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Generation of the Amundsen Sea Low by Antarctic Orography
Author(s) -
Goyal Rishav,
Jucker Martin,
Sen Gupta Alex,
England Matthew H.
Publication year - 2021
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 - 10.1029/2020gl091487
Subject(s) - orography , climatology , sea ice , westerlies , geology , atmospheric circulation , meridional flow , cryosphere , southern hemisphere , teleconnection , lead (geology) , zonal and meridional , arctic ice pack , atmospheric sciences , oceanography , meteorology , precipitation , el niño southern oscillation , geography , geomorphology
The Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) is a distinctive feature of the Southern Hemisphere high latitude atmospheric circulation, regulating regional Antarctic climate, meridional heat transport, ocean circulation, and sea‐ice in the Amundsen‐Bellingshausen Seas. Most previous research on the ASL has focused on its variability with only a few studies attempting to understand why the climatological ASL exists. These studies have proposed different hypotheses to explain the presence of the ASL, however, a clear understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the generation of the ASL remains uncertain. Here we use an atmospheric general circulation model to show that the ASL is a consequence of the interaction between Antarctic topography and the westerly wind jet, with negligible influence from low‐latitude teleconnections. A nonrotating fluid flow simulation further suggests that the ASL can be explained by flow separation resulting from the interaction of westerly winds with the topography of Antarctica.