Extraordinary September Arctic sea ice reductions and their relationships with storm behavior over 1979–2008
Article first published online: 14 OCT 2009
Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.
Geophysical Research Letters
Volume 36, Issue 19, October 2009
How to Cite
2009), Extraordinary September Arctic sea ice reductions and their relationships with storm behavior over 1979–2008, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L19715, doi:10.1029/2009GL039810., and (
- Issue published online: 14 OCT 2009
- Article first published online: 14 OCT 2009
- Manuscript Accepted: 1 SEP 2009
- Manuscript Revised: 31 JUL 2009
- Manuscript Received: 29 JUN 2009
- Arctic climate;
- Arctic storms;
- climate change
 Dramatic changes have been observed in Arctic sea ice, cyclone behavior and atmospheric circulation in recent decades. Decreases in September ice extent have been remarkable over the last 30 years, and particularly so in very recent times. The analysis reveals that the trends and variability in September ice coverage and mean cyclone characteristics are related, and that the strength (rather than the number) of cyclones in the Arctic basin is playing a central role in the changes observed in that region, especially in the last few years. The findings reinforce suggestions that the decline in the extent and thickness of Arctic ice has started to render it particularly vulnerable to future anomalous cyclonic activity and atmospheric forcing.