What are some Arctic Climate Indices?
A variety of separate modes seem to be responsible for fluctuations in the Arctic climate. These modes, as summarized through their individual indices, generally vary on decadal time scales. This presents a problem, because it means that we have not experienced enough cycles during the period of reliable observations, which goes back roughly 50 to 100 years, to fully understand their causes and effects. Nevertheless, we have accumulated enough evidence to indicate that variations in these modes are accompanied by systematic changes in the weather, with wide-ranging ramifications. The most important of the Arctic modes, at least as identified to date, are summarized below.
