TROPICAL-EXTRATROPICAL INTERATION, RELATIONSHIP WITH AUSTRAL OCEAN AND IMPACTS ON ANTARCTIC SEA ICE

Author(s)

Fabio Ullmann Furtado de Lima

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto Astronômico e Geofísico (IAG/SBD)
• Defense date: 2012-08-23

Examining board members

Leila Maria Vespoli de Carvalho; Ricardo de Camargo; Olga Tiemi Sato; Jefferson Cardia Simões; Ronald Buss de Souza

• Advisor: Leila Maria Vespoli de Carvalho

Abstract

Previous works show that antarctic sea ice variability on several time-scales is close related to tropics-extratropics teleconections mechanisms. Based on this hyphotesis, this work intend to verify the responses in oceanic upper layers of Austral Ocean on intraseasonal time-scale (20-100 days) phenomenom and impacts on sea ice due to anomalous atmospheric circulation associated to the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). The period analysed in this study is from 1989 to 2007, with emphasis on winter season and on Ross Sea (located at austral Pacific sector). Lag composities of zonal and meridional intraseasonal wind stress anomalies show that oceanic currents are generated as a response of these atmospheric forcings on austral Pacific sector. Zonal and meridional mass transport on oceanic Ekman layer, which are perpendicular and to the left of wind stress at Southern Hemisphere (SH), indicate that Ekman mass divergence precedes intraseasonal Ross sea ice extreme retraction (EIR). In contrast, convergence precedes the periods of extreme intraseasonal Ross sea ice expantion (EIE). Divergence (convergence) on oceanic Ekman layer associated to intraseasonal Ekman pumping anomalies results in upwelling (downwelling) wich precedes the occurrence of EIR (EIE). Some works have already shown that intermediate antarctic waters, wich are relatively warmer in the wintertime when compared to superficial waters that are next to the freezing point (or freezed), are headed to ocean surface due to Ekman pumping, generating sea ice melt. Intraseasonal anomalies of sea-air heat flux show that days before EIR (EIE) occurrences, the flux is headed from atmosphere to the ocean (from ocean to the atmosphere), which configuration is associated to the earn (loss) of heat at Ross upper ocean. In all compositions, the change of anomalies phase on the days before EI occurrence (positive lags) is clearly noticed and is consistent to the propagations of the mode known as Pacific South American (PSA), revealed in intraseasonal anomalies of geopotencial height at 200 hPa. Furthermore, in some cases (as in the case of Ekman pumping and Sverdrup transport) the anomalies seem to be deplaced southward in active MJO periods than in inactive MJO periods. In inactive MJO periods were observed 15 (13) EIR (EIE) events, while in active MJO periods were observed 25 (24) EIR (EIE) events. Furthermore, the number of cyclones during EIR periods was bigger than during EIE periods. In addiction, more cyclones were observed when MJO is active. For example, the number of cyclones with duration of 6 (12) hours without MJO was equal to 174 (146) during EIR events and 169 (130) during EIE events. However, the number of cyclones with active MJO was equal to 393 (311) in EIR events and 364 (278) in EIE events. In order to investigate in details the interaction between ocean-atmosphere-sea ice, it was examinated persistents cases of EIR and EIE events. The cases more persistents of EIR (EIE) events had durations of 34 and 30 (26 and 25) days, which were the analised cases. It was observed that intraseasonal anomalies of atmospheric circulation at lower levels (in 850 hPa) and intraseasonal anomalies of superficial ocean currents were associates to hot (cold) advection during periods before EIR (EIR) events. In general, the medium latitude cyclonic (anticyclonic) anomalies of atmospheric circulation and divergence (convergence) of superficial ocean currents seem to be linked to upwelling (downwelling) in some pentads before the pentad which is correspondent to the beggining of EIR (EIE) supercases. The patterns observed change their phases along the time, suggesting the propagation of extratropical intraseasonal wave train pattern. Negatives (positives) intraseasonal anomalies of sea ice concentration were observed above Ross Sea in the first pentads after the beggining of EIR (EIE) persistents cases. This result shows that sea ice response to atmospheric and to oceanic patterns on intraseasonal time-scales has a lag between 5 and 1 pentad(s). In general, this work contributed to better understand the oceanic responses due to anomalies in atmospheric circulation and related impacts on sea ice, on intraseasonal time-scale. (AU)