The Impact of Arctic Sea Ice Loss on the Eurasian Winter Surface Air Temperature Change in Recent Decades

Abstract

The high variability of the Arctic sea ice concentration (SIC) is an important factor for understanding the weather and climate change in the northern mid-latitude. In recent decades, the surface air temperature (SAT) trend over the continents in the northern hemisphere has turned negative. Moreover, the number of extremely cold days is increasing. This sudden change in the weather and climate in the mid-latitudes is thought to be influenced by the Arctic sea ice loss because there is a high correlation between the Arctic SIC and the SAT over the mid-latitude. In this study, we examine the impact of the Arctic sea ice loss on the SAT trend and the variability in Eurasia. We analyzed in-situ observation and reanalysis data to see what happened and carried out the transient climate model with the coupled general circulation model (CGCM) and the linear baroclinic model.