A combined complex empirical orthogonal function analysis of 40 years of annual sea ice concentration (SIC) and winter sea level pressure (SLP) data reveals the existence of an approximately 10-year climate cycle in the Arctic and subarctic. The cycle is characterized by a clockwise propagating signal in the SIC anomalies and a standing oscillation in the SLP anomalies, the latter being linked to a fluctuation between the two phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation. To describe the formation and evolution of the SIC and SLP anomalies associated with the cycle, a simple feedback loop is proposed. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union