Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dominic A. Winski, Erich C. Osterberg, Karl J. Kreutz, David G. Ferris, Jihong Cole-Dai, Zayta Thundercloud, Jiayue Huang, Becky Alexander, Lyatt Jaegle, Joshua A. Kennedy, Carleigh Larrick, Emma C. Kahle, Eric J. Steig, Tyler R. Jones
Summary: This study uses data from the South Pole Ice Core and a chemical transport model to show the seasonal variability in the sources of sea salt in the Southern Hemisphere, with winter variations playing a key role in centennial to millennial scale structures in the record, and explains the potential reasons for the increased Holocene sea salt concentrations.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Oceanography
Oyvind Lundesgaard, Arild Sundfjord, Angelika H. H. Renner
Summary: This study examines the evolution of sea ice concentration along the continental margin north of Svalbard between 2012 and 2019, finding that interannual variability in sea ice concentration is primarily driven by large-scale ice drift rather than abnormal upper ocean heat content. The research also suggests that the southern continental slope of the Eurasian Basin serves as an important melting area for sea ice advected from the north.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Xiaoyi Shen, Chang-Qing Ke, Bin Cheng, Wentao Xia, Mengmeng Li, Xuening Yu, Haili Li
Summary: In August 2018, a remarkable polynya was observed off the north coast of Greenland, formed due to the thinnest sea ice cover and modest southerly wind caused by a positive North Atlantic Oscillation. The opening mechanism of this polynya differs from the one formed in the same area in February 2018, with sea ice drift patterns becoming more responsive to atmospheric forcing due to thinning of sea ice cover in this region.
ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rou Hu, Jian Zhao
Summary: This study investigates the variability of sea surface salinity (SSS) in the western subpolar North Atlantic using satellite salinity products and in-situ observations. The study finds that while the satellite datasets successfully resolve the large scale SSS pattern, they are biased near the western boundary regions. The freshwater flux induced by sea ice formation/melting plays a dominant role in shaping the SSS annual cycle in the coastal regions of the western Labrador Sea. However, data gaps and uncertainties prevent accurate resolution of the seasonality in the Labrador Shelf. On the other hand, satellite data reasonably capture seasonal fluctuations near the Grand Banks, which are driven by both local freshwater flux associated with ice and advective signals from the north. The study also detects interannual variability in SSS, which is no longer controlled by ice formation/melting during the low salinity period in 2011-2012. Instead, the anomalies are mostly determined by oceanic advection. The study applies the Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Function (DINEOF) method to satellite datasets to reduce bias and fill data gaps, resulting in improved performance in depicting seasonal cycles in both coastal regions and deep ocean.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fang Zhou, Ming-Hong Liu, Jian Shi, Meng-Yuan Zhao
Summary: This paper investigates the long-lasting impact of the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on Arctic sea ice using reanalysis data. The study focuses on the Barents-Kara (BK) sea, where the air-sea-ice response is closely related to the interdecadal shift in the NAO's northern action center. The research finds a significant negative correlation between the winter NAO and late autumn BK sea ice since the early 2000s, in contrast to a weak correlation before the late 20th century. The paper explains that when the NAO's northern center retreats westward, it creates a low-level southerly wind anomaly that leads to positive air temperature anomalies and a reduction in sea ice in the BK sea until early spring. The study also finds that the warmed sea water sustains the negative sea ice anomaly until late autumn due to its large specific heat capacity.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
D. G. Babb, R. J. Galley, S. Kirillov, J. C. Landy, S. E. L. Howell, J. C. Stroeve, W. Meier, J. K. Ehn, D. G. Barber
Summary: The loss of multiyear sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has occurred primarily through two stepwise reductions: in 1989 and in 2006-2008. The first reduction was due to high export of multiyear ice, while the second reduction was a result of both high export and melt, as well as limited replenishment of multiyear ice. Although currently stable, reduced retention of older multiyear ice has led to a younger and thinner multiyear ice pack, potentially setting the stage for another reduction.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Yusuke Kawaguchi, Zoe Koenig, Daiki Nomura, Mario Hoppmann, Jun Inoue, Ying-Chih Fang, Kirstin Schulz, Michael Gallagher, Christian Katlein, Marcel Nicolaus, Benjamin Rabe
Summary: This study examines the mixing processes and sea ice drift in the ice-ocean boundary layer (IOBL) near the geographic North Pole. Measurements of ice motion, currents, hydrography, and turbulence were conducted to quantify the transport of momentum, heat, and salt in the IOBL. The study provides important insights into Arctic climate change.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sam White, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro, Davide Zanchettin, Heli Huhtamaa, Dagomar Degroot, Markus Stoffel, Christophe Corona
Summary: This study compares simulations with and without volcanic forcing and a subpolar gyre (SPG) shift to reconstructions and observations, aiming to examine the mechanism of persistent cooling following the eruption of Huaynaputina volcano. The results suggest a possible connection between the proposed mechanism and cooling patterns, while emphasizing the importance of historical written records for future model-data comparison studies. The study also considers historical societal impacts and adaptations associated with the reconstructed climatic and environmental anomalies.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yulan Zhang, Tanguang Gao, Shichang Kang, Deonie Allen, Zhaoqing Wang, Xi Luo, Ling Yang, Jinlei Chen, Zhaofu Hu, Pengfei Chen, Wentao Du, Steve Allen
Summary: Microplastics pollution is a serious global environmental issue, and it is distributed in Arctic snow, sea ice, seawater, rivers, and sediments. These microplastics come from different sources and enter the Arctic Ocean through river transport. In addition, atmospheric transport also has a significant impact on microplastics deposition in the Arctic. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a systematic monitoring system to study microplastics in the Arctic cryosphere and their potential threats to the environment and carbon cycle.
GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. Hoerhold, T. Muench, S. Weissbach, S. Kipfstuhl, J. Freitag, I. Sasgen, G. Lohmann, B. Vinther, T. Laepple
Summary: By redrilling ice cores, we reconstructed the temperatures in central and north Greenland from ad 1000 to 2011. Our findings show that the recent warming exceeds the historical temperature variability of the past millennium and is on average 1.5 +/- 0.4 degrees Celsius warmer than the twentieth century. This disproportionate warming is a result of natural variability and a long-term warming trend since ad 1800. The increased melting of Greenland's ice implies that anthropogenic influence has reached central and north Greenland, potentially accelerating overall mass loss.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sofia Ribeiro, Audrey Limoges, Guillaume Masse, Kasper L. Johansen, William Colgan, Kaarina Weckstrom, Rebecca Jackson, Eleanor Georgiadis, Naja Mikkelsen, Antoon Kuijpers, Jesper Olsen, Steffen M. Olsen, Martin Nissen, Thorbjorn J. Andersen, Astrid Strunk, Sebastian Wetterich, Jari Syvaranta, Andrew C. G. Henderson, Helen Mackay, Sami Taipale, Erik Jeppesen, Nicolaj K. Larsen, Xavier Crosta, Jacques Giraudeau, Simone Wengrat, Mark Nuttall, Bjarne Gronnow, Anders Mosbech, Thomas A. Davidson
Summary: The study reveals the close link between High Arctic ecosystems, Indigenous livelihoods, and climate change, emphasizing the importance of a long-term perspective in assessing their vulnerability. The North Water polynya is a unique yet vulnerable ecosystem at risk of decline due to climate warming and changing sea-ice conditions, posing a significant climate change risk.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christine Dybwad, Philipp Assmy, Lasse M. Olsen, Ilka Peeken, Anna Nikolopoulos, Thomas Krumpen, Achim Randelhoff, Agnieszka Tatarek, Jozef M. Wiktor, Marit Reigstad
Summary: The study reveals clear seasonal patterns in the development and fate of phytoplankton blooms in the Arctic Ocean's seasonal sea ice zone, with low phytoplankton stocks and carbon fluxes in winter and pre-bloom periods, a short but intense productive season in May and June, and moderate carbon export fluxes in the autumn post-bloom conditions. The taxonomic composition of protist assemblages, large grazers, distance to open water, and Atlantic water advection play crucial roles in determining the fate of the blooms and the magnitude of organic carbon exported out of the surface water column. Intense blooms and high export events were observed in ice-covered waters, challenging previous assumptions about the productivity of the marginal ice zone in the area.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuxian Ma, Bin Cheng, Ning Xu, Shuai Yuan, Honghua Shi, Wenqi Shi
Summary: Understanding the evolution of ice conditions in the Bohai Sea is valuable for sea-ice management. This study used a snow/ice thermodynamic model to simulate the seasonal ice thickness over a 67-year period in a coastal region of the Northeast Bohai Sea. The model accurately simulated the growth of seasonal ice, and the results showed that the winter mean air temperature in Yingkou increased slightly faster than the average temperature increase in the Bohai Sea. The wind-speed trend in Yingkou was weaker compared to the average trend in the entire Bohai Sea. The study also revealed a decreasing trend in ice thickness and the length of the ice season, as well as an advancement in ice breakup dates. The simulations indicated that Bohai ice thickness has been continuously thinning since 1951/1952. The study further found a significant correlation between large-scale climate indices and interannual changes in sea-ice thickness in the Yingkou region.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhicong Yin, Yu Wan, Yijia Zhang, Huijun Wang
Summary: The super sandstorm in North China in 2021, the strongest in over a decade, was caused by a combination of large climate anomalies, strong weather disturbances, and climate variability at different latitudes.
NATIONAL SCIENCE REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lars Aue, Timo Vihma, Petteri Uotila, Annette Rinke
Summary: Based on the ERA5 reanalysis, this study examines the impacts of transient cyclones on sea ice concentration (SIC) in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean under New Arctic conditions (2000-2020). The results show a pattern of reduced SIC prior to and during cyclones for the entire study area, with a regional difference of increased SIC in the Barents Sea and reduced SIC in the Greenland Sea from 3 days before to 5 days after the cyclone passage. The study suggests that both thermodynamic and dynamic effects contribute to the SIC changes, particularly in the Barents Sea, compared to the Old Arctic (1979-1999).
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
