Arctic Warming and Eurasian Cooling: Weakening and Reemergence.

The observed Eurasian winter surface cooling from the 1990s to the early 2010s, which is contrary to global warming, has been extensively studied. Previous studies revealed that the surface cooling trend has significantly weakened in the past decade. Based on large‐ensemble simulations, this study reveals that the weakening of Eurasian surface cooling is primarily driven by the atmospheric internal variability, which coincides with the weakening of Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian mid‐tropospheric cooling. Negative Arctic Oscillation (−AO) and Ural blocking (UB) in combination dominate the intensity of Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian mid‐tropospheric cooling. In the future, there is a possibility that the severe Eurasian cooling trend with comparable magnitude to that during 1990–2013 may reemerge accompanied with Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming, in response to the decadal strengthening of −AO and UB. This may occur before the 2050s, when the atmospheric internal variability is able to overwhelm the effects of greenhouse gases. Plain Language Summary: The significant Eurasian surface cooling trend observed in winters from the 1990s to the early 2010s has significantly weakened in the past decade. It coincides with the weakened trends of Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian mid‐tropospheric cooling. In a warming world, we suggest that the weakening of Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian mid‐tropospheric and surface cooling are primarily caused by the atmospheric internal variability. The weakened trends of negative Arctic Oscillation (−AO) and Ural blocking (UB) in recent years contribute to the weakened trends of Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian cooling. There is a possibility that the atmospheric internal variability may overwhelm the effects of increasing greenhouse gases (GHG) sometime before the 2050s, though the increasing GHG dominate the long‐term increase of air temperature. Then, the strong negative trend of AO and intensified UB may lead to the reemergence of the severe Eurasian cooling trend before the 2050s. Key Points: The significant Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian cooling observed in winters before the 2010s has weakened in the past decadeThe combined effects of Arctic Oscillation and Ural blocking dominate the intensity of Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian coolingStrong Eurasian cooling may reemerge before the 2050s if the atmospheric internal variability overwhelms the effects of greenhouse gases [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]