Relationship between Arctic sea ice thickness distribution and climate of China

Abstract

Based on the simulated ice thickness data from 1949 to 1999, monthly mean temperature data from 160 stations, and monthly mean 1°×1° precipitation data reconstructed from 749 stations in China from 1951 to 2000, the relationship between the Arctic sea ice thickness distribution and the climate of China is analyzed by using the singular value decomposition method. Climate patterns of temperature and precipitation are obtained through the rotated empirical orthogonal function analysis. The results are as follows. (1) Sea ice in Arctic Ocean has a decreasing trend as a whole, and varies with two major periods of 12–14 and 16–20 yr, respectively. (2) When sea ice is thicker in central Arctic Ocean and Beaufort-Chukchi Seas, thinner in Barents-Kara Seas and Baffin Bay-Labrador Sea, precipitation is less in southern China, Tibetan Plateau, and the north part of northeastern China than normal, and vice versa. (3) When sea ice is thinner in the whole Arctic seas, precipitation is less over the middle and lower reaches of Yellow River and north part of northeastern China, more in Tibetan Plateau and south part of northeastern China than normal, and the reverse is also true. (4) When sea ice is thinner in central Arctic Ocean, East Siberian Sea, Beaufort-Chukchi Seas, and Greenland Sea; and thicker in Baffin Bay-Labrador Sea, air temperature is higher in northeastern China, southern Tibetan Plateau, and Hainan Island than normal. (5) When sea ice is thicker in East Siberian Sea 5 months earlier, thinner in Baffin Bay-Labrador Sea 7–15 months earlier, air temperature is lower over the north of Tibetan Plateau and higher in the north part of northwestern China than normal, and a reverse correlation also exists.