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Wilhelm May. Photo.

Wilhelm May

Researcher

Wilhelm May. Photo.

Limited predictability of extreme decadal changes in the Arctic Ocean freshwater content

Author

  • Torben Schmith
  • Steffen M. Olsen
  • Ida M. Ringgaard
  • Wilhelm May

Summary, in English

Predictability of extreme changes in the Arctic Ocean freshwater content and the associated release into the subpolar North Atlantic up to one decade ahead is investigated using a CMIP5-type global climate model. The perfect-model setup consists of a 500 year control run, from which selected 10 year long segments are predicted by initialized, perturbed ensemble predictions. Initial conditions for these are selected from the control run to represent large positive or negative decadal changes in the total freshwater content in the Arctic Ocean. Two different classes of ensemble predictions are performed, one initialized with the ‘observed’ ocean globally, and one initialized with the model climatology in the Arctic Ocean and with the observed ocean elsewhere. Analysis reveals that the former yields superior predictions 1 year ahead as regards both liquid freshwater content and sea ice volume in the Arctic Ocean. For prediction years two and above there is no overall gain in predictability from knowing the initial state in the Arctic Ocean and damped persistence predictions perform just as well as the ensemble predictions. Areas can be identified, mainly in the proper Canadian and Eurasian basins, where knowledge of the initial conditions gives a gain in predictability of liquid freshwater content beyond year two. Total freshwater export events from the Arctic Ocean into the subpolar North Atlantic have no predictability even 1 year ahead. This is a result of the sea ice component not being predictable and LFW being on the edge of being predictable for prediction time 1 year.

Department/s

  • Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
  • MERGE: ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system

Publishing year

2018-11

Language

English

Pages

3927-3942

Publication/Series

Climate Dynamics

Volume

51

Issue

9-10

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Climate Research
  • Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources

Keywords

  • Arctic ocean
  • Freshwater
  • Predictability
  • Sea ice

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0930-7575