Arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decades
A catastrophic heatwave struck North America (NA) in the summer of 2021, the underlying cause of which currently remains unclear. The reanalysis data (1980–2021) is analyzed to elucidate the mechanism modulating the summer heatwaves. We find the heatwaves over western NA tend to occur concurrently w...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac765a |
| _version_ | 1797746943351324672 |
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| author | Houwen Wang Yang Gao Yuhang Wang Lifang Sheng |
| author_facet | Houwen Wang Yang Gao Yuhang Wang Lifang Sheng |
| author_sort | Houwen Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A catastrophic heatwave struck North America (NA) in the summer of 2021, the underlying cause of which currently remains unclear. The reanalysis data (1980–2021) is analyzed to elucidate the mechanism modulating the summer heatwaves. We find the heatwaves over western NA tend to occur concurrently with quasi-barotropic ridges (QBTRs). The 2021 record-breaking heatwave, in particular, coincides with an extended eight-day QBTR event. The frequency of QBTRs is modulated by large-scale forcing. During the period of 1980–2000, it is correlated with the Arctic Oscillation. After 2000, however, the QBTR frequency is highly associated with sea ice variations. Specifically, the negative sea ice anomalies in the Chukchi Sea are usually associated with stronger net surface shortwave radiation and low cloud cover, triggering upward motion and a low-pressure center in the low- and mid-troposphere. The low pressure strengthens a stationary wave response, concomitant with two alternately high- and low-pressure centers, inducing more frequent QBTRs over western NA. These findings indicate that further Arctic sea ice loss under a warming climate will likely lead to more devastating heatwaves over western NA. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:44:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b77cd2aeb614a90adbc87f8232efec9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:44:04Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b77cd2aeb614a90adbc87f8232efec92023-08-09T15:32:43ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262022-01-0117707401510.1088/1748-9326/ac765aArctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decadesHouwen Wang0Yang Gao1Yuhang Wang2Lifang Sheng3College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean University of China , Qingdao 266100, People’s Republic of ChinaFrontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, and Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology , Qingdao 266100, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, GA 30332, United States of AmericaCollege of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean University of China , Qingdao 266100, People’s Republic of ChinaA catastrophic heatwave struck North America (NA) in the summer of 2021, the underlying cause of which currently remains unclear. The reanalysis data (1980–2021) is analyzed to elucidate the mechanism modulating the summer heatwaves. We find the heatwaves over western NA tend to occur concurrently with quasi-barotropic ridges (QBTRs). The 2021 record-breaking heatwave, in particular, coincides with an extended eight-day QBTR event. The frequency of QBTRs is modulated by large-scale forcing. During the period of 1980–2000, it is correlated with the Arctic Oscillation. After 2000, however, the QBTR frequency is highly associated with sea ice variations. Specifically, the negative sea ice anomalies in the Chukchi Sea are usually associated with stronger net surface shortwave radiation and low cloud cover, triggering upward motion and a low-pressure center in the low- and mid-troposphere. The low pressure strengthens a stationary wave response, concomitant with two alternately high- and low-pressure centers, inducing more frequent QBTRs over western NA. These findings indicate that further Arctic sea ice loss under a warming climate will likely lead to more devastating heatwaves over western NA.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac765aheatwavessea iceteleconnectionquasi-barotropic ridges |
| spellingShingle | Houwen Wang Yang Gao Yuhang Wang Lifang Sheng Arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decades Environmental Research Letters heatwaves sea ice teleconnection quasi-barotropic ridges |
| title | Arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decades |
| title_full | Arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decades |
| title_fullStr | Arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decades |
| title_full_unstemmed | Arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decades |
| title_short | Arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decades |
| title_sort | arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western north america in recent decades |
| topic | heatwaves sea ice teleconnection quasi-barotropic ridges |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac765a |
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