Item

Abstract

The rapid warming in the Arctic and related sea ice decline, is making it more important than ever to better understand the tightly coupled interactions between Arctic sea ice and episodic weather events, such as cyclones; two of the main components of the Arctic climate system. This work uses a Lagrangian ice parcel database with coincident sea ice and atmospheric variables to study the impact extreme cyclones have on the Arctic Sea ice. The dataset includes daily 25km ice parcel tracks and associated atmospheric conditions including cyclone track data from 2002-2021. We examine multiple case studies of extreme cyclones, in all four seasons, with a focus on a diversity of cases with regard to location, sea ice concentration (SIC), and atmospheric conditions. Extreme cyclones are defined by their central pressure. The impacted ice parcels are then compared to those in identical situations (location, season, surrounding SIC) but without a cyclone present. The atmospheric conditions (precipitation, temperature, radiative balance) are contrasted between the extreme cyclone and non-cyclone conditions and the sea ice response to the passing cyclone is assessed by examining the change in albedo, SIC, sea ice thickness, snow depth over the ice parcel . This presentation will focus on the immediate response of the cyclone, lasting from a week before to two weeks after. Results will be presented for individual seasons, locations, and surrounding SIC to provide a better understanding of the different processes and elements that affect the cyclone impact on sea ice.