This project is funded by NSF ARC grant 1531040

Objective

To better understand Arctic climate variability and change from the integrating and simplifying viewpoint of the large-scale heat budget

Collaborators

Mark Serreze, Andrew Barrett, Andrew Slater, and M. Steele (University of Washington)

Project Summary

The change in the energy content of the Arctic atmosphere depends of the sum of horizontal energy transfers into the region via the atmospheric circulation, the net radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, and the net surface heat flux. The latter represents energy transfers between the atmosphere and the underlying ice/ocean column. In turn, the heat budget of the underlying ice-ocean column depends on the net surface heat flux and heat transfers into/out of the column via ocean currents and the transport of sea ice. Studies of the Arctic heat budget are making use of information from atmospheric reanalyses, satellite data, hydrographic data and land surface models.

Related Resources

None

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