Characteristic Features of the Antarctic Surface Air Temperature with Different Reanalyses and In Situ Observations and Their Uncertainties

Abstract

Antarctic surface air temperature (SAT) variability is characterized by strong seasonality and regionality, which are associated with the tropical–polar teleconnections and the radiative forcing caused by the concentration changes in ozone and other greenhouse gases. Nevertheless, the sparse in situ observations and the strong disagreement between different reanalysis datasets hinder coherent conclusions about Antarctic SAT variability. In this study, we use a newly developed statistical method, combined maximum covariance analysis (CMCA), to retrieve coherent SAT modes from six reanalysis datasets and 26 station observations. The results show that the Antarctic SAT variability may be dominated by a continental-wide warming/cooling mode, an East–West Antarctic seesaw mode, and a dipole SAT mode around West Antarctica. These SAT modes are strongly associated with three principal modes of Antarctic atmospheric circulation. Furthermore, all six reanalyses can represent these SAT modes well, compared with the observations, despite a clear deviation over the Antarctic Peninsula associated with the biases in the Foehn wind, which may not be clearly reproduced in a low-resolution reanalysis. This study provides an effective means by which to extract coherent signals from all reanalyses and observations to represent the Antarctic SAT variability, and to improve its predictability and projection.

Keywords

• Antarctic surface air temperature
• reanalysis datasets
• in situ observations
• combined maximum covariance analysis
• southern annular mode
• Pacific South American pattern