Impacts of SST anomalies on the North Atlantic atmospheric circulation: a case study for the northern winter 1995/1996

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 807-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Losada ◽  
B. Rodríguez-Fonseca ◽  
C. R. Mechoso ◽  
H-Y. Ma
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (22) ◽  
pp. 7675-7695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Jiang ◽  
Tianjun Zhou

Abstract Multidecadal variations in the global land monsoon were observed during the twentieth century, with an overall increasing trend from 1901 to 1955 that was followed by a decreasing trend up to 1990, but the mechanisms governing the above changes remain inconclusive. Based on the outputs of two atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) forced by historical sea surface temperature (SST) covering the twentieth century, supplemented with AGCM simulations forced by idealized SST anomalies representing different conditions of the North Atlantic and tropical Pacific, evidence shows that the observed changes can be partly reproduced, particularly over the Northern Hemisphere summer monsoon (NHSM) domain, demonstrating the modulation of decadal SST changes on the long-term variations in monsoon precipitation. Moisture budget analysis is performed to understand the interdecadal changes in monsoon precipitation, and the dynamic term associated with atmospheric circulation changes is found to be prominent, while the contribution of the thermodynamic term associated with humidity changes can lead to coincident wetting over the NHSM domain. The increase (decrease) in NHSM land precipitation during 1901–55 (1956–90) is associated with the strengthening (weakening) of NHSM circulation and Walker circulation. The multidecadal scale changes in atmospheric circulation are driven by SST anomalies over the North Atlantic and the Pacific. A warmer North Atlantic together with a colder eastern tropical Pacific and a warmer western subtropical Pacific can lead to a strengthened meridional gradient in mid-to-upper-tropospheric thickness and strengthened trade winds, which transport more water vapor into monsoon regions, leading to an increase in monsoon precipitation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (19) ◽  
pp. 6594-6609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Zhao ◽  
Song Yang ◽  
Renguang Wu ◽  
Zhiping Wen ◽  
Junming Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract The authors have identified an interannual relationship between Asian tropospheric temperature and the North Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) during summer (May–September) and discussed the associated features of atmospheric circulation over the Atlantic–Eurasian region. When tropospheric temperature is high (low) over Asia, positive (negative) SST anomalies appear in the extratropical North Atlantic. This relationship is well supported by the changes in background atmospheric circulation and ocean–atmosphere–land thermodynamic processes. When heat transfer from the land surface to the atmosphere over Asia strengthens, local tropospheric temperature increases and positive temperature anomalies propagate westward from Asia to the North Atlantic, leading to an increase in summer tropospheric temperature over the Atlantic–Eurasian region. Accordingly, a deep anomalous ridge occurs over the extratropical North Atlantic Ocean, with low-level southerly anomalies over the western portion of the ocean. Sensitivity experiments with climate models show that the interannual variations of the North Atlantic–Eurasian atmospheric circulation may not be forced by the extratropical Atlantic SST. Instead, experiments with changing Asian land surface heating capture the above observed features of atmospheric circulation anomalies, westward propagation of tropospheric anomalies, and Atlantic SST anomalies. The consistency between the observational and model results indicates a possible impact of Asian land heating on the development of atmospheric circulation and SST anomalies over the Atlantic–Eurasian region.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (17) ◽  
pp. 7255-7274
Author(s):  
Shangfeng Chen ◽  
Renguang Wu ◽  
Wen Chen ◽  
Kai Li

AbstractThis study reveals a pronounced out-of-phase relationship between surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies over northeast Eurasia in boreal winter and the following summer during 1980–2017. A colder (warmer) winter over northeast Eurasia tends to be followed by a warmer (cooler) summer of next year. The processes for the out-of-phase relation of winter and summer SAT involve the Arctic Oscillation (AO), the air–sea interaction in the North Atlantic Ocean, and a Eurasian anomalous atmospheric circulation pattern induced by the North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. Winter negative AO/North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like atmospheric circulation anomalies lead to continental cooling over Eurasia via anomalous advection and a tripolar SST anomaly pattern in the North Atlantic. The North Atlantic SST anomaly pattern switches to a dipolar pattern in the following summer via air–sea interaction processes and associated surface heat flux changes. The summer North Atlantic dipolar SST anomaly pattern induces a downstream atmospheric wave train, including large-scale positive geopotential height anomalies over northeast Eurasia, which contributes to positive SAT anomalies there via enhancement of downward surface shortwave radiation and anomalous advection. Barotropic model experiments verify the role of the summer North Atlantic SST anomalies in triggering the atmospheric wave train over Eurasia. Through the above processes, a colder winter is followed by a warmer summer over northeast Eurasia. The above processes apply to the years when warmer winters are followed by cooler summers except for opposite signs of SAT, atmospheric circulation, and SST anomalies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 485-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shangfeng Chen ◽  
Renguang Wu ◽  
Wen Chen

Abstract The relationship between interannual variations of boreal winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and northern tropical Atlantic (NTA) sea surface temperature (SST) experienced obvious interdecadal changes during 1870–2012. Similar interdecadal changes are observed in the amplitude of NTA SST anomalies. The mean NTA SST change may be a plausible reason for several changes in the NAO–NTA SST connection. Under a higher mean NTA SST, NTA SST anomalies induce larger wind anomalies over the North Atlantic that produce a tripole SST anomaly pattern and amplify NTA SST anomalies. Comparison of the evolution of anomalies between 1970–86 and 1996–2012 unravels changing roles of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and extratropical atmospheric disturbances in the formation of NTA SST anomalies. During 1970–86, ENSO events play a key role in initiating NTA SST anomalies in the preceding spring through atmospheric circulation changes. With the decay of ENSO, SST anomalies in the midlatitude North Atlantic weaken in the following summer, whereas NTA SST anomalies are maintained up to winter. This leads to a weak NAO–NTA SST connection in winter. During 1996–2012, the preceding spring atmospheric circulation disturbances over the midlatitude North Atlantic play a dominant role in the genesis of a North Atlantic horseshoe (NAH)-like SST anomaly pattern in the following summer and fall. This NAH-like SST anomaly pattern contributes to the development of the NAO in late fall and early winter. The atmospheric circulation anomaly, in turn, is conducive to the maintenance of NTA SST anomalies to winter via changing surface latent heat flux and shortwave radiation. This leads to a close NAO–NTA SST connection in winter.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius Årthun ◽  
Robert C. J. Wills ◽  
Helen L. Johnson ◽  
Léon Chafik ◽  
Helene R. Langehaug

<p>There has recently been a large focus on identifying the mechanisms responsible for Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV). However, decadal-scale variability embedded within the AMV has received less attention, despite being a prominent feature of observed North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) and important for the climate of adjacent continents. These decadal fluctuations in the North Atlantic Ocean are also a key source of skill in decadal climate predictions. However, the mechanisms underlying decadal SST variability remain to be fully understood. This study isolates the mechanisms driving North Atlantic SST variability on decadal time scales using low-frequency component analysis, which identifies the spatial and temporal structure of low-frequency variability. Based on observations, large ensemble historical simulations and pre-industrial control simulations, we identify a decadal mode of atmosphere-ocean variability in the North Atlantic with a dominant time scale of 13-18 years. Large-scale atmospheric circulation anomalies drive SST anomalies both through contemporaneous air-sea heat fluxes and through delayed ocean circulation changes, the latter involving both the meridional overturning circulation and the horizontal gyre circulation. The decadal SST anomalies alter the atmospheric meridional temperature gradient, leading to a reversal of the initial atmospheric circulation anomaly. The time scale of variability is consistent with westward propagation of baroclinic Rossby waves across the subtropical North Atlantic. The temporal development and spatial pattern of observed decadal SST variability are consistent with the recent observed cooling in the subpolar North Atlantic. This strongly suggests that the recent cold anomaly in the subpolar North Atlantic is, in part, a result of decadal SST variability, and that we might expect it to become less pronounced over the next few years.</p>


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-52
Author(s):  
Marius Ǻrthun ◽  
Robert C. J. Wills ◽  
Helen L. Johnson ◽  
Léon Chafik ◽  
Helene R. Langehaug

AbstractDecadal sea surface temperature (SST) fluctuations in the North Atlantic Ocean influence climate over adjacent land areas and are a major source of skill in climate predictions. However, the mechanisms underlying decadal SST variability remain to be fully understood. This study isolates the mechanisms driving North Atlantic SST variability on decadal time scales using low-frequency component analysis, which identifies the spatial and temporal structure of low-frequency variability. Based on observations, large ensemble historical simulations and pre-industrial control simulations, we identify a decadal mode of atmosphere-ocean variability in the North Atlantic with a dominant time scale of 13-18 years. Large-scale atmospheric circulation anomalies drive SST anomalies both through contemporaneous air-sea heat fluxes and through delayed ocean circulation changes, the latter involving both the meridional overturning circulation and the horizontal gyre circulation. The decadal SST anomalies alter the atmospheric meridional temperature gradient, leading to a reversal of the initial atmospheric circulation anomaly. The time scale of variability is consistent with westward propagation of baroclinic Rossby waves across the subtropical North Atlantic. The temporal development and spatial pattern of observed decadal SST variability are consistent with the recent observed cooling in the subpolar North Atlantic. This suggests that the recent cold anomaly in the subpolar North Atlantic is, in part, a result of decadal SST variability.


Science ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 263 (5154) ◽  
pp. 1747-1751 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Mayewski ◽  
L. D. Meeker ◽  
S. Whitlow ◽  
M. S. Twickler ◽  
M. C. Morrison ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Siddall ◽  
E. J. Rohling ◽  
T. Blunier ◽  
R. Spahni

Abstract. Millennial variability is a robust feature of many paleoclimate records, at least throughout the last several glacial cycles. Here we use the mean signal from Antarctic climate events 1 to 4 to probe the EPICA Dome C temperature proxy reconstruction through the last 500 ka for similar millennial-scale events. We find that clusters of millennial events occurred in a regular fashion over half of the time during this with a mean recurrence interval of 21 kyr. We find that there is no consistent link between ice-rafted debris deposition and millennial variability. Instead we speculate that changes in the zonality of atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic form a viable alternative to freshwater release from icebergs as a trigger for millennial variability. We suggest that millennial changes in the zonality of atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic are linked to precession via sea-ice feedbacks and that this relationship is modified by the presence of the large, Northern Hemisphere ice sheets during glacial periods.


Author(s):  
Anna Agnarsdóttir

This chapter analyses the wartime behaviour of maritime merchants, particularly the necessity of seeking new trade ventures. As a case-study, it seeks to determine why Britain sought maritime trade with Denmark-dependent Iceland, during the Napoleonic Wars, and how this trade was conducted. It contextualises the maritime activities of Iceland in 1800; traces the trade voyages of the Clarence, the HMS Rover, the Margaret and Ann, and the Talbot to Iceland. It concludes by affirming the trade began as a result of chance, and failed to thrive due to the pressures of war.


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