Open AccessLoss of Arctic sea ice tied to natural climate variability
Author(s) -
Wendel JoAnna
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2014eo150012
Subject(s) - atlantic multidecadal oscillation , climatology , paleoclimatology , sea ice , arctic sea ice decline , oceanography , arctic ice pack , natural (archaeology) , north atlantic oscillation , arctic , sea surface temperature , climate change , geology , climate oscillation , environmental science , antarctic sea ice , global warming , effects of global warming , paleontology
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is a semiperiodic 60‐ to 90‐year natural cycle in sea surface temperatures of the North Atlantic—consisting of warm and cold periods—with a pronounced influence on climate in the region. Observational evidence and paleoclimate data show that AMO has occurred semiregularly for centuries, even millennia. Recent studies suggest that the unprecedented loss of Arctic sea ice seen in recent years is tied to the warm phase of this natural fluctuation of sea surface temperatures that began in the 1990s.