Surface Warming Over Greenland Amplified by Remote Forcing From Tropical Atlantic

Abstract During the satellite era, Greenland's surface air temperature has experienced a rapid warming trend, potentially lengthening the melting season and enhancing surface melting, contributing to ice mass loss. While previous studies have primarily attributed this warming to greenhouse gas forcing, regional feedbacks, and remote forcing from the tropical Pacific, the role of the Atlantic Ocean remains less explored. Using both observations and numerical model simulations, this study identifies an atmospheric teleconnection pattern triggered by tropical North Atlantic (TNA) sea surface temperature (SST) variability, which significantly contributes to surface warming over Greenland. This teleconnection exhibits strong seasonality, with a more pronounced connection during boreal winter and spring. Anomalous TNA warming initiates a poleward‐propagating Rossby wave train, inducing regional circulation adjustments that intensify thermal and moisture advection to Greenland. Enhanced downward long‐wave radiation, associated with these moisture changes, further amplifies the warming trend. These findings provide valuable insights into the warming of Greenland and, by extension, its potential implications for global sea level rise. Moreover, the identified teleconnection may improve the predictability and future projections of Greenland's climate.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
Published
2025-12-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jd044154
Primary Topic
Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Surface Warming Over Greenland Amplified by Remote Forcing From Tropical Atlantic

David M. Holland, Yurong Hou, Zhen‐Qiang Zhou, Xichen Li et al.
Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics
article

Surface Warming Over Greenland Amplified by Remote Forcing From Tropical Atlantic

David M. Holland, Yurong Hou, Zhen‐Qiang Zhou, Xichen Li, Yao Yao, Duan Zhang
article en

Abstract

Abstract During the satellite era, Greenland's surface air temperature has experienced a rapid warming trend, potentially lengthening the melting season and enhancing surface melting, contributing to ice mass loss. While previous studies have primarily attributed this warming to greenhouse gas forcing, regional feedbacks, and remote forcing from the tropical Pacific, the role of the Atlantic Ocean remains less explored. Using both observations and numerical model simulations, this study identifies an atmospheric teleconnection pattern triggered by tropical North Atlantic (TNA) sea surface temperature (SST) variability, which significantly contributes to surface warming over Greenland. This teleconnection exhibits strong seasonality, with a more pronounced connection during boreal winter and spring. Anomalous TNA warming initiates a poleward‐propagating Rossby wave train, inducing regional circulation adjustments that intensify thermal and moisture advection to Greenland. Enhanced downward long‐wave radiation, associated with these moisture changes, further amplifies the warming trend. These findings provide valuable insights into the warming of Greenland and, by extension, its potential implications for global sea level rise. Moreover, the identified teleconnection may improve the predictability and future projections of Greenland's climate.

Journal of Geophysical Research AtmospheresVol. 130(24)
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Peking University (CN), NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (US), Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (US), Institute of Atmospheric Physics (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), New York University (US)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars
Openalex Percentile: Top 55%
Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.