Impact of Pacific blocking on the intraseasonal winter sea ice seesaw between the Bering and Okhotsk Seas

Abstract

The winter sea ice cover (SIC) over the Bering Sea (BS) and Okhotsk Sea (OS) shows significant co-variability. In particular, a clear seesaw-like variability can be observed on an intraseasonal scale between the two seas. However, the mechanism by which the atmospheric circulation affects them is unclear and further insight is needed. In this study, based on reanalysis data from 1979 to 2019, we use composite analyses to examine the physical processes of atmospheric blocking that affect the intraseasonal seesaw SIC changes between OS and BS. The investigation reveals that Pacific blocking (PB) events can enhance the existing intraseasonal seesaw variation of the OS and BS SIC in winter. Base..