The Regional, Seasonal, and Lagged Influence of the Amundsen Sea Low on Antarctic Sea Ice

Abstract

The Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) is an important driver of Antarctic sea ice variations largely because of wind-driven sea ice and ocean transport anomalies. However, the nature of the relationship between the ASL and sea ice is complicated by large seasonality in the ice cover and the ASL location and depth. Here we explore these relationships as a function of region, season, and lag. We find that the ASL can have a markedly different and sometimes opposite sign influence on sea ice in some regions, such as the western Ross Sea, depending on the season. This is in part due to differing influences of ASL-related meridional and zonal winds for ice transport in different times of year. The sea ice response to ASL variations is often largest at a lag of some months and can persist for up to 8 months.