Variability of the Arctic sea ice volume at the regional scale: a study based on the PIOMAS-20C reanalysis

Details

Supervisors

Fichefet, Thierry

Faculty

Faculté des sciences

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences physiques, à finalité approfondie

Abstract

An analysis of the regional impact of the Arctic Oscillation (AO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), North Pacific Oscillation (NPO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) on the Arctic sea ice volume (SIV) variability is performed using the reconstructed data of the PIOMAS-20C reanalysis. Our results confirm the findings of previous studies and highlight the importance of the AO and NAO in driving the SIV variability across the Arctic Ocean through their influence on the sea ice motion (SIM), surface air temperature (SAT) and sea surface temperature (SST) spatio-temporal distributions generated by AO/NAO-induced surface wind shifts. A thermodynamical influence of the AO also takes place in the Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Baffin Bay, Labrador Sea and Barents Sea, as a result of the significant wind speed changes leading to sensible surface heat fluxes (SSHF) and atmospheric heat transport alterations over these regions. The NAO is found to produce prominent thermodynamical effects in the Baffin Bay, Labrador Sea and Barents Sea through the same mechanisms, although its influence over the North Pacific Ocean is not as significant. Prevalent dynamic impacts related to the NPO are noticed in the Artic Ocean, with the footprint of the NPO being especially recognisable in the temporal SIV variability of the Chukchi Sea. While dynamic impacts driven by the PDO are observed in the Arctic Ocean, the main impact of this mode of variability (MOV) is felt thermodynamically in the Bering Sea. Finally, the AMO is shown to induce important changes in the Baffin Bay, Labrador Sea and Hudson Bay SIV through its important relationship with the SATs and SSTs in these regions.