Improvement in Prediction of the Arctic Oscillation with a Realistic Ocean Initial Condition in a CGCM

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (22) ◽  
pp. 8951-8967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hae-Jeong Kim ◽  
Joong-Bae Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Forecast Skill ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Initial Condition ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Polar Front Jet

Abstract This study verifies the impact of improved ocean initial conditions on the Arctic Oscillation (AO) forecast skill by assessing the one-month lead predictability of boreal winter AO using the Pusan National University (PNU) coupled general circulation model (CGCM). Hindcast experiments were performed on two versions of the model, one does not use assimilated ocean initial data (V1.0) and one does (V1.1), and the results were comparatively analyzed. The forecast skill of V1.1 was superior to that of V1.0 in terms of the correlation coefficient between the predicted and observed AO indices. In the regression analysis, V1.1 showed more realistic spatial similarities than V1.0 did in predicted sea surface temperature and atmospheric circulation fields. The authors suggest the relative importance of the contribution of the ocean initial condition to the AO forecast skill was because the ocean data assimilation increased the predictability of the AO, to some extent, through the improved interaction between tropical forcing induced by realistic sea surface temperature (SST) and atmospheric circulation. In V1.1, as in the observation, the cold equatorial Pacific SST anomalies generated the weakened tropical convection and Hadley circulation over the Pacific, resulting in a decelerated subtropical jet and accelerated polar front jet in the extratropics. The intensified polar front jet implies a stronger stratospheric polar vortex relevant to the positive AO phase; hence, surface manifestations of the reflected positive AO phase were then induced through the downward propagation of the stratospheric polar vortex. The results suggest that properly assimilated initial ocean conditions might contribute to improve the predictability of global oscillations, such as the AO, through large-scale tropical ocean–atmosphere interaction.

scholarly journals A strong phase reversal of the Arctic Oscillation in midwinter 2015/2016: Role of the stratospheric polar vortex and tropospheric blocking

2016 ◽  
Vol 121 (22) ◽  
pp. 13,443-13,457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoffman H. N. Cheung ◽  
Wen Zhou ◽  
Marco Y. T. Leung ◽  
C. M. Shun ◽  
S. M. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Strong Phase ◽  
Phase Reversal ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation

The Impact of the Stratospheric Polar Vortex Shift on the Arctic Oscillation

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 4129-4143
Author(s):  
Yongjia Lu ◽  
Wenshou Tian ◽  
Jiankai Zhang ◽  
Jinlong Huang ◽  
Ruhua Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Eurasian Continent ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Action Center ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation ◽  
The Impact

AbstractUsing the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset for the time period 1979–2016, we analyzed the influence of the stratospheric polar vortex shift on the Arctic Oscillation (AO) in winter (December–March). The results show that a shift in the stratospheric polar vortex toward the Eurasian continent is favorable for the occurrence of the negative phase of the AO. The duration of the AO events accompanied by the stratospheric polar vortex shift toward the Eurasian continent (AO-shift events) is longer than that of the remaining negative AO events (AO-noshift events), and the intensity of AO-shift events is greater than that of AO-noshift events from day 4 to day 15 of the life cycle of the events. The enhancement in the AO intensity during AO-shift events is likely due to downward extension of the stratospheric northern annular mode (NAM) signals and more poleward-propagating planetary waves in the troposphere and lower stratosphere and their convergence in the mid-high latitudes. Furthermore, the polar vortex shift can lead to changes in the intensity of the three action centers in the AO spatial pattern at 500 hPa. In general, during AO-shift events, the three action centers are stronger than those during AO-noshift events. There is an overall westward shift of the Arctic action center during AO-shift events, which may be closely related to the changes of Greenland blocking frequency.

scholarly journals Subseasonal Forecast Skill over the Northern Polar Region in Boreal Winter

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 1935-1951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai Lin
Keyword(s):  
Polar Region ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Seasonal Prediction ◽  
Forecast Skill ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation

AbstractPentad (5-day averaged) forecast skill over the Arctic region in boreal winter is evaluated for the subseasonal to seasonal prediction (S2S) systems from three operational centers: the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The results indicate that for a lead time longer than about 10 days the forecast skill of 2-m air temperature and 500-hPa geopotential height in the Arctic area is low compared to the tropical and midlatitude regions. The three S2S systems have comparable forecast skill in the northern polar region. Relatively high skill is observed in the Arctic sector north of the Bering Strait in pentads 4–6. Possible sources of S2S predictability in the polar region are explored. The polar forecast skill is found to be dependent on the phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) in the initial condition; that is, forecasts initialized with the negative AO are more skillful than those starting from the positive AO. This is likely due to the influence of the stratospheric polar vortex. The tropical MJO is found to also influence the prediction skill in the polar region. Forecasts starting from MJO phases 6–7, which correspond to suppressed convection in the equatorial eastern Indian Ocean and enhanced convection in the tropical western Pacific, tend to be more skillful than those initialized from other MJO phases. To improve the polar prediction on the subseasonal time scale, it is important to have a well-represented stratosphere and tropical MJO and their associated teleconnections in the model.

scholarly journals Volcanic activity sparks the Arctic Oscillation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Weizheng Qu ◽  
Fei Huang ◽  
Jinping Zhao ◽  
Ling Du ◽  
Yong Cao
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
Volcanic Eruption ◽  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Vortex System ◽  
Significant Fluctuation ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation

AbstractThe parasol effect of volcanic dust and aerosol caused by volcanic eruption results in the deepening and strengthening of the Arctic vortex system, thus stimulating or strengthening the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Three of the strongest AOs in more than a century have been linked to volcanic eruptions. Every significant fluctuation of the AO index (AOI = ΔH_middle latitudes − ΔH_Arctic) for many years has been associated with a volcanic eruption. Volcanic activity occurring at different locations in the Arctic vortex circulation will exert different effects on the polar vortex.

scholarly journals Stratospheric Nudging And Predictable Surface Impacts (SNAPSI): A Protocol for Investigating the Role of the Stratospheric Polar Vortex in Subseasonal to Seasonal Forecasts

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hitchcock ◽  
Amy Butler ◽  
Andrew Charlton-Perez ◽  
Chaim Garfinkel ◽  
Tim Stockdale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Season ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Forecast Skill ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Seasonal Forecasts ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Forecast Models ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Major disruptions of the winter season, high-latitude, stratospheric polar vortices can result in stratospheric anomalies that persist for months. These sudden stratospheric warming events are recognized as an important potential source of forecast skill for surface climate on subseasonal to seasonal timescales. Realizing this skill in operational subseasonal forecast models remains a challenge, as models must capture both the evolution of the stratospheric polar vortices in addition to their coupling to the troposphere. The processes involved in this coupling remain a topic of open research. We present here the Stratospheric Nudging And Predictable Surface Impacts (SNAPSI) project. SNAPSI is a new model intercomparison protocol designed to study the role of the Arctic and Antarctic stratospheric polar vortices in sub-seasonal to seasonal forecast models. Based on a set of controlled, subseasonal, ensemble forecasts of three recent events, the protocol aims to address four main scientific goals. First, to quantify the impact of improved stratospheric forecasts on near-surface forecast skill. Second, to attribute specific extreme events to stratospheric variability. Third, to assess the mechanisms by which the stratosphere influences the troposphere in the forecast models, and fourth, to investigate the wave processes that lead to the stratospheric anomalies themselves. Although not a primary focus, the experiments are furthermore expected to shed light on coupling between the tropical stratosphere and troposphere. The output requested will allow for a more detailed, process-based community analysis than has been possible with existing databases of subseasonal forecasts.

High vs. low latitude influence on seasonal stratospheric pathways in the atmospheric model ICON

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Köhler ◽  
Dörthe Handorf ◽  
Ralf Jaiser ◽  
Klaus Dethloff
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Enso Events ◽  
Hemisphere Winter

<p>Stratospheric pathways play an important role in connecting distant anomaly patterns to each other on seasonal timescales. As long-lived stratospheric extreme events can influence the large-scale tropospheric circulation on timescales of multiple weeks, stratospheric pathways have been identified as one of the main potential sources for subseasonal to seasonal predictability in mid-latitudes. These pathways have been shown to connect Arctic anomalies to lower latitudes and vice versa. However, there is an ongoing discussion on how strong these stratospheric pathways are and how they exactly work.</p><p> </p><p>In this context, we investigate two strongly discussed stratospheric pathways by analysing a suite of seasonal experiments with the atmospheric model ICON: On the one hand, the effect of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the stratospheric polar vortex, and thus the circulation in mid and high latitudes in winter. And on the other hand, the effect of a rapidly changing Arctic on lower latitudes via the stratosphere. The former effect is simulated realistically by ICON, and the results from the ensemble simulations suggest that ENSO has an effect on the large-scale Northern Hemisphere winter circulation. The ICON experiments and the reanalysis exhibit a weakened stratospheric vortex in warm ENSO years. Furthermore, in particular in winter, warm ENSO events favour the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, whereas cold events favour the positive phase. The ICON simulations also suggest a significant effect of ENSO on the Atlantic-European sector in late winter. Unlike the effect of ENSO, ICON simulations and the reanalysis do not agree on the stratospheric pathway for Arctic-midlatitude linkages. Whereas the reanalysis exhibits a weakening of the stratospheric vortex in midwinter and a connected tropospheric negative Arctic Oscillation circulation response to amplified Arctic warming, this is not the case in the ICON simulations. Implications and potential reasons for this discrepancy are further analysed and discussed in this work.  </p>

Palynological evidence of Holocene climate change in the eastern Arctic: a possible shift in the Arctic oscillation at the millennial time scaleThis article is one of a series of papers published in this Special Issue on the theme Polar Climate Stability Network.

2008 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1363-1375 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ledu ◽  
André Rochon ◽  
Anne de Vernal ◽  
Guillaume St-Onge
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Last Deglaciation ◽  
Holocene Climate ◽  
The North ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation

Dinocyst assemblages and the physical properties of two sediment cores collected in the easternmost part of the main axis of the Northwest Passage, Canadian Arctic Ocean (cores 2004-804-009 BC and 2004-804-009 PC, 74°11.2′N, 81°11.7′W) were used to reconstruct changes in sea-surface conditions and to characterize changes in the depositional environment. Core 2004-804-009 PC spans the last 12 180 calibrated (cal) years BP, with sedimentation rates ranging from 45 to 122 cm/ka. Quantitative estimates of sea-surface parameters reveal relatively large hydrographic variability at millennial time scale. Before 11 000 cal years BP, our records suggest terrigenous inputs related to the last deglaciation. Between 11 000 and 9600 cal years BP, harsh conditions prevailed with August sea-surface temperatures <2 °C and the dominance of heterotrophic taxa. This episode was followed by a gradual increase in the relative abundance of phototrophic taxa and the establishment of milder condition with sea-surface temperature (SST) reaching ∼2 °C ∼8300 cal years BP, possibly related to increased exchange between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. From 6000 cal years BP to the late Holocene, climate variability could be the results of changes in the synoptic-scale atmospheric pattern such as the Arctic oscillation.

scholarly journals A Numerical Sensitivity Study of the Influence of Siberian Snow on the Northern Annular Mode

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 592-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Peings ◽  
D. Saint-Martin ◽  
H. Douville
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Annular Mode ◽  
Northern Annular Mode ◽  
Model Free ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation

Abstract The climate version of the general circulation model Action de Recherche Petite Echelle Grande Echelle (ARPEGE-Climat) is used to explore the relationship between the autumn Siberian snow and the subsequent winter northern annular mode by imposing snow anomalies over Siberia. As the model presents some biases in the representation of the polar vortex, a nudging methodology is used to obtain a more realistic but still interactive extratropical stratosphere in the model. Free and nudged sensitivity experiments are compared to discuss the dependence of the results on the northern stratosphere climatology. For each experiment, a positive snow mass anomaly imposed from October to March over Siberia leads to significant impacts on the winter atmospheric circulation in the extratropics. In line with previous studies, the model response resembles the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation. The well-documented stratospheric pathway between snow and the Arctic Oscillation operates in the nudged experiment, while a more zonal propagation of the signal is found in the free experiment. Thus, the study provides two main findings: it supports the influence of Siberian snow on the winter extratropical circulation and highlights the importance of the northern stratosphere representation in the models to capture this teleconnection. These findings could have important implications for seasonal forecasting, as most of the operational models present biases similar to those of the ARPEGE-Climat model.

scholarly journals Interannual Variability of the North American Cold Air Stream and Associated Synoptic Circulations

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (23) ◽  
pp. 9575-9590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Kanno ◽  
John E. Walsh ◽  
Toshiki Iwasaki
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation

In boreal winter, the cold air mass (CAM) flux of air with a potential temperature below 280 K forms climatological mean CAM streams in East Asia and North America (NA). This study diagnoses the interannual variability of the NA stream by an analysis of the CAM flux across 60°N between Greenland and the Rocky Mountains. The first empirical orthogonal function (EOF) represents the variations in intensity of the NA stream. When the first principal component (PC1) is highly positive, the central part of the NA stream is intensified, with cold anomalies east of the Rocky Mountains. At the same time, a stratospheric polar vortex tends to split or displace toward NA. PC1 is highly correlated with the tropical Northern Hemisphere pattern, implying that this pattern is associated with the intensity of the NA stream. The second EOF shows a longitudinal shift of the NA stream toward Greenland or the Rocky Mountains. A highly negative PC2 results in a cold anomaly from western Canada to the Midwestern United States and anomalous heavy snowfall in the northeastern United States. PC2 is positively correlated with the Arctic Oscillation, which suggests that the longitudinal position of the NA stream varies with the Arctic Oscillation. These results illustrate how the intensity and location of cold air outbreaks vary with large-scale modes of atmospheric variability, with corresponding implications for the predictability of winter severity in NA.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document