The impact of winds and sea surface temperatures on the Barents Sea ice extent, a statistical approach

- We examine the variability of the sea-ice extent in the Barents Sea.
- We analyse effect of wind and sea-surface temperature on sea-ice extent variability.
- The thermal properties of Atlantic Water correlate strongly with the sea-ice extent.
- Winds affect both the redistribution of sea ice and the advection of heat.
- Wind and temperature contribute almost equally to the winter variability of extent.

An analysis was made of the processes controlling the incidence of sea ice in the Barents Sea for the period 1979-2010. The influence of atmospheric circulation and ocean temperature on the interannual variability of sea-ice extent (SIE) in the Barents Sea was investigated using sea-ice concentrations obtained from passive microwave satellite imagery, sea surface temperatures (SSTs), and NCEP-NCAR sea level pressure (SLP) data. Data from April and September were analysed, the months when SIE in the Barents Sea is respectively at its maximum and minimum. The strongest negative correlations (− 0.65 to − 0.77) were found between the SIE in the Barents Sea and SST in the regions most influenced by Atlantic Water. The patterns of distribution of correlation coefficients between interannual variability of SIE in the Barents Sea and SLP over the Nordic Seas and Siberia showed two well-defined SLP zones: one with a high positive correlation (0.60 to 0.65) over the Norwegian and Greenland seas, and a zone with high negative correlation (− 0.60 to − 0.63) in the area of western Siberia. We conclude that winds induced by changes in SLP gradient between these zones affect both the redistribution of sea ice and the advection of heat into the Barents Sea.