Extraordinary September Arctic sea ice reductions and their relationships with storm behavior over 1979–2008

Geophysical Research Letters, 36 (2009) L19715; doi: 10.1029/2009GL039810.

Extraordinary September Arctic sea ice reductions and their relationships with storm behavior over 1979–2008

Extraordinary September Arctic sea ice reductions and their relationships with storm behavior over 1979–2008

Ian Simmonds and Kevin Keay (School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

Received 29 June 2009; accepted 1 September 2009; published 14 October 2009. 

Abstract

Dramatic changes have been observed in Arctic sea ice, cyclone behavior and atmospheric circulation in recent decades. Decreases in September ice extent have been remarkable over the last 30 years, and particularly so in very recent times. The analysis reveals that the trends and variability in September ice coverage and mean cyclone characteristics are related, and that the strength (rather than the number) of cyclones in the Arctic basin is playing a central role in the changes observed in that region, especially in the last few years. The findings reinforce suggestions that the decline in the extent and thickness of Arctic ice has started to render it particularly vulnerable to future anomalous cyclonic activity and atmospheric forcing.

Link to abstract:  http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2009/2009GL039810.shtml