The Antarctic Amplification Based on MODIS Land Surface Temperature and ERA5

Abstract

With global warming accelerating, polar amplification is one of the hot issues in climate research. However, most studies focus on Arctic amplification, and little attention has been paid to Antarctic amplification (AnA), and there is no relevant research based on MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) land surface temperature observations. Compared with 128 stations’ observations, MODIS can capture the variations in temperature over Antarctica. In addition, the temperature changes in Antarctica, East Antarctica, West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula during the period 2001–2018 reflected by the MODIS and ERA5 are basically consistent, and the temperature changes in Antarctica are negatively correlated with the Southern Annular Mode. AnA occurs under all annual and seasonal scales, with an AnA index greater than 1.27 (1.31) from the MODIS (ERA5), and is strongest in the austral winter and weakest in summer. AnA displays regional differences, and the signal from the MODIS is similar to that from ERA5. The strongest amplification occurs in East Antarctica, with an AnA index greater than 1.45 (1.48) from the MODIS (ERA5), followed by West Antarctica, whereas the amplified signal is absent at the Antarctic Peninsula. In addition, seasonal differences can be observed in the sub regions of Antarctica. For West Antarctica, the greatest amplification appears in austral winter, and in austral spring for East Antarctica. The AnA signal also can be captured in daytime and nighttime observations, and the AnA in nighttime observations is stronger than that in daytime. Generally, the MODIS illustrates the appearance of AnA for the period 2001–2018, and the Antarctic climate undergoes drastic changes, and the potential impact should arouse attention.

Keywords

• Antarctic Ice Sheet
• temperature
• Antarctic amplification
• MODIS