HR: 15:10h
AN: A53E-10    [Abstracts]
TI: Antarctic Peninsula Climate Change and the Role of Atmospheric Quasi-Stationary Waves
AU: * Hobbs, W R
EM: whobbs@ucla.edu
AF: UCLA Department of Geography, 1255 Bunche Hall Box 951524, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
AB: During the late 20th century, the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) region has shown one of the largest observed regional surface warming trends globally, in contrast to much of the Antarctic region. Previous studies have attributed this warming to trends in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), trends in west Antarctic sea ice cover and ocean warming in continental shelf west of the AP. In this study, the possible influence of the SH zonal wave one (ZW1) on AP surface temperature is explored using local station observations, satellite and reanalysis data. ZW1 is the dominant pattern of the SH zonally-asymmetric circulation, and there is evidence that it is linked to large-scale atmosphere-ocean interactions in the South Pacific basin, as well as airflow over the west Antarctic region. Evidence is presented of a seasonally-dependent relationship between AP surface temperature and ZW1 amplitude and location that is concentrated in the austral fall-early winter. The magnitude of ZW1 influence on AP temperature is compared to that of the SAM, the major mode of SH atmospheric variability. Possible physical mechanisms for the observed response are discussed.
DE: 1616 Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (0429, 3309)
DE: 3270 Time series analysis (1872, 4277, 4475)
DE: 3305 Climate change and variability (1616, 1635, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 3349 Polar meteorology
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting