scholarly journals Recent, Large-Scale Changes in the Extratropical Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Circulation

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (17) ◽  
pp. 2915-2924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Raphael
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Large Scale

scholarly journals Ocean Model Diagnosis of Interannual Coevolving SST Variability in the South Indian and South Atlantic Oceans

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 2864-2882 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Hermes ◽  
C. J. C. Reason
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
The South ◽  
Sst Variability ◽  
South Indian

Abstract A global ocean model (ORCA2) forced with 50 yr of NCEP–NCAR reanalysis winds and heat fluxes has been used to investigate the evolution and forcing of interannual dipolelike sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the South Indian and South Atlantic Oceans. Although such patterns may also exist at times in only one of these basins and not the other, only events where there are coherent signals in both basins during the austral summer have been chosen for study in this paper. A positive (negative) event occurs when there is a significant warm (cool) SST anomaly evident in the southwest of both the South Indian and South Atlantic Oceans and a cool (warm) anomaly in the eastern subtropics. The large-scale forcing of these events appears to consist of a coherent modulation of the wavenumber-3 or -4 pattern in the Southern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation such that the semipermanent subtropical anticyclone in each basin is shifted from its summer mean position and its strength is modulated. A relationship to the Antarctic Oscillation is also apparent, and seems to strengthen after the mid-1970s. The modulated subtropical anticyclones lead to changes in the tropical easterlies and midlatitude westerlies in the South Atlantic and South Indian Oceans that result in anomalies in latent heat fluxes, upwelling, and Ekman heat transports, all of which contribute to the SST variability. In addition, there are significant modulations to the strong Rossby wave signals in the South Indian Ocean. The results of this study confirm the ability of the ORCA2 model to represent these dipole patterns and indicate connections between large-scale modulations of the Southern Hemisphere midlatitude atmospheric circulation and coevolving SST variability in the South Atlantic and South Indian Oceans.

scholarly journals Highly Significant Responses to Anthropogenic Forcings of the Midlatitude Jet in the Southern Hemisphere

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 3463-3470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham Solomon ◽  
L. M. Polvani
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Anthropogenic Forcings

Abstract It has been suggested that changes in the atmospheric circulation caused by anthropogenic forcings are highly uncertain, owing to the large natural variability intrinsic to the system. Here, to assess the statistical significance of such changes for the midlatitude, large-scale atmospheric circulation of the Southern Hemisphere, a new 40-member ensemble of integrations, from 1920 to 2080, of the Community Earth System Model, version 5, is analyzed together with a companion 1800-yr-long preindustrial control integration of the same fully coupled model. For simplicity, only the latitudinal position and the strength of the zonal-mean eddy-driven jet are considered. Given the large year-to-year variability of these jet properties, this paper focuses on their decadal averages, which reflect the more slowly varying climate state. The analysis herein reveals that the forced response in such decadal averages easily emerges from the natural variability, with only a few model integrations typically needed to establish statistical significance. In particular, a forced summertime poleward shift of the jet in the latter part of the twentieth century and a strengthening of the jet during the twenty-first century in all seasons of the year are found. Contrasting these with changes in the southern annular mode, this confirms earlier studies demonstrating that such a mode is unable to distinguish different structural changes in the midlatitude jet.

Periodic Variability in the Large-Scale Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Circulation

Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 343 (6171) ◽  
pp. 641-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. J. Thompson ◽  
E. A. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Large Scale

scholarly journals A south Atlantic island record uncovers shifts in westerlies and hydroclimate during the last glacial

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svante Björck ◽  
Jesper Sjolte ◽  
Karl Ljung ◽  
Florian Adolphi ◽  
Roger Flower ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Driving Mechanism ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Climate Shifts ◽  
The Last Glacial

Abstract. The period 36–18 ka was a dynamic phase of the last glacial, with large climate shifts in both hemispheres. Through the bipolar seesaw, the Antarctic Isotope Maxima and Greenland DO events were part of a global concert of large scale climate changes. The interaction between atmospheric processes and Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is crucial for such shifts, controlling upwelling- and carbon cycle dynamics, and generating climate tipping points. Here we report the first temperature and humidity record for the glacial period from the central South Atlantic (SA). The presented data resolves ambiguities about atmospheric circulation shifts during bipolar climate events recorded in polar ice cores. A unique lake sediment sequence from Nightingale Island at 37° S in the SA, covering 36.4–18.6 ka, exhibits continuous impact of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies (SHW), recording shifts in their position and strength. The SHW displayed high latitudinal and strength-wise variability 36–31 ka locked to the bipolar seesaw, followed by 4 ka of slightly falling temperatures, decreasing humidity and fairly southern westerlies. After 27.5 ka temperatures decreased 3–4 °C, marking the largest hydroclimate change with drier conditions and a variable SHW position. We note that periods with more intense and southerly positioned SHW are correlated with periods of increased CO2 outgassing from the ocean. Changes in the cross-equatorial gradient during large northern temperature changes appear as the driving mechanism for the SHW shifts. Together with coeval shifts of the South Pacific westerlies, it shows that most of the Southern Hemisphere experienced simultaneous atmospheric circulation changes during the latter part of the last glacial.

scholarly journals P/Halley: The Disconnection Event of 1986 April 11

1988 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 155-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.M. Bergé ◽  
G. Mahoux ◽  
A.C. Levasseur-Regourd
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Focal Length ◽  
La Réunion ◽  
Structure Dynamics ◽  
Plasma Tail

This work was carried out by an expedition organized by the S.A.F. in 1986 April to La Réunion. The aim was to observe and photograph P/Halley, within the framework of IHW, as part of the Island Network in the southern hemisphere. To be more precise, our work consisted of studying large-scale phenomena: the structure, dynamics and possible disconnection events in the plasma tail. We were lucky enough to observe one of the latter on the night of April 11/12, and describe it here.For the Island Network, IHW had a number of Schmidt telescopes (Celestron 8). One was lent to the S.A.F. and this is what we used. This telescope has a focal ratio of 1.5, with a 200-mm (8-inch) objective and 300-mm focal length. We used only Kodak TP2415 film, hypersensitized in forming gas (24h at 60°C).

Interannual Variability of North American Winter Temperature Extremes and Its Associated Circulation Anomalies in Observations and CMIP5 Simulations

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 847-865 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Yu ◽  
H. Lin ◽  
V. V. Kharin ◽  
X. L. Wang
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
North American ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Temperature Extremes ◽  
Temperature Extreme ◽  
Central Canada ◽  
Leading Mode

AbstractThe interannual variability of wintertime North American surface temperature extremes and its generation and maintenance are analyzed in this study. The leading mode of the temperature extreme anomalies, revealed by empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analyses of December–February mean temperature extreme indices over North America, is characterized by an anomalous center of action over western-central Canada. In association with the leading mode of temperature extreme variability, the large-scale atmospheric circulation features an anomalous Pacific–North American (PNA)-like pattern from the preceding fall to winter, which has important implications for seasonal prediction of North American temperature extremes. A positive PNA pattern leads to more warm and fewer cold extremes over western-central Canada. The anomalous circulation over the PNA sector drives thermal advection that contributes to temperature anomalies over North America, as well as a Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO)-like sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly pattern in the midlatitude North Pacific. The PNA-like circulation anomaly tends to be supported by SST warming in the tropical central-eastern Pacific and a positive synoptic-scale eddy vorticity forcing feedback on the large-scale circulation over the PNA sector. The leading extreme mode–associated atmospheric circulation patterns obtained from the observational and reanalysis data, together with the anomalous SST and synoptic eddy activities, are reasonably well simulated in most CMIP5 models and in the multimodel mean. For most models considered, the simulated patterns of atmospheric circulation, SST, and synoptic eddy activities have lower spatial variances than the corresponding observational and reanalysis patterns over the PNA sector, especially over the North Pacific.

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