Extending the Surface Energy Budget View on Arctic Atmospheric Rivers: Climatological Classifications and Dependence on the Flavor

Abstract Atmospheric rivers (ARs) significantly impact the Arctic climate, for example, by modifying the surface energy budget (SEB) and thus impacting sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet. Based on the ERA5 reanalysis, we present new aspects of ARs' impact on the SEB in the central Arctic (°N, 1979–2021). We extend the statistical investigation of AR‐related SEB anomalies by a percentile‐based analysis quantifying the commonness of these anomalies, and ARs' relevance for the seasonal mean SEB. Further, we distinguish between two AR flavors: moisture‐ and wind‐dominated. Their differences in moisture, wind speed, and liquid water path are linked to differences in the SEB impact. Three factors primarily dominate the climatological SEB impact of ARs: surface type, season, and AR flavor. The largest anomalies occur during moisture‐dominated winter ARs over open ocean, where also the largest climatological contribution of ARs occurs. Conversely, the statistically rarest impact manifests in winter over sea ice.