The Arctic and Antarctic Sea-Ice Area Index Records versus Measured and Modeled Temperature Data
Here we study the Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice area records provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). These records reveal an opposite climatic behavior: since 1978 the Arctic sea-ice area index decreased, that is, the region has warmed, while the Antarctic sea-ice area index increa...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Advances in Meteorology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/481834 |
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| Summary: | Here we study the Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice area records provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). These records reveal an opposite climatic behavior: since 1978 the Arctic sea-ice area index decreased, that is, the region has warmed, while the Antarctic sea-ice area index increased, that is, the region has cooled. During the last 7 years the Arctic sea-ice area has stabilized while the Antarctic sea-ice area has increased at a rate significantly higher than during the previous decades; that is, the sea-ice area of both regions has experienced a positive acceleration. This result is quite robust because it is confirmed by alternative temperature climate indices of the same regions. We also found that a significant 4-5-year natural
oscillation characterizes the climate of these sea-ice polar areas. On the contrary, we found that the CMIP5 general circulation models
have predicted significant warming in both polar sea regions and failed to reproduce the strong 4-5-year oscillation. Because the CMIP5
GCM simulations are inconsistent with the observations, we suggest that important natural mechanisms of climate change are missing in the models. |
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| ISSN: | 1687-9309 1687-9317 |