Climatology and Interannual Variability of Arctic Cyclone Activity: 1948–2002

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Abstract
Arctic cyclone activity is investigated in the context of climate change and variability by using a modified automated cyclone identification and tracking algorithm, which differs from previously used algorithms by single counting each cyclone. The investigation extends earlier studies by lengthening the time period to 55 yr (1948– 2002) with a 6-hourly time resolution, by documenting the seasonality and the dominant temporal modes of variability of cyclone activity, and by diagnosing regional activity as quantified by the cyclone activity index (CAI). The CAI integrates information on cyclone intensity, frequency, and duration into a comprehensive index of cyclone activity. Arctic cyclone activity has increased during the second half of the twentieth century, while midlatitude activity generally decreased from 1960 to the early 1990s, in agreement with previous studies. New findings include the following. 1) The number and intensity of cyclones entering the Arctic from the midlatitudes has incre... Abstract Arctic cyclone activity is investigated in the context of climate change and variability by using a modified automated cyclone identification and tracking algorithm, which differs from previously used algorithms by single counting each cyclone. The investigation extends earlier studies by lengthening the time period to 55 yr (1948– 2002) with a 6-hourly time resolution, by documenting the seasonality and the dominant temporal modes of variability of cyclone activity, and by diagnosing regional activity as quantified by the cyclone activity index (CAI). The CAI integrates information on cyclone intensity, frequency, and duration into a comprehensive index of cyclone activity. Arctic cyclone activity has increased during the second half of the twentieth century, while midlatitude activity generally decreased from 1960 to the early 1990s, in agreement with previous studies. New findings include the following. 1) The number and intensity of cyclones entering the Arctic from the midlatitudes has incre...