Effects of spring Arctic sea ice on summer drought in the middle and high latitudes of Asia

Based on data observed from 1979 to 2017, the influence of Arctic sea ice in the previous spring on the first mode of interannual variation in summer drought in the middle and high latitudes of Asia (MHA) is analyzed in this paper, and the possible associated physical mechanism is discussed. The results show that when there is more sea ice near the Svalbard Islands in spring while the sea ice in the Barents-Kara Sea decreases, the drought distribution in the MHA shows a north-south dipole pattern in late summer, and drought weakens in the northern MHA region and strengthens in the southern MHA region. By analyzing the main physical process affecting these changes, the change in sea ice in spring is found to lead to the Polar-Eurasian teleconnection pattern, resulting in more precipitation, thicker snow depths, higher temperatures, and higher soil moisture in the northern MHA region in spring and less precipitation, smaller snow depths, and lower soil moisture in the southern MHA region. Such soil conditions last until summer, affect summer precipitation and temperature conditions through soil moisture- atmosphere feedbacks, and ultimately modulate changes in summer drought in the MHA.

Automated summary

Based on data from 1979 to 2017, this paper analyzes the influence of Arctic sea ice in the previous spring on the interannual variation of summer drought in the middle and high latitudes of Asia (MHA). The results show that changes in sea ice lead to the Polar-Eurasian teleconnection pattern, affecting precipitation, snow depth, temperature, and soil moisture in different regions of MHA, and ultimately modulating changes in summer drought.