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Climate science

A resolution of the Antarctic paradox

Nature volume 505, pages 491–492 (2014)Cite this article

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A combination of observational data and modelling reveals the potential significance of the north and tropical Atlantic Ocean in driving change in Antarctic winds and sea ice on decadal timescales and longer. See Letter p.538

In contrast to ice in the Arctic Ocean, which is confined by the surrounding continents, Antarctic sea ice is largely free to drift with the wind and ocean currents. Its extent is therefore strongly influenced by the pattern of surface winds around the continent. Much of the year-to-year variability in Antarctic sea ice is captured by a pattern known as the Antarctic dipole4, which is characterized by anomalies in ice extent of opposing signs in the Bellingshausen Sea and the western Ross Sea. The ice anomalies are a result of wind variations associated with changes in atmospheric-pressure patterns around the Antarctic. It is well established that these changes are connected to anomalies in sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Pacific Ocean4,5 through the generation of large-scale atmospheric waves by deep convection in the tropical atmosphere. These waves, known as Rossby waves, can propagate to polar latitudes and influence the atmospheric circulation there. Much of the year-to-year variability in Antarctic sea ice can thus be attributed to variability in tropical Pacific SSTs.

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Figure 1: Trend in Antarctic sea-ice coverage.

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  1. John King is at the British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK.,

    John King

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Correspondence to John King.

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King, J. A resolution of the Antarctic paradox. Nature 505, 491–492 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/505491a

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