The Atmospheric Hydrologic Cycle over the Arctic Basin from Reanalyses. Part II: Interannual Variability*

Previously, the atmospheric moisture budgets over the Arctic Basin as represented by reanalysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP-NCAR) reanalysis and from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis were evaluated for the overlap period of 1979-93 and found to be very similar to each other and to the available observations. Here emphasis is on the 50 yr of the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis (January 1949-May 1999) to depict the interannual variability of the atmospheric moisture fluxes across 70N and their convergence farther north.