Articles | Volume 7, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-1051-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-1051-2026
Research article
 | 
25 Jun 2026
Research article |  | 25 Jun 2026

Impact, drivers and pathways of two Arctic atmospheric rivers in April 2020

Luisa E. Avilés-Podgurski, Patrick Martineau, Hua Lu, Ayako Yamamoto, Amanda C. Maycock, Andrew Orr, Tony Phillips, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Anna E. Hogg, Grzegorz Muszynski, and Andrew Fleming

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Cited articles

Barrett, A. P., Stroeve, J. C., and Serreze, M. C.: Arctic Ocean Precipitation From Atmospheric Reanalyses and Comparisons With North Pole Drifting Station Records, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 125, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015415, 2020. a
Binder, H., Boettcher, M., Grams, C. M., Joos, H., Pfahl, S., and Wernli, H.: Exceptional Air Mass Transport and Dynamical Drivers of an Extreme Wintertime Arctic Warm Event, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 12028–12036, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075841, 2017. a, b
Bintanja, R. and Selten, F. M.: Future increases in Arctic precipitation linked to local evaporation and sea-ice retreat, Nature, 509, 479–482, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13259, 2014. a
Boisvert, L. N., Petty, A. A., and Stroeve, J. C.: The Impact of the Extreme Winter 2015/16 Arctic Cyclone on the Barents–Kara Seas, Mon. Weather Rev., 144, 4279–4287, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-16-0234.1, 2016. a
Bonne, J. L., Steen-Larsen, H. C., Risi, C., Werner, M., Sodemann, H., Lacour, J. L., Fettweis, X., Cesana, G., Delmotte, M., Cattani, O., Vallelonga, P., Kjær, H. A., Clerbaux, C., Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Á. E., and Masson-Delmotte, V.: The summer 2012 Greenland heat wave: In situ and remote sensing observations of water vapor isotopic composition during an atmospheric river event, J. Geophys. Res., 120, 2970–2989, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022602, 2015. a
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Short summary
Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow filaments of intense poleward water vapour transport. On rare occasions, they reach the Arctic, driving strong warming and melt. In April 2020, two ARs intruded into the central Arctic within one week, raising near-surface temperatures by up to 30°C and leading to extreme precipitation. Their distinct paths and thermodynamic evolution reveal diverse AR impacts on Arctic sea ice and precipitation extremes.
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