The Influence of the Zonal Wave Three on Antarctic Sea Ice during Ice Advance Season

Abstract:

Previous works have looked at the influence of key atmospheric circulation patterns on sea ice in the Antarctic in terms of the atmosphere’s seasonal cycle. This study examines the influence of one of these atmospheric patterns, the zonal wave three (ZW3), in terms of the sea ice’s seasons from 1979-2009 in order to better understand the response of the sea ice. An index to represent the amplitude of the ZW3 was calculated using zonal anomalies of 850 hPa geopotential heights taken from the ERA-Interim data set. Sea ice concentrations (SIC), taken from the Hadley Center sea ice and sea surface temperature data set, were found to be significantly positively correlated with the ZW3 index during the ice advance season (March to August) in the Ross and Weddell Seas and off the Amery ice shelf. These regions align with where cold, southerly flow associated with the ZW3 are found. In the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas region, SIC was found to be negatively correlated with the ZW3 index, which coincides with where the warm, northerly flow of the wave is found in this region. Regression analysis showed SIC to be significantly dependent upon the ZW3 in parts of the Ross Sea, the ice edge in the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas and off the Amery ice shelf during ice advance season. The results suggest that the ZW3 plays a role in the occurrence of the observed sea ice trends in the Ross Sea, Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas, Weddell Sea and off the Amery ice shelf regions during the ice advance season, the critical period for sea ice growth. The results also demonstrate that re-examining the influence of relevant atmospheric patterns on sea ice in terms of the ice’s seasonal cycles could allow firmer connections to be established between sea ice trends and atmospheric patterns.