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Recent weakening of the southern stratospheric polar vortex and its impact on the surface climate over Antarctica

Cited 7 time in wos
Cited 7 time in scopus
Title
Recent weakening of the southern stratospheric polar vortex and its impact on the surface climate over Antarctica
Other Titles
남극 폴라보텍스약화와 약화가 남극기후에 미치는 영향
Authors
Kwon, Hataek
Choi, Hyesun
Kim, Baek-Min
Kim, Sang-Woo
Kim, Seong-Joong
Subject
Environmental Sciences & EcologyMeteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Keywords
southern stratospheric polar vortexpolar cap height(PCH)Antarctic surface air temperature
Issue Date
2020-09
Citation
Kwon, Hataek, et al. 2020. "Recent weakening of the southern stratospheric polar vortex and its impact on the surface climate over Antarctica". ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 15(9): 1-8.
Abstract
The variability in the southern stratospheric polar vortex (SSPV) and its downward coupling with the troposphere are known to play a crucial role in driving climate variability over Antarctica. In this study, SSPV weakening events and their impacts on the surface climate of Antarctica are examined usingin-situobservation and reanalysis data. Combining criteria from several previous studies, we introduce a new detection method for SSPV weakening events. Based on the new criteria, the occurrence frequency of SSPV weakening events has exhibited a systematic increasing trend since the 2000 s. However, the weakened anomalies of individual SSPV events are not statistically different (95% confidence level) between the earlier (1979-1999) and later (2000-2017) periods examined in this study. The recent increase in the occurrence of SSPV weakening events is largely controlled by tropospheric mechanisms, i.e. the poleward heat flux carried by southern hemispheric planetary waves and associated vertical wave propagation. Among the various scales of planetary waves, the wavenumber 1 contributes most of the poleward eddy heat flux. We show that SSPV weakening events induce statistically significant cooling over the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) region and warming over the rest of Antarctica. Typically, surface air temperature anomalies with large negative values smaller than - 0.6 degrees C and positive values larger than + 0.8 degrees C are observed over the east coast of the tip of the AP and King Edward VII Land, respectively. The influence of an SSPV weakening event on the surface lasts for approximately three months with higher height anomalies off western Antarctica, providing favorable conditions for the atmosphere to transport cold air from the interior of Antarctica to the AP via the Weddell Sea. Distinct positive surface air temperature anomalies over the rest of Antarctica are associated with the northerly circulation anomaly from the eastern Weddell Sea to east Antarctica.
URI
https://repository.kopri.re.kr/handle/201206/11958
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9d3d
Type
Article
Station
King Sejong Station
Indexed
SCIE
Appears in Collections  
2020-2020, Assessment for the extreme weather and climate change in Antarctica and its global influence (20-20) / Kim, Seong-Joong (PE20070)
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