Sea surface temperature variability in the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas in a changing climate : patterns and mechanisms

Abstract

Understanding temporal variability of sea surface temperature (SST) patterns plays a crucial role in providing insights into the mechanisms causing extreme weather and climate events as well as oceanic and atmospheric teleconnections. This study presents an in-depth analysis of the SST patterns of the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas on interannual and seasonal timescales from 1982 to 2018. The results reveal potential relationships between SST and climatic variables in order to improve our understanding of underlying physical mechanisms influencing the SST variations in a changing climate. Our findings disclose that the Arctic Ocean shows an overall warming trend, and the Nordic Seas have the highest SST compared to its neighboring seas. The Barents Sea shows spatially varying seasonal trends due to ice cover changes and warm water circulation within the Nordic Seas. Correlation analysis was also performed to facilitate further understanding of climate-induced SST changes. It reveals that climate variables interact differently with the Arctic Ocean SST on a regional scale and vary with different degrees of influence. Notable relationships between SST and climate variables improve understanding of differing trends on spatial and temporal scales. In addition, the wavelet coherence speculates that a significant in-phase relationship exists between SST and Greenland Blocking Index (GBI), which facilitates further studies exploring the complex mechanisms causing teleconnection patterns related to the Arctic Ocean.