Global Impacts of Arctic Sea Ice Loss Mediated by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

Liu, Wei; Fedorov, Alexey V.

doi:10.1029/2018gl080602

Global Impacts of Arctic Sea Ice Loss Mediated by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

Journal Article · Wed Dec 26 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018gl080602· OSTI ID:1612620

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Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States); DOE/OSTI
Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)

We explore the global impacts of Arctic sea ice decline in climate model perturbation experiments focusing on the temporal evolution of induced changes. We find that climate response to a realistic reduction in sea ice cover varies dramatically between shorter decadal and longer multidecadal to centennial timescales. During the first two decades, when atmospheric processes dominate, sea ice decline induces a “bipolar seesaw” pattern in surface temperature with warming in the Northern and cooling in the Southern Hemisphere, leading to a northward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and an expansion of Antarctic sea ice. In contrast, on multidecadal and longer timescales, the weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, caused by upper-ocean buoyancy anomalies spreading from the Arctic, mediates direct sea ice impacts and nearly reverses the original response pattern outside the Arctic. Lastly, the Southern Hemisphere warms, a Warming Hole emerges in the North Atlantic, the Intertropical Convergence Zone shifts southward, and Antarctic sea ice contracts.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: NSF; USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0016538

OSTI ID:: 1612620

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1630240

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 46; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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