The impact of radiosonde data over the ice-free Arctic Ocean on the atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere

Abstract

We investigated the impact of radiosonde data from the ice-free Arctic Ocean obtained by the Japanese R/V Mirai during a cruise in the fall of 2010 on the AFES-LETKF experimental ensemble reanalysis version 2 (ALERA2) data set. The reanalysis used radiosonde data over the ice-free region. Compared with observations, it captured Arctic cyclogenesis along the marginal ice zone, including a tropopause fold, very well. Without the observations, a 5 K cold bias in air temperature was found, suggesting that radiosondes over the Arctic Ocean are vital for reproducing the change in tropopause variability. As a consequence of including the Arctic radiosondes, a tropopause height difference formed and persisted after cyclogenesis, increasing the subpolar jet in ALERA2 by 3% at 65-70°N. The air temperature in the whole troposphere north of 70°N showed a cooling in the 2 weeks after cyclogenesis, whereas a warming was observed in the lower stratosphere, reflecting the regional impact of the intensive radiosonde observations. A remote response of the radiosondes over the Arctic Ocean to the midlatitudes was discussed by focusing on the density of observing network and seasonal march of atmospheric circulations. Our results demonstrated that the high-temporal radiosonde observations over the Arctic Ocean can help reduce uncertainty in reanalyses and numerical weather predictions throughout the northern half of the Northern Hemisphere for weeks afterwards. © 2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.