30 June 2026, Volume 37 Issue 2

    

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Contents
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  Contents of Volume 37 Issue 2

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 2-2.

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Editorial Note
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   Foreword

  ZHANG Renhe

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 3-3.

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  Research frontiers on changes of the Arctic climate system and its global connections

  YOU Qinglong, ZHANG Ruonan, ZHANG Yulan, WANG Xuejia, QIU Yubao & YE Kunhui

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 95-101. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0100

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  The Arctic serves as an indispensable component of the Earth’s coupled climate system, and imposes multi-scale, far-reaching modulation on global climate evolution, terrestrial and marine ecosystems, as well as global socio-economic development. Under ongoing global warming, the Arctic climate system has undergone pronounced accelerated shifts, characterized by amplified warming and wetting trends, drastic sea ice decline and increased heatwave occurrences. The Arctic climate system exerts pervasive global impacts via thermodynamic and dynamic pathways, including widespread cryospheric degradation, terrestrial climate extremes and remote teleconnections. Furthermore, accelerated Arctic climatic shifts can modulate diverse climate feedback loops, further complicating its multifaceted climatic impacts. Current frontiers in Arctic climate research include multi-source data coupling analysis, quantification of nonlinear feedbacks, Arctic-midlatitude teleconnections, and AI-assisted high-resolution Arctic climate prediction systems. To this end, we have organized a special issue addressing Arctic climate system variability and its global teleconnections, aiming to deepen insights into the system’s evolutionary processes, associated climatic impacts, and forecast skill.
Review
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  Characteristics and formation mechanisms of Arctic amplification: progress, challenges and ways forward

  YANG Yundi, WANG Xuejia, OU Tinghai, WANG Tao, PANG Guojin, GOU Xiaohua & Hans W. LINDERHOLM

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 102-122. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0023

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   In recent decades, the Arctic has experienced persistent warming, with near-surface warming three to four times higher than the global average, accompanied by the melting of sea ice, snow cover, and ice sheets. This anomalous warming phenomenon is referred to as Arctic amplification (referred to as AA). With the recent advances in AA research, significant understanding has been developed regarding its temporal evolution, spatial distribution, and influencing mechanisms. However, controversies remain concerning the primary drivers of AA, the quantitative contributions of various drivers, and some of the underlying processes. This paper synthesizes recent research findings, revisiting the spatiotemporal characteristics of AA and its driving factors, and analyzes the influencing mechanisms from four perspectives, including albedo feedback, temperature feedback, aerosol–water vapor–cloud feedback, and poleward energy transport via ocean and atmosphere circulation. Existing studies are summarized to several major conclusions, including: AA is characterized by a short emergence time (appearing in the last ~40 years), a strong influence from underlying surface properties, albeit with significant seasonal variations; AA is influenced by a combination of drivers both within and outside the Arctic, and the interactions among these factors are highly complex, preventing a conclusive, overarching understanding of the formation mechanisms from being established. We suggest that future research would benefit from the following three key foci: (1) enhancing studies on the impacts of land surface albedo feedback, aerosols, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and stratospheric processes on AA; (2) optimizing parameterizations of cloud–aerosol and land surface processes in climate and Earth system models, and integrating sea ice drift dynamics into these models; and (3) investigating the interactive mechanisms among various driving factors from a holistic perspective.
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  The influence of a changing Arctic on midlatitude climate and extremes: a review of pathways and uncertainties

  GAO Yizhou, YANG Zibo, ZHANG Ruonan, LIU Jiping, LEI Ruibo, YOU Qinglong, YE Kunhui, HUA Wenjian & ZOU Chuntao

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 123-141. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0018

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  In the context of global warming, the ongoing reduction in Arctic sea ice and associated influences have become a focal point. Many studies have linked Arctic changes to extreme weather and climate events in the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes, including cold spells, heatwaves, droughts, storms, and wildfires. However, the causality and physical pathways of the Arctic–midlatitude linkage remain controversial and highly uncertain, hindering the attribution of extremes to Arctic climate change. This study builds on extensive previous research and reviews recent progress in understanding the influence of Arctic amplification and sea ice loss on midlatitude climate variability, as well as the associated uncertainties. The impacts of Arctic changes on the midlatitude weather and climate are substantially mediated by the jet streams, Rossby waves, transient eddy-mean flow interactions, and the stratospheric polar vortex. Despite the enhanced comprehension of mechanisms and pathways, the aforementioned Arctic-midlatitude linkage remains debated. The ongoing prospection is attributed to the noise arising from intrinsic atmospheric variability, Arctic nonlinearities, lower latitude factors, and climate background state. The present study has sought to elucidate the intricacies of the Arctic-midlatitude linkage, with a particular focus on the ramifications for mean and extreme weather and climate conditions in Eurasia and North America. This study also specifically introduces discussions about the sources of uncertainty and possible underlying causes that need to be addressed.
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  An overview of Arctic organic aerosols: from composition to cloud feedbacks

  ZHANG Shuhang, XU Guojie & CHEN Liqi

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 142-154. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0019

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  As one of the most susceptible components of the global climate system, the Arctic undergoes rapid changes where aerosol properties play a pivotal role in modulating regional radiation budgets and climate feedbacks. Amid intensified Arctic amplification and expanding anthropogenic footprints, the chemical composition, sources, and cloud condensation nuclei activity of Arctic organic aerosols (OA) have emerged as critical research frontiers. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the seasonal dynamics and physicochemical evolution of Arctic OA, with a particular emphasis on secondary organic aerosols formation pathways. We evaluate the complex interplay between indigenous marine biogenic emissions, long-range transported pollutants, and episodic biomass burning. Emerging evidence indicates that the cloud condensation nuclei potential of Arctic OA is fundamentally governed by their molecular-level oxidation state and phase state, which collectively reshape cloud microphysics and radiative forcing. This synthesis underscores the necessity of integrating multiphase chemistry into the aerosol-cloud climate feedback loop to bolster the reliability of climate models in the context of rapid Arctic amplification.
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  Research advances in mercury cycling in Arctic tundra permafrost environments

  YANG Cuiyun, YUE Fange, PAN Lei, CHEN Long & XIE Zhouqing

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 155-167. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0025

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  The Arctic tundra permafrost region is a critical zone for mercury (Hg) biogeochemical cycling. This review systematically synthesizes the sources, transport, and transformation of Hg in Arctic tundra permafrost environments and their responses to climate change. Vegetation uptake of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury and subsequent litterfall deposition constitute the dominant Hg input pathway, accounting for approximately 70% of total ecosystem Hg deposition. Arctic permafrost stores vast amounts of Hg bound to organic matter, representing a globally significant Hg reservoir. Satellite observations reveal accelerated permafrost thaw and a sustained increase in the normalized difference vegetation index over the past four decades. Active layer deepening and thermokarst development remobilize previously sequestered Hg, delivering it via riverine transport and coastal erosion to aquatic ecosystems, where microbial methylation produces toxic methylmercury, thereby increasing Hg exposure risks for Arctic indigenous communities and wildlife. The complex feedbacks between vegetation succession and permafrost degradation may jointly regulate terrestrial–atmosphere Hg exchange and the subsequent transport and transformation of Hg. However, the response of vegetation-mediated Hg sequestration to environmental change and the mechanisms of Hg remobilization during permafrost thaw remain poorly understood. Future research should prioritize long-term continuous Hg flux observations coupled with isotope tracing to elucidate coupled vegetation–permafrost Hg dynamics, identify microbial drivers of methylation and demethylation in thermokarst wetlands and lakes, and integrate modeling to assess regional- to global-scale impacts of permafrost Hg release.
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  Melting cryosphere enhanced pollutants release on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: current status and environmental impacts

  ZHANG Yulan, KANG Qiangqiang, LIU Zhiyin, LUO Xi & LIU Hao

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 168-181. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0010

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  The cryosphere on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is undergoing continuous and rapid shrinkage due to rapid climate warming. Such retreating has resulted the massive release of toxic pollutants (e.g., mercury, microplastics, halogenated organic compounds) and pathogenic microorganisms previously “frozen” in glaciers and permafrost. The releasing pollutants play an important role on regional water security, ecosystem stability, and sustainable development. Studies have revealed toxic pollutants (e.g., mercury) and new contaminants (e.g., microplastics) in the glaciers, soils, and rivers and lakes of the QTP. The total mercury export flux from glacial runoff is approximately 50 kg·a⁻¹, with microplastic release reaching around 10¹⁴ items·a⁻¹. The mercury storage amounts to be about 86.6 Gg in the upper soil layer (0–3 m) of the plateau’s permafrost. The reserve of halogenated organic compounds is estimated to be about 176 Gg (0–3 m soil layer), over 85% of these non-extractable residual halogenated organic compounds are physically sequestered, exhibiting higher release potential compared to chemically bound forms. Permafrost thaw slumping can result in an estimated 2,900 kg of mercury release, which may also increase the risk of releasing “dormant” pathogenic microorganisms. These processes pose potential threats to the water quality security of some rivers and lakes on the plateau. In the future, the QTP will continue to warm, leading to cryosphere shrinking. Consequently, the release of toxic pollutants from the retreating cryosphere will enhance, and their transport to downstream water system will exacerbate potential risks to water resource and ecological environment. It is therefore urgent to establish a comprehensive monitoring network for cryosphere-associated pollutants across the QTP, coupled with modeling framework. This will enable to characterize the distribution, migration and environmental effects of released pollutants, further providing scientific and technological support for estimating the potential environmental risks arising from cryosphere melting.
Article
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  Seasonal contrasts in recent Arctic warming processes: surface air temperature versus surface temperature

  CAI Ziyi, WU Fangying, OUYANG Huiling, YOU Qinglong, Sergey K. GULEV & Seok-Woo SON

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 182-199.

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  Arctic warming has been widely documented, yet the relative contributions of processes controlling surface air temperature (SAT) and surface temperature (ST) warming remain insufficiently quantified, particularly between warm and cold seasons. Here, we use multiple reanalysis datasets to quantify Arctic SAT and ST warming from 1979 to 2021 through thermodynamic and surface energy budget analyses, with a focus on the seasonal contrast between warm season and cold season. We show that SAT warming in both seasons is primarily linked to an increase in the diabatic heating residual associated with surface warming, whereas cold season SAT warming is additionally enhanced by strengthened warm advection, which accounts for 33% of the total SAT increase. ST warming exhibits a stronger seasonal contrast. In the warm season, ST warming is driven jointly by enhanced downward longwave radiation, mainly associated with increased atmospheric water vapor, and sea ice albedo feedback, contributing 27% and 33% of the ST increase, respectively. In the cold season, ST warming is dominated by enhanced downward longwave radiation, with atmospheric water vapor, mid-level cloud cover, and a residual term mainly related to external greenhouse gas forcing contributing 36%, 16%, and 10%, respectively. The Arctic Ocean further modulates this seasonality by absorbing heat in the warm season and releasing it in the cold season, contributing 21% to cold season ST warming and providing an additional heat source for the lower atmosphere. These results demonstrate that recent Arctic warming cannot be interpreted from SAT or ST alone, but reflects seasonally distinct coupling among atmospheric heat transport, radiative feedbacks, sea ice loss, and ocean heat storage and release.
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  Winter Arctic extreme temperature amplification has exceeded sixfold linked to sea ice loss since 1979

  GUO Yanfei, CAI Ziyi, YOU Qinglong, Sergey K. GULEV & Seok-Woo SON

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 200-210. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0027

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   The Arctic is warming rapidly, but the extent to which winter temperature extremes amplify relative to the global mean remains insufficiently quantified. Here we use four reanalysis datasets and large-ensemble simulations from the Polar Amplification Model Intercomparison Project (PAMIP) to assess winter Arctic extreme temperature amplification during 1979–2024 and its connection to sea ice loss. Across the reanalyses, winter Arctic daily mean temperature (T_mean), daily maximum temperature (T_max), daily minimum temperature (T_min) and the coldest daily minimum temperature (T_Nn) warm 3.7, 3.8, 3.9 and 4.7 times faster than their global means, respectively. The strongest response occurs over the Barents-Kara seas, where the warming rate of extreme temperature events exceeds six times the global mean. Singular value decomposition identifies a coupled pattern in which sea ice loss and extreme warming co-locate over the Barents-Kara seas. PAMIP experiments further show that prescribed Arctic sea ice loss generates coherent near-surface warming over major ice loss regions. The response is supported by enhanced turbulent heat fluxes, increased water vapor, stronger downward longwave radiation and a robust mid-tropospheric anticyclonic anomaly with subsidence warming. These findings underscore the critical role of sea ice–atmosphere coupling in shaping Arctic extreme temperature amplification and highlight the urgent need for further investigation and adaptive mitigation strategies. 
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  Changes in sea ice properties in the transition region from pack ice zone to marginal ice zone in the Arctic Ocean

  CHEN Ying, LI Na, WANG Zihan, QU Meng, LIN Long & LEI Ruibo

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 212-222. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0016

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  The transition from pack ice zone (PIZ) to marginal ice zone (MIZ) is a critical driver of Arctic climate change, significantly intensifying heat exchange within the atmosphere–sea ice–ocean system. This exchange is closely coupled with variations in the physical state and dynamics of sea ice. However, the evolution of sea ice properties during this transition remains insufficiently quantified. To address this problem, this study compares variations in key sea ice characteristics across three regions: perennial PIZ, PIZ transitioning to MIZ, and MIZ transitioning to open water. Results indicate that the transition from PIZ to MIZ coincides with accelerated ice loss, with the most pronounced declines in concentration (–1.3%·a^–1) and thickness (–0.04 m·a^–1) in September, and in area (–4.2×10⁴ km²·a^–1) in October. This transition is accompanied by a dramatic loss of multi-year ice, peaking at –1.8%·a^–1 in August. Furthermore, this transition corresponds to higher ice drift speeds and enhanced responses of sea ice motion to wind forcing, particularly in October (0.12 km·d^–1·a^–1 and 0.02 a^–1) when the transition extent reaches its maximum. An earlier melt onset on ice surface occurs in some parts of the transition region from PIZ to MIZ in May (–0.4 d·a^–1, P<0.05), and a delayed continuous freeze onset is observed in this transition region in October (1.0 d·a^–1, P<0.05). This transition region exhibits amplified sea ice changes relative to the pan-Arctic Ocean.
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  On the characteristics of Arctic sea-ice motion retrieved from buoy data of the MOSAiC expedition

  TIAN Liang, HUO Puzhen, LU Peng, WANG Shuang, LI Xuewei, WANG Qingkai & LI Zhijun

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 223-233. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2026.0001

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  Using data from the T69 and T70 snow and ice mass balance buoys deployed during the MOSAiC expedition from October 2019 to August 2020, this study investigates the characteristics of Arctic sea ice movement and their relationships with atmospheric and oceanic conditions by combining with reanalysis wind velocity data, ocean current data, and satellite-derived sea ice concentration (SIC) data. The results show that sea ice movement responds sharply to the wind field, with the wind factor reaching a maximum of 0.12. Furthermore, due to the reduced consolidation of sea ice after June 2020, the wind factor varied across a range of 0.02 to 0.12. Compared to wind velocity, ocean currents were slower, with the ice-to-current velocity ratio ranging primarily from 1 to 2. Using a SIC threshold of 80% in a piecewise multiple regression model, we find that the regression coefficients of wind velocity and ocean current velocity with respect to ice velocity depend strongly on SIC. For SIC≤80%, the regression coefficients are 0.0012 (wind) and 0.837 (current); for SIC > 80%, they are 0.017 (wind) and 0.646 (current). The results align well with established theoretical models. This study offers a theoretical basis for parameterizing the coupling of the wind–ice–ocean current velocity in sea ice dynamics. 
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  Interactions between China and Arctic oil and gas resources under the carbon neutrality goal: scenarios to 2060

  XU Qingchao, DUAN Fengjun, XU Qingying & WU Adan

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 234-244. https://doi.org/10.12429/j.advps.2025.0046

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  Against the background of global warming, especially the “Arctic amplification”, there has been a tension between the availability and economics of Arctic oil and gas resources and the extreme environmentality stipulated by the carbon neutrality goal. The research object is the interactions between China and Arctic oil and gas resources under the carbon neutrality goal. And China’s carbon neutrality process is proposed to be divided into four periods: 2020–2030, 2030–2040, 2040–2050, 2050–2060. The study finds as follows. First, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has disrupted the existing interdependence between Russia and Europe in energy. Meanwhile, China and India both have uninterrupted demand for Arctic oil and gas resources from Russia. All has led to a new narrative on global energy security. Second, the possibility of ice-free Arctic Ocean in summertime makes the expansion of the navigation period of the Arctic shipping lanes possible. It has both advantages and disadvantages for China in Arctic energy consumption. Third, as the proportion of clean energy increases in China’s final energy consumption structure, China’s total demand for Arctic oil and gas resources declines correspondingly. Hence, China plays an independent role in the co-opetition with the United States and Russia. Fourth, by 2060, the co-opetition relationship between China, the United States, and Russia will undergo almost fundamental changes in the Arctic region. Those changes will be reflected in China’s increasing influence in Arctic energy distribution. Compared to typical research articles solely focused on the energy, this study has obviously theoretical, practical and methodological values.
Annoucements
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  Announcements

  Advances in Polar Science. 2026, 37(2): 245-245.

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