Surface Atmospheric Conditions Associated with Arctic Sea Ice Retreat, Resolved by the Arctic System Reanalysis
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Date
2017-12
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
The years 2007 and 2012 witnessed two of the lowest levels of Arctic sea-ice extent in
recorded history. A key indicator of climate change on a global scale, sea-ice dynamics – and the
processes behind them – is vital to understanding and predicting changes throughout the Earth
System. In data-sparse regions such as the Arctic, reanalyses (syntheses made from a combination
of atmospheric models and observed data) are increasingly utilized to understand regional processes
better. Largely dependent on model structure, physical assumptions, and data assimilation
techniques, reanalyses often vary in their output quality and estimates of the ice-ocean-atmosphere
interactions. The Arctic System Reanalysis (ASR) provides a high resolution (15km horizontal
spacing for version 2, ASRv2) and skillful depiction of Arctic atmospheric processes. With a goal of
better understanding the consequences of sea-ice retreat in the Arctic, an analysis of monthly
average surface atmospheric conditions and trends is presented, focusing on indicators of boundary
layer processes such as surface temperature, precipitation, humidity, and near-surface radiative
fluxes. To confirm the reliability of this analysis, comparisons of ASR to surface observations from
various sources are also presented. Findings from the analysis suggest that atmospheric processes
play a large role in sea-ice retreat, while also providing insight into the efficacy of reanalyses for
understanding the Arctic system.
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Keywords
Sea Ice, Arctic System Reanalysis, Surface Atmospheric Conditions, Climate Change, Arctic Processes