Articles | Volume 26, issue 15
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11189-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11189-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Arctic sea ice loss amplifies local evaporation influence on water vapor isotopes: insights from cruise observations
Yuankun Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200000, China
Zhongfang Liu
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200000, China
Dongsheng Li
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200000, China
Zhiqing Li
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200000, China
Hebin Shao
Key Laboratory for Polar Science of the MNR, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, 200136, China
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3749, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3749, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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The T80 index, a proxy for summer polar upwelling, provides a near-perfect description (R = 0.98) and a one- to two-month forecast (R = 0.90) of the Southern Hemisphere summer mesopause height. The mechanism involves a vertical dipole temperature response through coupled dynamics, microphysics, and chemistry: stronger upwelling cools below ~90 km via adiabatic ascent and warms above ~90 km via chemical and radiative heating, shifting the temperature minimum downward.
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2688, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2688, 2026
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For transition months of November/May between equinox and solstice, satellite observations identify a double-celled anomalous meridional circulation driven by coexisting summer polar and tropical upwellings, which organizes a triple-structured mesospheric climate pattern across summer hemisphere, equator, and winter hemisphere. The “hydration-without-dehydration” signature under weak polar mesospheric clouds supports the cold-trap effect and clarifies the thermal pathway for ozone enhancement.
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Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 13141–13159, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-13141-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-13141-2025, 2025
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Using multi-satellite datasets, the interannual climate variability in upper mesosphere is demonstrated to be anti-phase between the summer and winter hemispheres during solstice months. Summer polar upwelling bottom-up drives opposite water vapor variability between the two hemispheres. Subsequently, mesospheric ozone is negatively modulated by water vapor through ozone chemistry, which further influences temperatures above 90 km via radiative and chemical heating.
Liang Zhang, Zhongfang Liu, and Brian Tinsley
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 12701–12719, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12701-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12701-2025, 2025
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Polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) reflect climate change and in turn influence mesospheric chemistry, but their ice formation remains unclear. We show that PMC height controls ice particle properties and propose a new formation mechanism involving charged meteoric smoke particle nucleation (CMN scheme). This scheme introduces the cold-trap effect for H2O redistribution, which are fundamentally bottom-up driven by upwelling. These findings provide new insights into PMC formation and water dynamics.
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1259, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1259, 2024
Preprint archived
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This study finds that ice particles are sensitive to PMC height rather than temperature, based on which the CMN scheme is proposed for PMC formation. The concentration of charged-MSPs rapidly increases with altitude in line with electrons, and the competition for the limited water vapor results in the opposite distribution of ice particle radius. The CMN scheme provides explanations for a number of puzzling phenomena, and new pathways for solar activity and atmospheric dynamics to affect PMCs.
Mojtaba Heydarizad, Liu Zhongfang, Nathsuda Pumijumnong, Masoud Minaei, Pouya Salari, Rogert Sori, and Hamid Ghalibaf Mohammadabadi
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2023-299, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2023-299, 2024
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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This research showed how various factors affect 18O and 2H isotopes in precipitation in Southeast Asia. Various machine learning (ML) models were used to analyze the data. The reliability of predictions were also tested which confirmed the accurate predictions of this study. In addition, another model called VAR, beside ML model have been used to forecast the stable isotopes.
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Short summary
Arctic warming and melting sea ice are changing how moisture forms and moves through the atmosphere. To find out where this moisture comes from, we measured water vapor composition during a research voyage across the Arctic. We discovered that as sea ice melts, local evaporation increases but long-distance transport from lower latitudes still dominates. By understanding this shift, we can better predict future Arctic climate and more accurately interpret clues about the past from ancient ice.
Arctic warming and melting sea ice are changing how moisture forms and moves through the...
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