Large-Scale Atmospheric Drivers of Extreme Temperature Anomalies During Springtime in the Arctic

Sammanfattning

In this project warm extreme temperature events in the Arctic region during the spring months March, April and May were identified and analysed. In the analysis daily average NCEP reanalysis data from NOAA/OAR/ESRL PSL format was used. The extreme events were retrieved as the highest positive temperature anomalies from the climatological mean, and the synoptic scale plots for the 50 most extreme events were created to identify what patterns caused the extreme warming over the Polar region. By contouring the areas of statistical significance, the regions with a reoccuring pattern were identified. The results conclude that cyclonic activity over the high Arctic extending down over Greenland and northern Canada combined with anomalously high geopotential height over the north Pacific ocean, over the Arctic, and towards Siberia cause the high temperatures over the pole. A weaker Polar Vortex causes perturbations in the jet stream, ridges in these Rossby waves can act as a pathway for warm and moist air from the oceanic regions which has a warming effect in the Arctic. Further analysis can be done to investigate what teleconnections these spring-time extreme events have on a global scale.