Decadal Change of the Linkage between Sea Ice over the Barents–Kara Seas in November–December and the Stratospheric Polar Vortex in Subsequent January

The linkage between the sea ice concentration (SIC) over the Barents–Kara Seas in November–December (SIC_BKS_ND) and the stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) in subsequent January (SPV_Jan) is investigated. It is found that SIC_BKS_ND is positively (negatively) correlated with SPV_Jan for the period 1979–1995 (1996–2009). Further analyses reveal that, during 1979–1995 (1996–2009), SIC_BKS_ND is relatively higher (lower), accompanied by smaller (larger) interannual variability with its center shifting northwest (southeast). Meanwhile, the polar front jet waveguide is relatively stronger (weaker). The simultaneous anomalous eastward-propagating Rossby waves excited by anomalously low SIC_BKS_ND are stronger (weaker), which results in the stronger (weaker) negative–positive–negative wave-train structure of geopotential height anomalies over Eurasia, with the location of these anomalous height centers shifting remarkably westward (eastward). Such changes tend to enhance (suppress) vertically propagating tropospheric planetary waves into the lower stratosphere at high-latitude via constructive (destructive) interference of anomalous tropospheric wave-train structure with the climatological planetary waves, subsequently weakening (strengthening) SPV_Jan. However, in conjunction with anomalously high SIC_BKS_ND, the interference of the tropospheric wave-train structure anomalies and their climatologies shows an opposite distribution to that of low SIC_BKS_ND anomalies, which leads to a strong (weak) SPV_Jan anomaly during 1979–1995 (1996–2009).