9): L09704, doi: 10.1029/2012GL051330
Ogi M, Yamazaki K, Wallace J M. 2010. Influence of winter and summer surface wind anomalies on summer Arctic sea ice extent. Geophys Res Lett, 37(7): L07701, doi: 10.1029/2009GL042356
Polyakov I V, Timokhov L A, Alexeev V A, et al. 2010. Arctic Ocean warming contributes to reduced polar ice cap. J Phys Oceanogr, 40(12): 2743–2756, doi: 10.1175/2010JPO4339.1
Rigor I G, Wallace J M. 2004. Variations in the age of Arctic sea-ice and summer sea-ice extent. Geophys Res Lett, 31(9): L09401, doi: 10.1029/2004GL019492
Rigor I G, Wallace J M, Colony R L. 2002. Response of sea ice to the Arctic Oscillation. J Climate, 15(18): 2648–2663, doi: 10.1175/1520-0442(2002)015<2648:ROSITT>2.0.CO;2
Schweiger A J, Lindsay R W, Vavrus S, et al. 2008. Relationships between Arctic sea ice and clouds during autumn. J Climate, 21(18): 4799–4810, doi: 10.1175/2008JCLI2156.1
Screen J A, Simmonds I. 2010. The central role of diminishing sea ice in recent Arctic temperature amplification. Nature, 464(7293): 1334–1337, doi: 10.1038/nature09051
Screen J A, Simmonds I, Keay K. 2011. Dramatic interannual changes of perennial Arctic sea ice linked to abnormal summer storm activity. J Geophys Res, 116(D15): D15105, doi: 10.1029/2011JD015847
Sedlar J, Devasthale A. 2012. Clear-sky thermodynamic and radiative anomalies over a sea ice sensitive region of the Arctic. J Geophys Res, 117(D19): D19111, doi: 10.1029/2012JD017754
Simmonds I, Keay K. 2009. Extraordinary September Arctic sea ice reductions and their relationships with storm behavior over 1979–2008. Geophys Res Lett, 36(19): L19715 doi: 10.1029/2009GL039810
Solomon S, Qin D, Manning M, et al. 2007. Climate Chang. 2007. The Physical Science Basis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Steele M, Zhang **lun, Ermold W. 2010. Mechanisms of summertime upper Arctic Ocean warming and the effect on sea ice melt. J Geophys Res, 115 (C11): C11004, doi: 10.1029/2009JC005849
Stroeve J, Holland M M, Meir W, et al. 2007. Arctic sea ice decline: Faster than forecast. Geophys Res Lett, 34(9): L09501, doi: 10.1029/2007GL029703
Stroeve J C, Maslanik J, Serreze M C, et al. 2011. Sea ice response to an extreme negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation during winter 2009/2010. Geophys Res Lett, 38(2): L02502, doi: 10.1029/2010GL045662
Stroeve J, Serreze M, Drobot S, et al. 2008. Arctic sea ice extent plummets i. 2007. EOS Trans AGU, 89(2): 13–14, doi: 10.1029/2008EO020001
Vihma T, Jaagus J, Jakobson E, et al. 2008. Meteorological conditions in the Arctic Ocean in spring and summer 2007 as recorded on the drifting ice station Tara. Gephys Res Lett, 35(18): L18706, doi: 10.1029/2008GL034681
Zhang **lun, Lindsay R, Steele M, et al. 2008. What drove the dramatic retreat of arctic sea ice during summer 2007?. Geophys Res Lett, 35(11): L11505, doi: 10.1029/2008GL034005
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Foundation item: The Project of Comprehensive Evaluation of Polar Areas on Global and Regional Climate Changes under contract No. CHINARE2015-04-04; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 41406027.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cui, H., Qiao, F., Shu, Q. et al. Causes for different spatial distributions of minimum Arctic sea-ice extent in 2007 and 2012. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 34, 94–101 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-015-0676-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-015-0676-x