Influence of sam phases on the spatial distribution of Sea ice in the North Region of the antarctic peninsula

Abstract

Sea ice has an important function in the global climatic system by means of the regulation of the transportation and exchange of heat between ocean and atmosphere, the formation of water bodies and ocean circulation. It also contributes to solar radiation backscattering on the surface of the Earth. However, the thermal and mechanical variables associated with the different Southern Annular Mode (SAM) phases may affect the ocean-atmosphere system. The objective of the present study is to evaluate in what ways the weather variables influence the sea ice concentration in the ocean region located in the north side of the Antarctic Peninsula during the different SAM phases, between the austral winters of 1979 and 2018. For this purpose, weather variables such as air temperature at 2 m, sea surface temperature, mean sea level pressure, total precipitation, wind speed, zonal wind component at 10 m and meridional wind component at 10 m were considered. It was found that, independently of the SAM phase, the air temperature at 2 m showed a strong negative correlation (R from -0.74 to -0.81) and sea surface temperature presented a moderate negative correlation (R from -0.62 to -0.67). It was also possible to identify a decreasing linear trend in the sea ice area with the magnitude of anomalies of sea ice concentration in the different SAM phases associated with the magnitude of average historical concentration.