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Oceanic fronts shape hemispheric contrasts in polar stratospheric extremes
Nour-Eddine Omrani1, Fumiaki Ogawa2, Hisashi Nakamura3,4
1Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway. noureddine.omrani@uib.no.
Nature Communications
|April 20, 2026
Summary
Midlatitude sea surface temperature (SST) fronts, alongside land-sea thermal contrast and orography, drive hemispheric differences in stratospheric dynamics. These SST fronts significantly influence the frequency of Sudden Stratospheric Warmings (SSWs) and Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs).
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Climate Dynamics
- Stratospheric Physics
Background:
- Sudden Stratospheric Warmings (SSWs) and Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) display significant inter-hemispheric asymmetries.
- SSWs are more common in the Arctic, while PSCs are more persistent in the Antarctic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the drivers of hemispheric asymmetries in SSWs and PSCs.
- To evaluate the role of land-sea thermal contrast and orography (LSCO) and identify additional contributing factors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized semi-idealized model experiments to simulate stratospheric dynamics.
- Compared the impacts of LSCO with and without midlatitude oceanic sea surface temperature (SST) fronts.
Main Results:
- LSCO alone cannot fully explain the observed hemispheric differences in SSWs and PSCs.
- Midlatitude SST fronts act as a crucial additional driver, enhancing stratospheric wave convergence and strengthening the Brewer-Dobson Circulation.
- SST fronts significantly increase Arctic SSW frequency and suppress Antarctic PSC formation, with North Pacific fronts having a dominant oceanic impact.
Conclusions:
- Midlatitude SST fronts are indispensable in shaping Arctic-Antarctic asymmetries in stratospheric dynamics.
- The interplay between LSCO and SST fronts is critical for understanding stratospheric extremes and their hemispheric variations.
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