Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-36
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-36
28 Mar 2022
 | 28 Mar 2022

Impact of Atmospheric Rivers on Arctic Sea Ice Variations

Linghan Li, Forest Cannon, Matthew R. Mazloff, Aneesh C. Subramanian, Anna M. Wilson, and F. Martin Ralph

Abstract. Arctic sea ice has been declining rapidly in recent decades. We investigate how poleward transport of moisture and heat from lower latitudes through atmospheric rivers (ARs) influences Arctic sea ice variations. We use ERA5 hourly reanalysis data for 1981–2020 at 0.25º x 0.25º resolution to examine meteorological conditions and sea ice changes associated with ARs in the Arctic. In years 2012 and 2020, which had extremely low summer Arctic sea ice extent, we show that individual AR events associated with large cyclones initiate rapid sea ice decrease through turbulent heat fluxes, longwave radiation, and winds. We further carry out statistical analysis of meteorological conditions and sea ice variations for 1981–2020 over the entire Arctic Ocean. We find that, on weather timescales, atmospheric moisture content anticorrelates significantly with sea ice concentration tendency almost everywhere in the Arctic Ocean, while dynamic sea ice motion driven by northward winds further reduces sea ice concentration.

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

04 Jan 2024
Impact of atmospheric rivers on Arctic sea ice variations
Linghan Li, Forest Cannon, Matthew R. Mazloff, Aneesh C. Subramanian, Anna M. Wilson, and Fred Martin Ralph
The Cryosphere, 18, 121–137, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-121-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-121-2024, 2024
Short summary
Linghan Li, Forest Cannon, Matthew R. Mazloff, Aneesh C. Subramanian, Anna M. Wilson, and F. Martin Ralph

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-36', Marte Hofsteenge, 28 Apr 2022
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-36', Pengfei Zhang, 28 Apr 2022
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Linghan Li, 04 Jul 2022
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-36', Anonymous Referee #2, 16 May 2022
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Linghan Li, 04 Jul 2022

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-36', Marte Hofsteenge, 28 Apr 2022
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-36', Pengfei Zhang, 28 Apr 2022
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Linghan Li, 04 Jul 2022
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-36', Anonymous Referee #2, 16 May 2022
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Linghan Li, 04 Jul 2022

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (further review by editor and referees) (06 Aug 2022) by Petra Heil
AR by Linghan Li on behalf of the Authors (24 Oct 2022)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (22 Nov 2022) by Petra Heil
RR by Anonymous Referee #3 (18 Jan 2023)
RR by Anonymous Referee #4 (30 Jan 2023)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (02 Mar 2023) by Petra Heil
AR by Linghan Li on behalf of the Authors (08 Jun 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (14 Jul 2023) by Petra Heil
AR by Linghan Li on behalf of the Authors (25 Jul 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (10 Sep 2023) by Petra Heil
AR by Linghan Li on behalf of the Authors (20 Sep 2023)

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

04 Jan 2024
Impact of atmospheric rivers on Arctic sea ice variations
Linghan Li, Forest Cannon, Matthew R. Mazloff, Aneesh C. Subramanian, Anna M. Wilson, and Fred Martin Ralph
The Cryosphere, 18, 121–137, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-121-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-121-2024, 2024
Short summary
Linghan Li, Forest Cannon, Matthew R. Mazloff, Aneesh C. Subramanian, Anna M. Wilson, and F. Martin Ralph
Linghan Li, Forest Cannon, Matthew R. Mazloff, Aneesh C. Subramanian, Anna M. Wilson, and F. Martin Ralph

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Latest update: 20 Feb 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
We investigate how moisture transport through atmospheric rivers influences Arctic sea ice variations, using ERA5 hourly atmospheric reanalysis for 1981–2020 at 0.25º x 0.25º resolution. We show that individual atmospheric rivers initiate rapid sea ice decrease through surface heat flux and winds. We find that rate of change of sea ice concentration has significant anticorrelation with moisture, northward wind, and turbulent heat flux on weather timescales almost everywhere in the Arctic Ocean.