scholarly journals Dynamics of Eddy-Driven Low-Frequency Dipole Modes. Part III: Meridional Displacement of Westerly Jet Anomalies during Two Phases of NAO

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 3232-3248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dehai Luo ◽  
Tingting Gong ◽  
Yina Diao
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Stationary Wave ◽  
Negative Phase ◽  
Stationary Waves ◽  
The North ◽  
Westerly Jet ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract In this paper, the north–south variability of westerly jet anomalies during the two phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is examined in a theoretical model. It is found that the north–south variability of the zonal mean westerly anomaly results from the interaction between the eddy-driven anomalous stationary waves with a dipole meridional structure (NAO anomalies) and topographically induced climatological stationary waves with a monopole structure, which is dependent upon the phase of the NAO. The westerly jet anomaly tends to shift northward during the positive NAO phase but southward during the negative phase. Synoptic-scale eddies tend to maintain westerly jet anomalies through the excitation of NAO anomalies, but the climatological stationary wave and its position relative to the eddy-driven anomalous stationary wave appear to dominate the north–south shift of westerly jet anomalies. On the other hand, it is shown that when the climatological stationary wave ridge is located downstream of the eddy-driven anomalous stationary wave, the storm track modulated by the NAO pattern splits into two branches for the negative phase, in which the northern branch is generally stronger than the southern one. However, the southern one can be dominant as the relative position between anomalous and climatological stationary waves is within a moderate range. The storm track for the positive phase tends to drift northeastward when there is a phase difference between the NAO anomaly and climatological stationary wave ridge downstream. Thus, it appears that the relationship between the NAO jets and storm tracks can be clearly seen from the present theoretical model.

scholarly journals Dynamics of Eddy-Driven Low-Frequency Dipole Modes. Part I: A Simple Model of North Atlantic Oscillations

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dehai Luo ◽  
Anthony R. Lupo ◽  
Han Wan
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Positive Phase ◽  
Negative Phase ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract A simple theoretical model is proposed to clarify how synoptic-scale waves drive the life cycle of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) with a period of nearly two weeks. This model is able to elucidate what determines the phase of the NAO and an analytical solution is presented to indicate a high similarity between the dynamical processes of the NAO and zonal index, which is not derived analytically in previous theoretical studies. It is suggested theoretically that the NAO is indeed a nonlinear initial-value problem, which is forced by both preexisting planetary-scale and synoptic-scale waves. The eddy forcing arising from the preexisting synoptic-scale waves is shown to be crucial for the growth and decay of the NAO, but the preexisting low-over-high (high-over-low) dipole planetary-scale wave must be required to match the preexisting positive-over-negative (negative-over-positive) dipole eddy forcing so as to excite a positive (negative) phase NAO event. The positive and negative feedbacks of the preexisting dipole eddy forcing depending upon the background westerly wind seem to dominate the life cycle of the NAO and its life period. An important finding in the theoretical model is that negative-phase NAO events could be excited repeatedly after the first event has decayed, but for the positive phase downstream isolated dipole blocks could be produced after the first event has decayed. This is supported by observed cases of the NAO events presented in this paper. In addition, a statistical study of the relationship between the phase of the NAO and blocking activity over Europe in terms of the seasonal mean NAO index shows that blocking events over Europe are more frequent and long-lived for strong positive-phase NAO years, indicating that the positive-phase NAO favors the occurrence of European blocking events.

scholarly journals Empirical Mode Reduction in a Model of Extratropical Low-Frequency Variability

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 1859-1877 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kondrashov ◽  
S. Kravtsov ◽  
M. Ghil
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Study ◽  
Singular Spectrum Analysis ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Reduced Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Low Frequency Variability ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillations ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract This paper constructs and analyzes a reduced nonlinear stochastic model of extratropical low-frequency variability. To do so, it applies multilevel quadratic regression to the output of a long simulation of a global baroclinic, quasigeostrophic, three-level (QG3) model with topography; the model's phase space has a dimension of O(104). The reduced model has 45 variables and captures well the non-Gaussian features of the QG3 model's probability density function (PDF). In particular, the reduced model's PDF shares with the QG3 model its four anomalously persistent flow patterns, which correspond to opposite phases of the Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation, as well as the Markov chain of transitions between these regimes. In addition, multichannel singular spectrum analysis identifies intraseasonal oscillations with a period of 35–37 days and of 20 days in the data generated by both the QG3 model and its low-dimensional analog. An analytical and numerical study of the reduced model starts with the fixed points and oscillatory eigenmodes of the model's deterministic part and uses systematically an increasing noise parameter to connect these with the behavior of the full, stochastically forced model version. The results of this study point to the origin of the QG3 model's multiple regimes and intraseasonal oscillations and identify the connections between the two types of behavior.

scholarly journals Multidecadal to millennial marine climate oscillations across the Denmark Strait (~ 66° N) over the last 2000 cal yr BP

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 325-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Andrews ◽  
A. E. Jennings
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
The North ◽  
Denmark Strait ◽  
Water Stratification ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
Frequency Variations ◽  
Marine Climate

Abstract. In the area of Denmark Strait (~66° N), the two modes of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) are expressed in changes of the northward flux of Atlantic water and the southward advection of polar water in the East Iceland current. Proxies from marine cores along an environmental gradient from extensive to little or no drift ice, capture low frequency variations over the last 2000 cal yr BP. Key proxies are the weight% of calcite, a measure of surface water stratification and nutrient supply, the weight% of quartz, a measure of drift ice transport, and grain size. Records from Nansen and Kangerlussuaq fjords show variable ice-rafted debris (IRD) records but have distinct mineralogy associated with differences in the fjord catchment bedrock. A comparison between cores on either side of the Denmark Strait (MD99-2322 and MD99-2269) show a remarkable millennial-scale similarity in the trends of the weight% of calcite with a trough reached during the Little Ice Age. However, the quartz records from these two sites are quite different. The calcite records from the Denmark Strait parallel the 2000 yr Arctic summer-temperature reconstructions; analysis of the detrended calcite and quartz data reveal significant multi-decadal–century periodicities superimposed on a major environmental shift occurring ca. 1450 AD.

scholarly journals The North Atlantic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Jet Variability: Precursors to NAO Regimes and Transitions

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 3763-3787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dehai Luo ◽  
Jing Cha
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Zonal Wind ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Wind Condition ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic Jet

Abstract In this paper, precursors to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and its transitions are investigated to understand the dynamical cause of the interdecadal NAO variability from dominant negative (NAO−) events during 1950–77 (P1) to dominant positive (NAO+) events during 1978–2010 (P2). It is found that the phase of the NAO event depends strongly on the latitudinal position of the North Atlantic jet (NAJ) prior to the NAO onset. The NAO− (NAO+) events occur frequently when the NAJ core prior to the NAO onset is displaced southward (northward), as the situation within P1 (P2). Thus, the northward (southward) shift of the NAJ from its mean position is a precursor to the NAO+ (NAO−) event. This finding is further supported by results obtained from a weakly nonlinear model. Furthermore, the model results show that, when the Atlantic mean zonal wind exceeds a critical strength under which the dipole anomaly prior to the NAO onset is stationary, in situ NAO− (NAO+) events, which are events not preceded by opposite events, can occur frequently during P1 (P2) when the Atlantic storm track is not too strong. This mean zonal wind condition is easily satisfied during P1 and P2. However, when the Atlantic storm track (mean zonal wind) prior to the NAO onset is markedly intensified (weakened), the NAO event can undergo a transition from one phase to another, especially in a relatively strong background westerly wind, the Atlantic storm track has to be strong enough to produce a phase transition.

scholarly journals Dynamical Relationship between the Phase of North Atlantic Oscillations and the Meridional Excursion of a Preexisting Jet: An Analytical Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1838-1858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dehai Luo ◽  
Tingting Gong ◽  
Linhao Zhong
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Stationary Wave ◽  
Negative Phase ◽  
Initial State ◽  
Weakly Nonlinear ◽  
The North ◽  
Induced Dipole ◽  
Dipole Component ◽  
Southward Shift ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In this paper, it is shown from an analytical solution that in the presence of a preexisting jet the interaction between the zonal jet and the topography of the land–sea contrast (LSC) in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) tends to induce a dipole component that depends crucially upon whether this zonal jet exhibits a north–south excursion. This phenomenon cannot be observed if the zonal jet has no north–south shift. When the preexisting jet is located more northward (southward), the induced dipole can have a low-over-high (high-over-low) structure and thus can make the center of the stationary wave anomaly shift southward (northward), which can be regarded as an initial state or embryo of a positive (negative) phase North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). This dipole component can be amplified into a typical NAO event under the forcing of synoptic-scale eddies. To some extent, this result provides an explanation for why the positive (negative) phase of the NAO can be controlled by the northward (southward) shift of the zonal jet prior to the NAO. In addition, the impact of the jet shift on the occurrence of NAO is examined in a weakly nonlinear NAO model if the initial state of an NAO is prespecified. It is found that the northward (southward) shift of a zonal jet favors the occurrence of the subsequent positive (negative) phase NAO event and then results in a northward (southward)-intensified jet relative to the preexisting jet. In addition, during the decaying of the positive phase NAO, a strong blocking activity is easily observed over Europe as the jet is moved to the north.

scholarly journals Interdecadal Variability of the Warm Arctic and Cold Eurasia Pattern and Its North Atlantic Origin

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (15) ◽  
pp. 5793-5810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mi-Kyung Sung ◽  
Seon-Hwa Kim ◽  
Baek-Min Kim ◽  
Yong-Sang Choi
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Rossby Wave ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Stationary Wave ◽  
Interdecadal Variability ◽  
Temperature Perturbation ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

This study investigates the origin of the interdecadal variability in the warm Arctic and cold Eurasia (WACE) pattern, which is defined as the second empirical orthogonal function of surface air temperature (SAT) variability over the Eurasian continent in Northern Hemisphere winter, by analyzing the Twentieth Century Reanalysis dataset. While previous studies highlight recent enhancement of the WACE pattern, ascribing it to anthropogenic warming, the authors found that the WACE pattern has experienced a seemingly periodic interdecadal variation over the twentieth century. This long-term variation in the Eurasian SAT is attributable to the altered coupling between the Siberian high (SH) and intraseasonal Rossby wave emanating from the North Atlantic, as the local wave branch interacts with the SH and consequentially enhances the continental temperature perturbation. It is further identified that these atmospheric circulation changes in Eurasia are largely controlled by the decadal amplitude modulation of the climatological stationary waves over the North Atlantic region. The altered decadal mean condition of stationary wave components brings changes in local baroclinicity and storm track activity over the North Atlantic, which jointly change the intraseasonal Rossby wave generation and propagation characteristics as well. With simple stationary wave model experiments, the authors confirm how the altered mean flow condition in the North Atlantic acts as a source for the growth of the Rossby wave that leads to the change in the downstream WACE pattern.

The Role of Extratropical Air–Sea Interaction in the Autumn Subseasonal Variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (22) ◽  
pp. 7697-7712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Nie ◽  
Hong-Li Ren ◽  
Yang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
The North ◽  
Subseasonal Variability ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract Considerable progress has been made in understanding the internal eddy–mean flow feedback in the subseasonal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during winter. Using daily atmospheric and oceanic reanalysis data, this study highlights the role of extratropical air–sea interaction in the NAO variability during autumn when the daily sea surface temperature (SST) variability is more active and eddy–mean flow interactions are still relevant. Our analysis shows that a horseshoe-like SST tripolar pattern in the North Atlantic Ocean, marked by a cold anomaly in the Gulf Stream and two warm anomalies to the south of the Gulf Stream and off the western coast of northern Europe, can induce a quasi-barotropic NAO-like atmospheric response through eddy-mediated processes. An initial southwest–northeast tripolar geopotential anomaly in the North Atlantic forces this horseshoe-like SST anomaly tripole. Then the SST anomalies, through surface heat flux exchange, alter the spatial patterns of the lower-tropospheric temperature and thus baroclinicity anomalies, which are manifested as the midlatitude baroclinicity shifted poleward and reduced baroclinicity poleward of 70°N. In response to such changes of the lower-level baroclinicity, anomalous synoptic eddy generation, eddy kinetic energy, and eddy momentum forcing in the midlatitudes all shift poleward. Meanwhile, the 10–30-day low-frequency anticyclonic wave activities in the high latitudes decrease significantly. We illustrate that both the latitudinal displacement of midlatitude synoptic eddy activities and intensity variation of high-latitude low-frequency wave activities contribute to inducing the NAO-like anomalies.

Observed Patterns of Month-to-Month Storm-Track Variability and Their Relationship to the Background Flow*

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 1420-1437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin J. Wettstein ◽  
John M. Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Geopotential Height ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Meridional Wind ◽  
Storm Tracks ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Annular Mode ◽  
The North ◽  
Jet Variability ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract Month-to-month storm-track variability is investigated via EOF analyses performed on ERA-40 monthly-averaged high-pass filtered daily 850-hPa meridional heat flux and the variances of 300-hPa meridional wind and 500-hPa height. The analysis is performed both in hemispheric and sectoral domains of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Patterns characterized as “pulsing” and “latitudinal shifting” of the climatological-mean storm tracks emerge as the leading sectoral patterns of variability. Based on the analysis presented, storm-track variability on the spatial scale of the two Northern Hemisphere sectors appears to be largely, but perhaps not completely, independent. Pulsing and latitudinally shifting storm tracks are accompanied by zonal wind anomalies consistent with eddy-forced accelerations and geopotential height anomalies that project strongly on the dominant patterns of geopotential height variability. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)–Northern Hemisphere annular mode (NAM) is associated with a pulsing of the Atlantic storm track and a meridional displacement of the upper-tropospheric jet exit region, whereas the eastern Atlantic (EA) pattern is associated with a latitudinally shifting storm track and an extension or retraction of the upper-tropospheric jet. Analogous patterns of storm-track and upper-tropospheric jet variability are associated with the western Pacific (WP) and Pacific–North America (PNA) patterns. Wave–mean flow relationships shown here are more clearly defined than in previous studies and are shown to extend through the depth of the troposphere. The Southern Hemisphere annular mode (SAM) is associated with a latitudinally shifting storm track over the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans and a pulsing South Pacific storm track. The patterns of storm-track variability are shown to be related to simple distortions of the climatological-mean upper-tropospheric jet.

scholarly journals Interannual Variability of High-Wind Occurrence over the North Atlantic*

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 6515-6527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuhua Cheng ◽  
Shang-Ping Xie ◽  
Hiroki Tokinaga ◽  
Yan Du
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
High Wind ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract Interannual variability of high-wind occurrence over the North Atlantic is investigated based on observations from the satellite-borne Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I). Despite no wind direction being included, SSM/I data capture major features of high-wind frequency (HWF) quite well. Climatology maps show that HWF is highest in winter and is close to zero in summer. Remarkable interannual variability of HWF is found in the vicinity of the Gulf Stream, over open sea south of Iceland, and off Cape Farewell, Greenland. On interannual scales, HWF south of Iceland has a significant positive correlation with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). An increase in the mean westerlies and storm-track intensity during a positive NAO event cause HWF to increase in this region. In the vicinity of the Gulf Stream, HWF is significantly correlated with the difference between sea surface temperature and surface air temperature (SST − SAT), indicative of the importance of atmospheric instability. Cross-frontal wind and an SST gradient are important for the instability of the marine atmospheric boundary layer on the warm flank of the SST front. Off Cape Farewell, high wind occurs in both westerly and easterly tip jets. Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) data show that variability in westerly (easterly) HWF off Cape Farewell is positively (negatively) correlated with the NAO.

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