Potential ocean-atmosphere preconditioning of late autumn Barents-Kara sea ice concentration anomaly

Martin P. King (1) , Javier García-Serrano (2, 3)

1 BCCR - Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
2 PARVATI - Processus de la variabilité climatique tropicale et impacts
3 BSC-CNS - Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion

Many recent studies have revealed the importance of the climatic state in November on the seasonal climate of the subsequent winter. In particular, it has been shown that interannual variability of sea ice concentration (SIC) over the Barents-Kara (BK) seas in November is linked to winter atmospheric circulation anomaly that projects on the North Atlantic Oscillation. Understanding the leadÁlag processes involving the different components of the climate system from autumn to winter is therefore important. This note presents dynamical interpretation for the ice-oceanÁatmosphere relationships that can affect the BK SIC anomaly in late autumn. It is found that cyclonic (anticyclonic) wind anomaly over the Arctic in October, by Ekman drift, can be responsible for positive (negative) SIC in the BK seas in November. The results also suggest that ocean heat transport via the Barents Sea Opening in September and October can contribute to BK SIC anomaly in November.

Mots clés: boreal autumn climate; Arctic sea ice concentration; sea ice motion

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

Martin P. King, Javier García-Serrano. Potential ocean-atmosphere preconditioning of late autumn Barents-Kara sea ice concentration anomaly. Tellus A, 2016, 68, pp.28580. ⟨10.3402/tellusa.v68.28580⟩. ⟨hal-01291586⟩