Evolution of Arctic sea ice concentration trends and the role of atmospheric circulation forcing, 1979–2007

The retreat of Arctic sea ice in recent decades is a pre‐eminent signal of climate change. What role has the atmospheric circulation played in driving the sea ice decline? To address this question, we document the evolution of Arctic sea ice concentration trends during the period January 1979–April 2007 in light of changing atmospheric circulation conditions, in particular an upward trend in the wintertime Northern Annular Mode during the first...