Arctic sea ice is responding.

Just reading T. A Harley's assessment of early 1989 and it was one of the mildest on record apparently. I wonder is there is a connection between an unusually cold Arctic and warmer temps over N Europe during the winter months? 

Just reading T. A Harley's assessment of early 1989 and it was one of the mildest on record apparently. I wonder is there is a connection between an unusually cold Arctic and warmer temps over N Europe during the winter months? 

I'm sure there must be.

I can't really think of a pattern that would easily make both cold or both mild.

Well if it's just N europe then possibly, but if it's low latitudes in general.

 

I'm sure there must be.

I can't really think of a pattern that would easily make both cold or both mild.

Well if it's just N europe then possibly, but if it's low latitudes in general.

December 2010 might be one example. 

 

December 2010 might be one example. 

Dec 2010 was classic 'warm arctic, cold continents' though.
Very cold over the whole of the Erasian continent. But the arctic was very warm indeed.

 

Dec 2010 was classic 'warm arctic, cold continents' though.
Very cold over the whole of the Erasian continent. But the arctic was very warm indeed.

 

My working assumption is that there's only so much cold to go around.  If it's all 'up north' we get nothing.

Yes, looking at the maps, you are right Q, though the Arctic was particularly cold prior to that secondary outbreak over these parts. 

I noticed that temps near the pole have reached -40C today. Not sure I've seen temperatures that cold there in quite a long time. The arctic anomaly is also just below average at -0.1C today. 

It will be really interesting to see if this cold arctic trend remains through February and into the spring and if it will have a less dramatic effect on the melt season. 

Grant

I have to say that I do find it somewhat strange that the record cold temperatures seen in the arctic over the past month or so have had virtually no mention at all in any section of the mainstream press, at least from what I have seen.

I am grateful to Quantum for opening this thread, as I and I imagine a great many other people would otherwise probably not have been aware of what has been happening in the arctic recently.

I have to say that I do find it somewhat strange that the record cold temperatures seen in the arctic over the past month or so have had virtually no mention at all in any section of the mainstream press, at least from what I have seen.

I am grateful to Quantum for opening this thread, as I and I imagine a great many other people would otherwise probably not have been aware of what has been happening in the arctic recently.

Have there actually been any record cold temperatures in the Arctic?

 

Have there actually been any record cold temperatures in the Arctic?

I haven't done an exhaustative analysis on this. But I believe so yes.

Around new year's day the tropospheric polar vortex was particularly strong and yielded records across Alaska, Nunuvat and most notably greenland. In fact, although I'm not sure it has been verified, we may have seen the coldest northern hemisphere temp outside of siberia ever.

If this keeps going we will end up outside of the bottom 15, I can't remember the last time that happened. Possibly the 90s.

One curious thing about all this is the sheer strength of the climate change signal across the arctic, it's so disproportinate. No one can really 'feel' climate change at lower latitudes, but watch the arctic for a few years and you really can.

If it wasn't for climate change I suspect this would be the coldest year for more than 3 decades.

 

I haven't done an exhaustative analysis on this. But I believe so yes.

Around new year's day the tropospheric polar vortex was particularly strong and yielded records across Alaska, Nunuvat and most notably greenland. In fact, although I'm not sure it has been verified, we may have seen the coldest northern hemisphere temp outside of siberia ever.

I have kept an eye on this and except for specific location daily records I am not sure any records have been set. There has been some anomalous cold at times in a few places but not record breaking as far as I know.

 

I have kept an eye on this and except for specific location daily records I am not sure any records have been set. There has been some anomalous cold at times in a few places but not record breaking as far as I know.

The greenland figure was -66C I believe.

I think part of the problem is that it's quite difficult to get hold of the exhausative data. Most of the time it's only every hour or so and to the nearest degree. It's also difficult to find some stations (for example greenland summit)

 

The greenland figure was -66C I believe.

I think part of the problem is that it's quite difficult to get hold of the exhausative data. Most of the time it's only every hour or so and to the nearest degree. It's also difficult to find some stations (for example greenland summit)

 

I looked at the official data for Summit Camp on the date in question at the time and there is absolutely no evidence that -66°C was reached. I think the value was around or just above -60°C (-59.2°C rings a bell). Yes that is very cold but not record breaking as far as I know.

 

I looked at the official data for Summit Camp on the date in question at the time and there is absolutely no evidence that -66°C was reached. I think the value was around or just above -60°C (-59.2°C rings a bell). Yes that is very cold but not record breaking as far as I know.

-86.8F

 

If this keeps going we will end up outside of the bottom 15, I can't remember the last time that happened. Possibly the 90s.

 

I thought sea ice extent was more dependant on SSTs than air temperature alone? Though having said that, one is bound to influence the other anyway. 

Yes i have seen that as a provisional claim. I have not seen a source or verification for that graph and the official SYNOPS data and minimum for that date contradict the claim. https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=04416&lang=en&decoded=yes&ndays=2&ano=2020&mes=01&day=04&hora=13