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Variations in Antarctic sea ice conditions and relationships with Southern Hemisphere cyclonic activity, winters 1973–77

Veränderliche antarktische Meereseisbedingungen und deren Zusammenhang mit der Zyklonentätigkeit in der Südhemisphäre während der Winter 1973–77

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Summary

Interannual variations in the extent of Antarctic sea ice are investigated for the winter growth season (June through September) for the five years 1973–77. Statistical correlations between the synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation, given by the frequencies of satellite-observed extratropical depressions, and the latitudinal extent of the ice are evaluated on hemispheric and regional scales for each winter. Marked differences in winter cyclone activity accompany the year-to-year variations in ice growth and extent on a zonally-averaged basis, and are particularly evident for the extreme ice winters of 1973 and 1977. A link between the expansion of the sea ice zone during winter and the frequencies of new cyclonic developments (cyclogenesis) is evident for latitudes immediately north of the ice-ocean boundary. Three key regions of high interannual variability in ice conditions are identified and examined statistically for ice-cyclone interactions. Correlations between ice-edge latitude and cyclone frequencies show least variation between years in the East Antarctic sector, emphasizing the role of the semi-permanent low pressure center in the winter ice regime of this region. Conversely, ice-cyclone correlations vary markedly from year-to-year in the Weddell Sea, where ocean-related ice advection patterns are of additional significance. Case studies from the five-winter period are used to support the statistical results obtained for each sector.

Zusammenfassung

Die interannuale Veränderlichkeit in der Ausdehnung des antarktischen Meereseises wird während der winterlichen Zuwachsperiode (Juni bis September) für die fünf Jahre 1973–77 untersucht. Statistische Korrelationen zwischen den synoptischen atmosphärischen Zirkulationsverhältnissen, gegeben durch die Frequenz der von Satelliten beobachteten außertropischen Tiefdruckgebiete, und der breitenmäßigen. Ausdehnung des Meereseises werden auf hemisphärischer und regionaler Basis für jeden Winter ausgewertet. Markante Unterschiede in der winterlichen Zyklonentätigkeit begleiten die jährlichen Unterschiede im Wachstum und in der Ausdehnung des Eises, gemessen im zonalen Mittel, und sind besonders in den extremen Eiswintern 1973 und 1977 evident. Ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Ausdehnung des Meereseisgebietes während des Winters und der Frequenz von Zyklogenese ist besonders für die geographischen Breiten unmittelbar nördlich der Eisgrenze angedeutet. Drei Schlüsselgebiete starker interannualer Veränderlichkeit in den Eisbedingungen werden identifiziert und statistisch auf Rückwirkungen zwischen Eis und Zyklonen hin untersucht. Korrelationen zwischen der geographischen Breite des Eisrandes und der Zyklonenfrequenz zeigen die geringste interannuale Veränderlichkeit im ostantarktischen Sektor. Durch diese Gegebenheit wird die Rolle des semi-permaneten Tiefdruckzentrums im Wintereisregime dieser Region betont. Andererseits variiert die Korrelation zwischen Eis und Zyklonentätigkeit von Jahr zu Jahr bedeutend in der Weddellsee, wo die meeresbedingten Advektionsverhältnisse von zusätzlicher Bedeutung sind. Einzeluntersuchungen aus dem Zeitraum der fünf Winter dienen als Unterstützung der für jeden Sektor gewonnenen, statistischen Resultate.

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  1. Department of Geography, Arizona State University, 85287, Tempe, AZ, USA

    A. M. Carleton

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Carleton, A.M. Variations in Antarctic sea ice conditions and relationships with Southern Hemisphere cyclonic activity, winters 1973–77. Arch. Met. Geoph. Biocl., Ser. B 32, 1–22 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02269387

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