Climate states and variability of Arctic ice and water dynamics during 1946–1997

Recently observed changes in the Arctic have highlighted the need for a better understanding of Arctic dynamics. This research addresses that need and is also motivated by the recent finding of two regimes of Arctic ice - ocean wind-driven circulation. In this paper, we demonstrate that during 1946-1997 the Arctic environmental parameters have oscillated with a period of 10-15 years. Our results reveal significant differences among atmosphere, ice, and ocean processes during the anticyclonic and cyclonic regimes in the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas. The oscillating behaviour of the Arctic Ocean we call the Arctic Ocean Oscillation (AOO). Based on existing data and results of numerical experiments, we conclude that during the anticyclonic circulation regime the prevailing processes lead to increases in atmospheric pressure, in ice concentration and ice thickness, river runoff, and surface water salinity - as well as to decreases in air temperature, wind speed, number of storms, precipitation, permafrost temperatures, coastal sea level, and surface water temperature. During the cyclonic circulation regime the prevailing processes lead to increased air and water temperatures, wind speed, number of storms,open water periods, and to decreases in ice thickness and ice concentration, river runoff, atmospheric pressure, and water salinity. The two-climate regime theory may help answer questions related to observed decadal variability of the Arctic Ocean and to reconcile the different conclusions among scientists who have analysed Arctic data obtained during different climate states.     

GCM-simulated hydrology in the Arctic duringn the past 21,000 years

The Paleoclimates from Arctic Lakes and Estuaries (PALE) project has chosen to conduct high resolution data-model comparisons for the Arctic region at 21 and 10 (calendar) ka BP. The model simulations for 21, 10, and 0 ka BP were conducted with the GENESIS 2.0 GCM. The 10 ka BP simulation was coupled to the EVE vegetation model. The primary boundary conditions differing from present at 21 ka BP were the northern hemisphere ice sheets and lower CO2, and at 10 ka BP were the orbital insolation and smaller northern hemisphere ice sheets. The purpose of this article is to discuss the hydrological consequences of these simulations.At the Last Glacial Maximum (21 ka BP) the large ice sheets over North America and Eurasia and the lower CO2 levels produced a colder climate than present, with less precipitation throughout the Arctic, except where circulation was altered by the ice sheets. At 10 ka BP greater summer insolation resulted in a warmer and wetter Beringia, but conditions remained cold and dry in the north Atlantic sector, in the vicinity of the remnant ice sheets. Less winter insolation at 10 ka BP resulted in colder and drier conditions throughout the Arctic. Precipitation - evaporation generally correlated with precipitation except where changes in the surface type (ice sheets, vegetation at 10 ka BP, or sea level at 21 ka BP) caused large changes in the evaporation rate. The primary hydrological differences (from present) at 21 and 10 ka BP correlated with the temperature differences, which were a direct result of the large-scale boundary condition changes.     

Changes in the global cryosphere and their impacts: A review and new perspective

As one of the five components of Earth's climatic system, the cryosphere has been undergoing rapid shrinking due to global warming. Studies on the formation, evolution, distribution and dynamics of cryospheric components and their interactions with the human system are of increasing importance to society. In recent decades, the mass loss of glaciers, including the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, has accelerated. The extent of sea ice and snow cover has been shrinking, and permafrost has been degrading. The main sustainable development goals in cryospheric regions have been impacted. The shrinking of the cryosphere results in sea-level rise, which is currently affecting, or is soon expected to affect, 17 coastal megacities and some small island countries. In East Asia, South Asia and North America, climate anomalies are closely related to the extent of Arctic sea ice and snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere. Increasing freshwater melting from the ice sheets and sea ice may be one reason for the slowdown in Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in the Arctic and Southern Oceans. The foundations of ports and infrastructure in the circum-Arctic permafrost regions suffer from the consequences of permafrost degradation. In high plateaus and mountainous regions, the cryosphere's shrinking has led to fluctuations in river runoff, caused water shortages and increased flooding risks in certain areas. These changes in cryospheric components have shown significant heterogeneity at different temporal and spatial scales. Our results suggest that the quantitative evaluation of future changes in the cryosphere still needs to be improved by enhancing existing observations and model simulations. Theoretical and methodological innovations are required to strengthen social economies' resilience to the impact of cryospheric change.     

A comparison of climate changes between Arctic and China in the last 600 years

A compilation of paleoclimate records from lake sediments, trees, ice cores, and historical documents provide a view of China and Arctic environmental changes in the last 600 years. Many of these changes have also been identified in sedimentary and geochemical signatures in deep-sea sediment cores from the North Atlantic Ocean, Arctic and Greenland and ice cores from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, confirming the linkage of environmental changes of different time scales between the Arctic and China. It is shown that the changes of precipitation, temperature and sea ice cover in Arctic were correlated with climate changes in China. This paper also developed a comparative research on the climate changes between Arctic and China both during the Little Ice Age (LIA) and the instrumental observation period. Cycles and trend of temperature variations during LIA and temperature and precipitation during the instrumental observation period are performed. We found some similarities and differences of environmental changes between Arctic and China.     

近600年来北极与中国气候变化的对比

A compilation of paleoclimate records from lake sediments, trees, ice cores, and historical documents provide a view of China and Arctic environmental changes in the last 600 years. Many of these changes have also been identified in sedimentary and geochemical signatures in deep-sea sediment cores from the North Atlantic Ocean, Arctic and Greenland and ice cores from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, confirming the linkage of environmental changes of different time scales between the Arctic and China. It is shown that the changes of precipitation, temperature and sea ice cover in Arctic were correlated with climate changes in China. This paper also developed a comparative research on the climate changes between Arctic and China both during the Little Ice Age (LIA) and the instrumental observation period. Cycles and trend of temperature variations during LIA and temperature and precipitation during the instrumental observation period are performed. We found some similarities and differences of environmental changes between Arctic and China.     

Atmospheric Methane in Ice Cores

<正> The reconstruction of air trapped in ice cores provides us the most di-rect information about atmospheric CH_4 variations in the past history.Ice corerecords from the“Three Poles(Antarctica,Greenland and Tibetan Plateau)”re-veal the detailed fluctuations of atmospheric CH_4 concentration with time and areallowed to quantify the CH_4 differences among latitudes.These data are indis-pensably in the farther study of the relationship between greenhouse gases andclimatic change,and of the past changes in terrestrial CH_4 emissions.Ice coresreconstruction indicates that atmospheric CH_4 concentration has increased quicklysince industrialization,and the present day's level of atmospheric CH_4(1800 pp-by)is unprecedented during the past Glacial-Interglacial climate cycles.     

Permafrost in Svalbard: a review of research history, climatic background and engineering challenges

This paper reviews permafrost in High Arctic Svalbard, including past and current research, climatic background, how permafrost is affected by climatic change, typical permafrost landforms and how changes in Svalbard permafrost may impact natural and human systems. Information on active layer dynamics, permafrost and ground ice characteristics and selected periglacial features is summarized from the recent literature and from unpublished data by the authors. Permafrost thickness ranges from less than 100 m near the coasts to more than 500 m in the highlands. Ground ice is present as rock glaciers, as ice-cored moraines, buried glacial ice, and in pingos and ice wedges in major valleys. Engineering problems of thaw-settlement and frost-heave are described, and the implications for road design and construction in Svalbard permafrost areas are discussed.     

Climate in the Monte Desert: Past trends,present conditions,and future projections

This paper documents the main features of climate and climate variability across the Monte Desert for the Last Glacial Maximum, the Glacial–Interglacial transition, and the Holocene on the basis of proxy records and for the 20th century using instrumental observations. The climate in the Monte is determined by interactions between regional physiography and atmospheric circulation in the 25–45°S sectors of South America. Although arid and semi-arid conditions prevail across the Monte, its large latitudinal extent and complex topography introduce many particularities at local scales. Paleoclimatic records and model simulations of past climates suggest significant variations in the atmospheric circulation, temperature and rainfall patterns since the Last Glacial Maximum. High-resolution proxy records east of the Andes support the existence of complex climatic patterns with similar temperature changes across the whole region but opposite precipitation variations between subtropical and mid-latitude sectors in the Monte during the past millennium.The present-day climate is depicted in terms of the space and time variability of the near-surface temperature, rainfall and tropospheric wind patterns. Uneven temperature trends over the Monte were recorded for two separate (1920–44 and 1977–2001) global warming periods in the 20th century. Additional warming evidence in the region is provided by extreme temperature records. The non-homogeneous regional pattern of precipitation shows a positive long-term increase between 30 and 40°S during the interval 1985–2001. Ensemble of climate experiments accomplished with general circulation models provide the most likely changes in temperature and rainfall to occur by the end of this century in relation to present climate. Temperature increases, larger in summer than in winter, will be concurrent with more abundant precipitations in summer, but almost no changes or even small reductions in winter across the Monte.     

The role of declining Arctic sea ice in recent decreasing terrestrial Arctic snow depths

The dramatic decline in Arctic sea ice cover is anticipated to influence atmospheric temperatures and circulation patterns. These changes will affect the terrestrial climate beyond the boundary of the Arctic, consequently modulating terrestrial snow cover. Therefore, an improved understanding of the relationship between Arctic sea ice and snow depth over the terrestrial Arctic is warranted. We examined responses of snow depth to the declining Arctic sea ice extent in September, during the period of 1979–2006. The major reason for a focus on snow depth, rather than snow cover, is because its variability has a climatic memory that impacts hydrothermal processes during the following summer season. Analyses of combined data sets of satellite measurements of sea ice extent and snow depth, simulated by a land surface model (CHANGE), suggested that an anomalously larger snow depth over northeastern Siberia during autumn and winter was significantly correlated to the declining September Arctic sea ice extent, which has resulted in cooling temperatures, along with an increase in precipitation. Meanwhile, the reduction of Arctic sea ice has amplified warming temperatures in North America, which has readily offset the input of precipitation to snow cover, consequently further decreasing snow depth. However, a part of the Canadian Arctic recorded an increase in snow depth driven locally by the diminishing September Arctic sea ice extent. Decreasing snow depth at the hemispheric scale, outside the northernmost regions (i.e., northeastern Siberia and Canadian Arctic), indicated that Arctic amplification related to the diminishing Arctic sea ice has already impacted the terrestrial Arctic snow depth. The strong reduction in Arctic sea ice anticipated in the future also suggests a potential long-range impact on Arctic snow cover. Moreover, the snow depth during the early snow season tends to contribute to the warming of soil temperatures in the following summer, at least in the northernmost regions.     

2010年夏季北极冰情变化及大气环流场演变

利用美国冰雪中心(NSIDC)资料分析2010年夏季中国第4次北极科学考察期间北极海冰的冰情变化,并通过NCEP再分析资料对同时期的大气环流演变进行分析,发现6月与8月环流形势为偶极子正异常,加速了海冰的融化,其中2010年6月的海冰覆盖范围达到有历史记录以来的6月最低值;7月为低压控制,减缓了海冰覆盖范围的进一步减少...     

太平洋入流及其与北冰洋异常变化的联系

太平洋水通过白令海峡进入北冰洋 ,对北冰洋的海冰、水团和环流产生重要影响。在过去的十几年中 ,北冰洋的海冰和海洋系统发生了前所未有的异常变化 ;与此同时 ,白令海峡太平洋入流水的流量和性质发生了改变 ,太平洋水在北冰洋中的运移路径和影响范围也有所不同 ,这些变化之间的关系有待于进一步的研究。本文综述了有关的研究进展 ,探讨了北冰洋异常变化与太平洋入流变化之间的可能联系。     

Ice draft and current measurements from the north-western Barents Sea, 1993–96

From 1993 to 1996, three oceanographic moorings were deployed in the north-western Barents Sea, each with a current meter and an upward-looking sonar for measuring ice drafts. These yielded three years of currents and two years of ice draft measurements. An interannual variability of almost I m was measured in the average ice draft. Causes for this variability are explored, particularly its possible connection to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. We found that the flow of Northern Barents Atlantic-derived Water and the transport of ice from the Central Arctic into the Barents Sea appears to be controlled by winds between Nordaustlandet and Franz Josef Land, which in turn may be influenced by larger-scale variations such as the Arctic Oscillation/North Atlantic Oscillation.     

A review of the interaction between the cryosphere and atmosphere

The interaction between the cryosphere and atmosphere is an essential and extremely sensitive mutual action process on the earth. Due to global warming and the cryospheric melting, more and more attention has been paid to the interaction process between the cryosphere and atmosphere, especially the feedback of the cryosphere change to the atmosphere. A comprehensive review of the studies on the interaction between the cryosphere and atmosphere is conducted from two aspects: (1) effects of climate change on the cryosphere or responses of the cryosphere to climate change; and (2) feedback of the cryosphere change to the climate. The response of the cryosphere to climate change is lagging. Such a lagging and cumulative effect of temperature rise within the cryosphere have resulted in a rapid change in the cryosphere in the 21st century, and its impacts have become more significant. The feedback from cryosphere change on the climate are omnifarious. Among them, the effects of sea ice loss and snow cover change, especially the Arctic sea ice loss and the Northern Hemisphere snow cover change, are the most prominent. The Arctic amplification (AA) associated with sea ice feedback is disturbing , and the feedback generated by the effect of temperature rise on snow properties in the Northern Hemisphere is also of great concern. There are growing evidence of the impact of the Arctic cryosphere melting on mid-latitude weather and climate. Weakened storm troughs, steered jet stream and amplified planetary waves associated with energy propagation become the key to explaining the links between Arctic cryosphere change and atmospheric circulation. There is still a great deal of uncertainty about how cryosphere change affects the weather and climate through different atmospheric circulation processes at different spatial and temporal scales due to observation and simulation problems.     

北极地区碳循环研究意义和展望

全球变暖引发了北极地区的快速变化。北极地区苔原冻土带退化、海冰面积退缩和厚度变薄将使北极生态系发生重要变化 ,因而引起碳的生物地球化学循环过程变异。为精确评估北极地区对人为大气CO2 的吸收通量 ,围绕北极苔原、边缘海和极区海域的碳循环研究引起了重视。调查表明 ,北冰洋和亚北冰洋海冰区是海洋吸收大气CO2 的重要汇区 ,北冰洋具有吸收大气CO2 约 1×GtC/a的能力 ,北冰洋夏季冰缘区的长光照和高生产力促进了对大气CO2 的吸收能力 ,北冰洋深水环流和通风作用也有利于表层碳向深水转移。最近有些调查表明 ,如温度继续升高 ,北极苔原有可能从碳汇转变成大气碳源。国际上正加强北极地区碳循环研究的规划和计划 ,企图通过改进现场调查观测手段以及研究方法 ,来定量研究和模式预测变化中北极地区的碳汇潜力及其对地球气候的影响。     

Geocryological characteristics of the upper permafrost in a tundra-forest transition of the Indigirka River Valley,Russia

Understanding geocryological characteristics of frozen sediment, such as cryostratigraphy, ice content, and stable isotope ratio of ground ice, is essential to predicting consequences of projected permafrost thaw in response to global warming. These characteristics determine thermokarst extent and controls hydrological regime—and hence vegetation growth—especially in areas of high latitude; it also yields knowledge about the history of changes in the hydrological regime. To obtain these fundamental data, we sampled and analyzed unfrozen and frozen surficial sediments from 18 boreholes down to 1–2.3 m depth at five sites near Chokurdakh, Russia. Profiles of volumetric ice content in upper permafrost excluding wedge ice volume showed large variation, ranging from 40 to 96%, with an average of 75%. This large amount of ground ice was in the form of ice lenses or veins forming well-developed cryostructures, mainly due to freezing of frost-susceptible sediment under water-saturated condition. Our analysis of geocryological characteristics in frozen ground including ice content, cryostratigraphy, soil mechanical characteristics, organic matter content and components, and water stable isotope ratio provided information to reconstruct terrestrial paleo-environments and to estimate the influence of recent maximum thaw depth, microtopography, and flooding upon permafrost development in permafrost regions of NE Russia.     

近30年中国极地气象科学研究进展

南极和北极是地球上的气候敏感地区,也是研究全球变化的关键区域.中国的南极和北极实地科学考察研究,分别始于20世纪80年代和90年代.作为国家行为,到2010年底,已经组织了27次南极考察、4次北极北冰洋考察和7次北极陆地考察;在南北极建立了4个科学考察站、5个(中澳/中美)合作自动气象站;初步形成了以有人考察站、无人自...     

Arctic microbial ecosystems and impacts of extreme warming during the International Polar Year

As a contribution to the International Polar Year program MERGE (Microbiological and Ecological Responses to Global Environmental change in polar regions), studies were conducted on the terrestrial and aquatic microbial ecosystems of northern Canada (details at: http://www.cen.ulaval.ca/merge/). The habitats included permafrost soils, saline coldwater springs, supraglacial lakes on ice shelves, epishelf lakes in fjords, deep meromictic lakes, and shallow lakes, ponds and streams. Microbiological samples from each habitat were analysed by HPLC pigment assays, light and fluorescence microscopy, and DNA sequencing. The results show a remarkably diverse microflora of viruses, Archaea (including ammonium oxidisers and methanotrophs), Bacteria (including filamentous sulfur-oxidisers in a saline spring and benthic mats of Cyanobacteria in many waterbodies), and protists (including microbial eukaryotes in snowbanks and ciliates in ice-dammed lakes). In summer 2008, we recorded extreme warming at Ward Hunt Island and vicinity, the northern limit of the Canadian high Arctic, with air temperatures up to 20.5 °C. This was accompanied by pronounced changes in microbial habitats: deepening of the permafrost active layer; loss of perennial lake ice and sea ice; loss of ice-dammed freshwater lakes; and 23% loss of total ice shelf area, including complete break-up and loss of the Markham Ice Shelf cryo-ecosystem. These observations underscore the vulnerability of Arctic microbial ecosystems to ongoing climate change.     

青藏高原冰芯重建古气候研究进展分析

冰芯是重建古气候重要的信息载体,因具有分辨率高、保真性强、信息量大、时间尺度长等优点而成为研究热点。中国自1986 年在祁连山敦德获取第一支冰芯起,相继在青藏高原地区钻取了古里雅、马兰、达索普、普若岗日、东绒布等冰芯。本文重点回顾和总结了利用上述冰芯重建古气候的研究成果,分别论述了冰芯作为信息载体反映古气候的主要指标,包括氧同位素与温度、冰芯积累量与降水、大气气溶胶与古环境、微量元素与古环境、冰芯包裹体与古环境,以及冰芯内微生物与古环境的关系等。青藏高原地区冰芯对过去一些极端气候事件、中世纪暖期、小冰期、冰期—间冰期旋回、厄尔尼诺事件、太阳活动规律,以及工业革命以来的全球气候变暖均有不同程度的响应,但纬度差异导致青藏高原地区的响应机制有别于南北极地区;并进一步对比说明了受不同季风系统影响的冰芯在重建古气候上的异同。最后,基于当前研究状况,就加强多学科交叉与创新、新技术应用与代用指标开发、冰芯记录影响因素评估及量化模型构建等未来需要深入的研究方向进行了展望。     

北极气候和陆地环境变化对第一产业影响研究进展

北极地区正在经历前所未有的气候及陆地环境变化,气温升高、植被绿化、冻土融化以及野火频发等因素已经对北极地区的第一产业产生了广泛而深远的影响。为了支撑气候变化背景下北极第一产业的可持续发展与相关政策的制定,有必要加强北极气候及陆地环境变化对第一产业影响的整体性认识。本文针对北极地区的种植业、畜牧业、林业以及渔业4个第一产业部门,系统梳理了它们受到气候及陆地环境变化影响的类型与程度。同时,本文基于跨部门视角总结了当前北极环境变化对第一产业影响的相关研究,并从5个方面进行了分析与展望：① 气候及陆地环境变化对第一产业的具体影响方式;② 整合局域性科学认识的挑战;③ 气候变化适应策略的制定与实施;④ 数据与方法层面的整合与创新;⑤ 气候变化影响下北极第一产业变化对中国的启示。本文总结了未来气候变化背景下北极第一产业研究的重点领域,可为中国参与北极第一产业资源的可持续利用与开发提供参考。     

北极海冰与大气环流耦合主模态的时空特征分析

对1979—2009年月平均的CFSR（The Climate Forecast System Reanalysis）海冰密集度（SIC）和海平面气压（SLP）资料进行多变量经验正交函数分解（MV—EOF）,得出耦合主模态,并通过对温度、位势高度和风场的回归分析,进一步探寻海冰与大气环流的关系,第一模态SLP的特征为北极涛动（AO）,SIC呈离散的正负中心分布但大体为东西反位相,AO正位相时,喀拉海、拉普捷夫海、东西伯利亚海和鄂霍次克海海冰减少,巴芬湾、波弗特海、楚科奇海和白令海海冰增加。耦合第二模态的SLP呈偶极子分布,负、正异常中心在巴伦支海和波弗特海,SIC在巴伦支海,弗拉姆海峡,格陵兰海,拉布拉多海和白令海,鄂霍次克海地区有正异常,在喀拉海、拉普捷夫海、东西伯利亚海、楚科齐海和波弗特海为负异常。耦合第三模态SLP在冰岛地区存在负异常中心,在拉普捷夫海地区有正异常中心,SIC在巴伦支海北部、弗拉姆海峡、格陵兰海为负异常,其余地区全为正异常。 对SLP和SIC分别进行EOF分解,并与耦合模态进行比较,SLP的EOF主模态的时空分布与耦合模态中SLP的时空分布十分相似,SIC的EOF模态的时空分布则与耦合模态中SIC的时空分布有较大差别,说明耦合模态对SIC的分布影响较大,即大气环流对海冰分布的影响为主要的过程,海冰对大尺度的大气环流的模态的影响不明显。