TY - JOUR
T1 - On the crucial role of atmospheric rivers in the two major Weddell Polynya events in 1973 and 2017 in Antarctica
AU - Francis, Diana
AU - Mattingly, Kyle S.
AU - Temimi, Marouane
AU - Massom, Rob
AU - Heil, Petra
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved.
PY - 2020/11/11
Y1 - 2020/11/11
N2 - This study reports the occurrence of intense atmospheric rivers (ARs) during the two large Weddell Polynya events in November 1973 and September 2017 and investigates their role in the opening events via their enhancement of sea ice melt. Few days before the polynya openings, persistent ARs maintained a sustained positive total energy flux at the surface, resulting in sea ice thinning and a decline in sea ice concentration in the Maud Rise region. The ARs were associated with anomalously high amounts of total precipitable water and cloud liquid water content exceeding 3 SDs above the climatological mean. The above-normal integrated water vapor transport (IVT above the 99th climatological percentile), as well as opaque cloud bands, warmed the surface (+10°C in skin and air temperature) via substantial increases (+250 W m-2) in downward longwave radiation and advection of warm air masses, resulting in sea ice melt and inhibited nighttime refreezing.
AB - This study reports the occurrence of intense atmospheric rivers (ARs) during the two large Weddell Polynya events in November 1973 and September 2017 and investigates their role in the opening events via their enhancement of sea ice melt. Few days before the polynya openings, persistent ARs maintained a sustained positive total energy flux at the surface, resulting in sea ice thinning and a decline in sea ice concentration in the Maud Rise region. The ARs were associated with anomalously high amounts of total precipitable water and cloud liquid water content exceeding 3 SDs above the climatological mean. The above-normal integrated water vapor transport (IVT above the 99th climatological percentile), as well as opaque cloud bands, warmed the surface (+10°C in skin and air temperature) via substantial increases (+250 W m-2) in downward longwave radiation and advection of warm air masses, resulting in sea ice melt and inhibited nighttime refreezing.
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U2 - 10.1126/sciadv.abc2695
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.abc2695
M3 - Article
C2 - 33177087
AN - SCOPUS:85096082386
VL - 6
JO - Science Advances
JF - Science Advances
IS - 46
M1 - eabc2695
ER -