A recent comprehensive arctic cyclone climatology from the Regional Arctic System Model (RASM)
The research presented here is in support of a project whose overarching goal is to evaluate the impacts of cyclones on the surface conditions in the Arctic ocean. The Regional Arctic System Model (RASM) is used in conjunction with a cyclone tracking algorithm to generate a comprehensive Arctic cyclones climatology for ocean areas in the Arctic Basin. Cyclones are catalogued by intensity, location, and season, and this database of cyclones is compared with two modern reanalysis datasets: the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts’ (ECMWF) interim reanalysis and NOAA’s Climate Forecast System Reanalysis. Overall, RASM has similar cyclone characteristics to that seen in the two reanalysis products. Slight shifts in the location of cyclones relative to the reanalyses are consistent with mean sea level pressure biases previously documented in RASM. RASM cyclones are in general stronger than those in the reanalyses, when intensity is evaluated with cyclone central pressure or the Laplacian of sea level pressure. A significant upward trend in cyclone intensity, measured by the Laplacian of sea level pressure, is present during the summer season.