WATER-VAPOR TEMPERATURE FEEDBACK IN THE FORMATION OF CONTINENTAL ARCTIC AIR - ITS IMPLICATION FOR CLIMATE

The ecology of the Arctic is sensitive to climate change. Recent analy ses of temperature in the lower Arctic troposphere for the last 40 yea rs has shown no trace of the expected arctic-wide greenhouse warming. Most climate models predict warming over sea ice regions during winter . In this paper, we discuss the interpretation of climate model result s in terms of these new observational analyses. In particular, the obs erved spring time warming trend agrees with expected effects related t o black carbonaceous aerosols. A possible process involving sulfate is tested for climate sensitivity. The rate of air mass transformation f rom maritime to continental polar air depends on the water vapor remov al rate through condensation and precipitation. In turn, the removal o f atmospheric water vapor reduces the greenhouse effect and enhances t he cooling rate of the surface. Initially, this greenhouse cooling can dominate the warming trend from the increased levels of radiatively a ctive trace gases. This work is an attempt to discuss a physical proce ss leading to changes that potentially have significance for the ecolo gy of the Arctic.