1. The internal origin of the west-east asymmetry of Antarctic climate change
- Author
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Sang-Yoon Jun, Joo-Hong Kim, Baek-Min Kim, Seong-Joong Kim, Soon Il An, and Jung Choi
- Subjects
Climatology ,Atmospheric Science ,Multidisciplinary ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Mode (statistics) ,Climate change ,SciAdv r-articles ,East antarctica ,010502 geochemistry & geophysics ,Annual cycle ,01 natural sciences ,Asymmetry ,Internal mode ,Sea surface temperature ,Oceanography ,Antarctic climate ,Geology ,Research Articles ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,media_common ,Research Article - Abstract
The harmony of the Southern Ocean and Antarctic terrain is the pacemaker of Antarctic climate change under global warming., Recent Antarctic surface climate change has been characterized by greater warming trends in West Antarctica than in East Antarctica. Although this asymmetric feature is well recognized, its origin remains poorly understood. Here, by analyzing observation data and multimodel results, we show that a west-east asymmetric internal mode amplified in austral winter originates from the harmony of the atmosphere-ocean coupled feedback off West Antarctica and the Antarctic terrain. The warmer ocean temperature over the West Antarctic sector has positive feedback, with an anomalous upper-tropospheric anticyclonic circulation response centered over West Antarctica, in which the strength of the feedback is controlled by the Antarctic topographic layout and the annual cycle. The current west-east asymmetry of Antarctic surface climate change is undoubtedly of natural origin because no external factors (e.g., orbital or anthropogenic factors) contribute to the asymmetric mode.
- Published
- 2020