Air-Ice-Ocean Interaction in Arctic and sub-Arctic and Possible Links with Lower Latitude Weather and Climate

Dear colleagues,

In the Arctic, a new climate regime is rapidly developing. It is characterized by a thinning sea-ice cover and decreasing sea-ice extent, longer ice-free periods, and consequently, more intense solar radiation absorption. This new regime may have significant consequences for the stability of the sensitive marine ecosystem and the matter transfer across shelves into the Arctic Ocean by, for instance, river runoff and coastal erosion. It will also likely be associated with an increased inflow of warm Atlantic water masses to the Arctic Ocean and related changes in sea-ice production. This in turn will affect sea ice export via the Transpolar Drift into the Norwegian–Greenland Sea with expected consequences on the hydrographic conditions in the sub-polar seas, weather, and climate in the lower latitudes. For this Topic, we invite contributions on a variety of aspects of recent changes in the Arctic and sub-Arctic physical environment. We encourage submissions addressing interaction between ocean, atmosphere, and sea ice with particular emphasis on possible feedbacks and on studies linking changes in the Arctic to the mid-latitudes. Submissions which focus on newly emerging consequences of sea-ice reduction on cryospheric and biogeochemical processes and their implications are very much welcome.

Prof. Dr. Vladimir Ivanov
Prof. Dr. Vladimir Alexeev
Topic Editors