Changes in Arctic melt season and implications for sea ice loss
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences · University of Colorado Boulder · +6 more institutions
Abstract
Abstract The Arctic‐wide melt season has lengthened at a rate of 5 days decade −1 from 1979 to 2013, dominated by later autumn freezeup within the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas between 6 and 11 days decade −1 . While melt onset trends are generally smaller, the timing of melt onset has a large influence on the total amount of solar energy absorbed during summer. The additional heat stored in the upper ocean of approximately 752 MJ m −2 during the last decade increases sea surface temperatures by 0.5 to 1.5 °C and largely explains the observed delays in autumn freezeup within the Arctic Ocean's adjacent seas. Cumulative anomalies in total absorbed solar radiation from May through…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 50.18
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 16
Authors
5- JCJ. C. StroeveCorresponding
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, University College London
- TMT. Markus
Goddard Space Flight Center
- LBLinette Boisvert
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park
- JMJ. Miller
Goddard Space Flight Center, Wyle (United States)
- APA. P. Barrett
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
Topics & keywords
- Beaufort sea
- Arctic
- Sea ice
- Arctic ice pack
- Beaufort scale
- Arctic sea ice decline
- Environmental science
- Climatology