Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Global Atmospheric Circulation Patterns and Relationships to Arctic Freshwater Fluxes

  • Chapter
The Freshwater Budget of the Arctic Ocean

Part of the book series: NATO Science Series ((ASEN2,volume 70))

Abstract

The large-scale atmospheric circulation affects the Arctic Ocean’s freshwater fluxes in at least three ways. First, the circulation controls the direct fluxes of precipitation (P) and evaporation (E) at the Arctic Ocean’s surface through the pattern of atmospheric moisture inflow and its convergence over the Arctic Ocean. Second, the circulation determines P and E over the Arctic terrestrial watersheds; the net P-E eventually reaches the Arctic Ocean as river runoff. Third, the large-scale circulation provides the wind-forcing that drives the advective fluxes of sea ice and ocean freshwater anomalies into and out of the Arctic (e.g., through Bering and Fram Straits) as well as from one portion of the Arctic Ocean to another. The atmospheric thermal anomalies resulting from the large-scale circulation also modify the freshwater fluxes in the Arctic Ocean through the freezing and melting of sea ice. This thermodynamic forcing is often correlated with the wind-driven forcing on interannual timescales.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Bjornsson, H., Mysak, L.A., and Brown, R.D. (1995) On the interannual variability of precipitation and runoff in the Mackenzie drainage basin, Climate Dynamics 12, 67–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bromwich, D.H., Cullather, R.I., and Serreze, M.C. (1999) Reanalyses depiction of the Arctic atmospheric moisture budget, This Volume.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Deser, C., and Blackmon, M.L. (1993) Surface climate variations over the North Atlantic Ocean during winter: 1900–1989, J. Climate 6, 1900–1989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Dickson, R.R., Lazier, J., Meincke, J., Rhines, P., and Swift, J. (1996) Long-term coordinated changes in the convective activity of the North Atlantic, Progress in Oceanography 38, 241–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Dickson, R.R., Meincke, J., Malmberg, S.-A., and Lee, A.J. (1988) The “Great Salinity Anomaly” in the northern North Atlantic, 1968–1982, Progress in Oceanography 20, 1968–1982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Dzerdzeevskii, B.L. (1963) Fluctuations of general circulation of the atmosphere and climate in the twentieth century, Changes of Climate, UNESCO, 91–141.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Gibson, J.K., Kallberg, P., Uppala, S., Hemandez, A., Nomura, A., and Serrano, E. (1997) ECMWF Re-Analysis, Project Report Series: 1. ERA Description. European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, Reading, U.K., 72 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Girs, A.A. (1956) Long period changes of the atmospheric circulation types and variations of solar activity, Meteorologiya i Gidrologiya 10, 38–44.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hakkinen, S. (1993) An Arctic source for the Great Salinity Anomaly: A simulation of the Arctic ice-ocean system for 1955–1975, J. Geophysical Research 98, 16,1955–1975,410.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Hurrell, J.W. (1995) Decadal trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation: Regional temperatures and precipitation, Science 269, 676–679

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Hurrell, J.W., and van Loon, H. (1997) Decadal variations in climate associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation, Climatic Change 36, 301–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1996) Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change (J.T. Houghton, L.G. Meira Filho, B.A. Callander, N. Harris, A. Kattenberg, and K. Maskell, Eds.), Cambridge University Press, 572 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kalnay, E.M., Kanamitsu, M., Kistler, R., and 19 others (1996) The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project, Bull. American Meteorological Society 77, 437–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Karl, T.R. (1998) Regional trends and variations of temperature and precipitation. In The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability (R.T. Watson, M.C. Zinyowera, R.H. Moss, and D.J. Dokken, Eds.), Cambridge University Press, 412–425.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Kattsov, V.M., Walsh, J.E., Dethloff, K., and Rinke, A. (1998) Atmospheric circulation models: Simulation of the Arctic Ocean fresh water budget components, This Volume.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kwok, R., and Rothrock, D.A. (1999) Variability of Fram Strait ice flux and North Atlantic Oscillation, J. Geophysical Research 104, 5177–5189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lamb, H.H. (1972) Climate: Past, Present and Future, Volume 1: Fundamentals and Climate Now, Methuen & Co. Ltd., London, 613 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Livezey, R.E., Masutani, M., Leetmaa, A., Rui, H., Ji, M., and Kumar, A. (1997) Teleconnective response of the Pacific-North American region atmosphere to large central equatorial Pacific SST anomalies, J. Climate 10, 1787–1820.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Mysak, L.A., Manak, D.K., and Marsden, R.F. (1990) Sea ice anomalies observed in the Greenland and Labrador Seas during 1901–1984 and their relation to an interdecadal Arctic climate cycle, Climate Dynamics 5, 1901–1984.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Niebauer, H.J. (1998) Variability in Bering Sea ice cover as affected by a regime shift in the period 1947–96, J. Geophysical Research 103, 27,717–27,737.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Peng, S., and Fyfe, J. (1996) The coupled patterns between sea level pressure and sea surface temperature in the midlatitude North Atlantic, J. Climate 9, 1824–1839.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Peng, S., and Mysak, L.A. (1993) A teleconnection study of interannual sea surface temperature fluctuations in the northern North Atlantic and precipitation and runoff over western Siberia, J. Climate 6, 876–885.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Radionov, V.F., Bryazgin, N.N., and Alexandrov, E.I. (1997) The Snow Cover of the Arctic Basin, Tech. Report APL-UW TR 9701, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 95 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Serreze, M.C., Barry, R.G., and Walsh, J.E. (1995) Atmospheric water vapor characteristics at 70°N, J. Climate 8, 719–731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Thompson, D.W.J., and Wallace, J.M. (1998) Observed linkages between Eurasian surface air temperature, the North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic sea level pressure and the stratospheric polar vortex, Geophysical Research Letters 25, 1297–1300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Tremblay, L.-B., Mysak, L.A., and Dyke, A.S. (1997) Evidence from driftwood records for century-to-millennial scale variations of the high latitude atmospheric circulation during the Holocene, Geophysical Research Letters 24, 2027–2030.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Walsh, J.E., Chapman, W.L., and Shy, T.L. (1996) Recent decrease of sea level pressure in the central Arctic, J. Climate 9, 480–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Walsh, J.E., Zhou, X., Portis, D., and Serreze, M.C. (1994) Atmospheric contribution to hydrologic variations in the Arctic, Atmosphere-Ocean 32, 733–755.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    J. E. Walsh

Authors
  1. J. E. Walsh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, B.C., Canada

    Edward Lyn Lewis (Emeritus) (Emeritus)

  2. Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Darthmouth, N.S., Canada

    E. Peter Jones

  3. Institute of Marine Research, Kiel, Germany

    Peter Lemke (Professor of Meteorology) (Professor of Meteorology)

  4. National Water Research Institute, Saskatoon, Sk., Canada

    Terry D. Prowse

  5. Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK

    Peter Wadhams (Reader in Polar Studies) (Reader in Polar Studies)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Walsh, J.E. (2000). Global Atmospheric Circulation Patterns and Relationships to Arctic Freshwater Fluxes. In: Lewis, E.L., Jones, E.P., Lemke, P., Prowse, T.D., Wadhams, P. (eds) The Freshwater Budget of the Arctic Ocean. NATO Science Series, vol 70. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4132-1_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4132-1_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-6440-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4132-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation