Journal cover Journal topic
The Cryosphere An interactive open-access journal of the European Geosciences Union

Journal metrics

  • IF value: 4.803 IF 4.803
  • IF 5-year<br/> value: 5.793 IF 5-year
    5.793
  • CiteScore<br/> value: 5.49 CiteScore
    5.49
  • SNIP value: 1.535 SNIP 1.535
  • SJR value: 4.251 SJR 4.251
  • IPP value: 5.170 IPP 5.170
  • h5-index value: 45 h5-index 45
Definitions
The Cryosphere, 11, 2111-2116, 2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2111-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Volume 11, issue 5
Brief communication
07 Sep 2017
Brief communication: Increasing shortwave absorption over the Arctic Ocean is not balanced by trends in the Antarctic
Christian Katlein1, Stefan Hendricks1, and Jeffrey Key2 1Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
2Center for Satellite Applications and Research, NOAA/NESDIS, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Received: 05 Dec 2016 – Discussion started: 02 Jan 2017
Revised: 29 Jul 2017 – Accepted: 01 Aug 2017 – Published: 07 Sep 2017
Abstract. On the basis of a new, consistent, long-term observational satellite dataset we show that, despite the observed increase of sea ice extent in the Antarctic, absorption of solar shortwave radiation in the Southern Ocean poleward of 60° latitude is not decreasing. The observations hence show that the small increase in Antarctic sea ice extent does not compensate for the combined effect of retreating Arctic sea ice and changes in cloud cover, which both result in a total increase in solar shortwave energy deposited into the polar oceans.

Citation: Katlein, C., Hendricks, S., and Key, J.: Brief communication: Increasing shortwave absorption over the Arctic Ocean is not balanced by trends in the Antarctic, The Cryosphere, 11, 2111-2116, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2111-2017, 2017.
Publications Copernicus
Download
PDF XML
Short summary
In the public debate, increasing sea ice extent in the Antarctic is often highlighted as counter-indicative of global warming. Here we show that the slight increases in Antarctic sea ice extent are not able to counter Arctic losses. Using bipolar satellite observations, we demonstrate that even in the Antarctic polar ocean solar shortwave energy absorption is increasing in accordance with strongly increasing shortwave energy absorption in the Arctic Ocean rather than compensating Arctic losses.
In the public debate, increasing sea ice extent in the Antarctic is often highlighted as...
Read more
Citation
Share