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Driving Roles of Tropospheric and Stratospheric Thermal Anomalies in Intensification and Persistence of the Arctic Superstorm in 2012
Author(s) -
Tao Wei,
Zhang Jing,
Fu Yunfei,
Zhang Xiangdong
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl074778
Subject(s) - stratosphere , climatology , troposphere , arctic , arctic geoengineering , storm , polar vortex , environmental science , arctic dipole anomaly , atmospheric sciences , tropopause , polar night , arctic sea ice decline , baroclinity , extratropical cyclone , anomaly (physics) , jet stream , geology , arctic ice pack , sea ice , oceanography , jet (fluid) , drift ice , physics , thermodynamics , condensed matter physics
Abstract Intense synoptic‐scale storms have been more frequently observed over the Arctic during recent years. Specifically, a superstorm hit the Arctic Ocean in August 2012 and preceded a new record low Arctic sea ice extent. In this study, the major physical processes responsible for the storm's intensification and persistence are explored through a series of numerical modeling experiments with the Weather Research and Forecasting model. It is found that thermal anomalies in troposphere as well as lower stratosphere jointly lead to the development of this superstorm. Thermal contrast between the unusually warm Siberia and the relatively cold Arctic Ocean results in strong troposphere baroclinicity and upper level jet, which contribute to the storm intensification initially. On the other hand, Tropopause Polar Vortex (TPV) associated with the thermal anomaly in lower stratosphere further intensifies the upper level jet and accordingly contributes to a drastic intensification of the storm. Stacking with the enhanced surface low, TPV intensifies further, which sustains the storm to linger over the Arctic Ocean for an extended period.