Wintertime Arctic Sea-Ice Decline Related to Multi-Year La Niña Events

Abstract

Arctic sea ice has undergone a significant decline in the Barents–Kara Sea (BKS) since the late 1990s. Previous studies have shown that the decrease in sea ice caused by increased poleward moisture transport is modulated by tropical sea temperature changes (mainly referring to La Niña events). The occurrence of multi-year La Niña (MYLA) events has increased significantly in recent decades, and their impact on Arctic sea ice needs to be further explored. In this study, we investigate the relationship between sea-ice variation and different atmospheric diagnostics during MYLA and other La Niña (OTLA) years. The decline in BKS sea ice during MYLA winters is significantly stronger than that during OTLA years. This is because MYLA events tend to be accompanied by a warm Arctic–cold continent pattern with a barotropic high pressure blocked over the Urals region. Consequently, more frequent northward atmospheric rivers intrude into the BKS, intensifying longwave radiation downward to the underlying surface and melting the BKS sea ice. However, in the early winter of OTLA years, a negative North Atlantic Oscillation presents in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, which obstructs the atmospheric rivers to the south of Iceland. We infer that such a different response of BKS sea-ice decline to different La Niña events is related to stratospheric processes. Considering the rapid climate changes in the past, more frequent MYLA events may account for the substantial Arctic sea-ice loss in recent decades.