Investigation of the North Pacific Sea Ice Anomalies in the Context of Atmospheric and Oceanic Variability

The primary mode of variability in sea ice concentration can be characterized by an oscillation of anomalies between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation and these sea-ice anomalies.

The standard techniques of climate analysis such as EOF's and correlations will be used to investigate these relationships. In addition to sea-ice concentration, oceanic and atmospheric variables such as sea level pressure, air temperature, and geopotential heights will be examined. We hope to elucidate the role of oceanic and atmospheric variability in the context of this mode of sea-ice variability in the North Pacific. Additionally, results from this analysis will be compared to the 300-year NCAR fully coupled ice-ocean-land-atmosphere simulation.