Impact of interannual variations of spring sea ice in the Barents Sea on East Asian rainfall in June

Abstract

This study reveals a significant relationship, on the interannual timescale, between a dipole mode, the second leading mode, of spring sea-ice anomalies in the Barents Sea and the following-summer rainfall in East Asia. Related to the dipole mode, with the heavier sea ice in the north and lighter sea ice in the southeast Barents Sea in spring, the East Asian summer subtropical rainy belt tends to move northward. The significant relationship is established through a wave train over northern Eurasia in the lower troposphere in June. The wave train enhances the northern East Asian low, which induces more rainfall to the north of the East Asian subtropical rainy belt and then attracts the subtropical rainy belt to move northward. This study suggests that the dipole mode of spring sea-ice anomalies in the Barents Sea may be a good precursor for the prediction of East Asian summer rainfall.

Keywords

• Spring sea ice
• Barents Sea
• East Asian summer rainfall
• northern East Asian low
• subtropical rainy belt