Winter atmospheric circulation in the Arctic Basin and possible relationships to the great salinity anomaly in the northern North Atlantic

Variations in synoptic activity are assessed in terms of potential influences on ice transport and indicators of shifts in the Arctic atmospheric circulation related to the “Great Salinity Anomaly” of the northern North Atlantic. Winter pressure anomalies suggest an increased contribution to the Fram Strait sea ice flux by multiyear ice from along the northern coasts of Greenland and Ellesmere Island. This may be related to a teleconnection involving changes in anticyclonicity over the central Arctic Ocean and Canadian Arctic Archipelago.