Rapid Acceleration of Arctic Near‐Surface Wind Speed in a Warming Climate

Abstract

AbstractArctic near‐surface wind speed (NWS) plays an increasingly crucial role in influencing the local air‐sea interactions and the safety of trans‐Arctic shipping, but its potential changes in a warming climate and underlying causes remain unclear. Using reanalysis and model simulation data sets, we reveal that the Arctic NWS has increased remarkably since the 1960s, with the strongest increase in the Arctic Ocean surface. We propose that the acceleration of Arctic NWS is primarily driven by reduced stability in the lower troposphere due to increased upward heat fluxes and decreased surface roughness owing to the losses of Arctic glaciers and sea ice in a warming climate. In addition, the coupled climate models project a robust increase in the Arctic NWS under various warming scenarios during the 21st century, especially in the vicinity of the Kara Sea and the Beaufort Sea.