Tropical and mid-latitude forcing of continental Antarctic temperatures (original) (raw)
The Cryosphere Discussions
Future changes in atmospheric circulation and associated modes of variability are a major source of uncertainty in climate projections. Nowhere is this issue more acute than across the mid-to high-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) which over the last few decades has experienced extreme and regional variable trends in precipitation, ocean circulation, and temperature, with major implications for Antarctic ice melt and surface mass balance. Unfortunately there is a relative dearth of observational data, limiting our understanding of the driving mechanism(s). Here we report a new 130-year annually-resolved record of δD – a proxy for temperature – from the South Geographic Pole where we find a significant influence from extra-tropical pressure anomalies which act as " gatekeepers " to the meridional exchange of air masses. Reanalysis of global atmospheric circulation suggests these pressure anomalies play a considerably larger influence on mid-to high-latitude SH clima...
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