A Warmer and Wetter Arctic: Insights From a 20‐Years AIRS Record

Abstract

AbstractArctic sea ice has undergone significant change in areal coverage, thickness, ice type since the 1980s and more recently since the early 2000s, where a “New Arctic” regime now exists. Since the sea ice modulates exchanges of energy from the ocean to the atmosphere, this changing sea ice environment has profound effects on the local climate. However, due to the Arctic's remote location, wide‐spread and long‐term data records of the atmosphere are few and far between. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard NASA's Aqua satellite was launched in May 2002 has been collecting twice daily, global data of the Earth's temperature and humidity for over 20 years. We use AIRS temperature and humidity data to investigate relationships between the sea ice, and surface and atmospheric conditions between 2003 and 2022. The Arctic atmosphere is becoming warmer and wetter with sea ice loss and the change is most pronounced near the surface. Strongest correlations occur in the fall when the surface and lower atmosphere are tightly coupled. When comparing the first (2003–2012) and last (2013–2022) decade of the New Arctic, results show that the warming and moistening is slowing down as the sea ice regime and sea ice loss has stabilized in 2013–2022. Cooling and drying is occurring in winter in the Barents and other peripheral seas in the last decade possibly due to a negative feedback loop, where winter sea ice regrowth is occurring at a faster pace. This work highlights the importance of sea ice atmosphere interactions and long‐term climate data records, specifically in remote and drastically changing places like the Arctic.