DECADAL CLIMATE OSCILLATIONS IN THE ARCTIC - A NEW FEEDBACK LOOP FOR ATMOSPHERE-ICE-OCEAN INTERACTIONS

A combined complex empirical orthogonal function analysis of 40 years of annual sea ice concentration (SIC) and winter sea level pressure (S LP) data reveals the existence of an approximately 10-year climate cyc le in the Arctic and subarctic. The cycle is characterized by a clockw ise propagating signal in the SIC anomalies and a standing oscillation in the SLP anomalies, the latter being linked to a fluctuation betwee n the two phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation. To describe the fo rmation and evolution of the SIC and SLP anomalies associated with the cycle, a simple feedback loop is proposed.