Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
The sea ice cover around Antarctica reached record highs in 2013 and 2014 before plummeting to record lows in 2017, 2022, and 2023. Recent anomalies in the Antarctic sea ice, both high and low, underscore the imperative for additional research into the underlying factors contributing to interannual sea ice changes. In this study, we utilized reanalysis data to investigate the relationship between the strength of the polar vortex and the sea ice extent around Antarctica. Our focus is on the last two decades, a period marked by significant shifts in stratospheric zonal flow, tropospheric westerly winds, and sea ice cover. Our findings suggest that polar vortex dynamics have played a role in this unprecedented interannual variability. The distinct signature of stratospheric circulation is evident in recent sea ice records, highlighting the impact of polar vortex strength on the sea ice extent around Antarctica.
Cordero et al. (Sat,) studied this question.