Meridional Energy Transport from Midlatitudes towards the Arctic

Meridional Energy Transport, both in the ocean (OMET) and atmosphere (AMET), is one of the key aspects for the climate system. This study focuses on the AMET & OMET from mid-latitudes to the Arctic. The quantification of AMET & OMET is based on the reanalysis products, which include ERA-Interim, MERRA2, JRA55 for the atmosphere and ORAS4, GLORYS2V3, SODA3 for the ocean. The mean heat transports in all datasets agree well, whereas the spatial distribution and temporal variation of AMET & OMET, deviate substantially. This results in a large difference in the low frequency variability of AMET & OMET at certain latitudes. Only after 2010 multiannual variations in the reanalysis products agree well.  The results show that the decline of sea ice has a close relation with the change of AMET & OMET. This relation also indicates the interaction between ocean and atmosphere at certain latitudes.