Interdecadal Changes in the Relationship between Interannual Variations of Spring North Atlantic SST and Eurasian Surface Air Temperature

Abstract This study investigates interdecadal changes in the relationship between interannual variations of boreal spring sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and surface air temperature (SAT) over the mid-to-high latitudes of Eurasia during 1948–2014. Analyses show that the connection between the spring North Atlantic tripole SST anomaly pattern and the Eurasian SAT anomalies has experienced marked interdecadal shifts around the early 1970s and mid-1990s. The connection is strong during 1954–72 and 1996–2014 but weak during 1973–91. A diagnosis indicates that interdecadal changes in the connection between the North Atlantic SST and Eurasian SAT variations are associated with changes in atmospheric circulation anomalies over Eurasia induced by the North Atlantic tripole SST anomaly pattern. Further analyses suggest that changes in atmospheric circulation anomalies over Eurasia are related to changes in the position of atmospheric heating anomalies over the North Atlantic, which may be due to the change in mean SST. Marked atmospheric heating anomalies appear over the tropical western North Atlantic during 1954–72 and 1996–2014 but over the subtropical central-eastern North Atlantic during 1973–91. Barotropic model experiments confirm that different background flows may also contribute to changes in anomalous atmospheric circulation over Eurasia.

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The Changing Relationship between Interannual Variations of the North Atlantic Oscillation and Northern Tropical Atlantic SST

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-14-00422.1 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 485-504 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Shangfeng Chen ◽

Renguang Wu ◽

Wen Chen

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Interannual Variations ◽

Tropical Atlantic ◽

The North ◽

Anomaly Pattern ◽

Sst Anomaly ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Interdecadal Changes ◽

Sst Anomalies

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.

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Why Does a Colder (Warmer) Winter Tend to Be Followed by a Warmer (Cooler) Summer over Northeast Eurasia?

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-20-0036.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (17) ◽

pp. 7255-7274

Author(s):

Shangfeng Chen ◽

Renguang Wu ◽

Wen Chen ◽

Kai Li

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Wave Train ◽

The Arctic ◽

The North ◽

Atmospheric Wave ◽

Anomaly Pattern ◽

Sst Anomaly ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Sst Anomalies

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.

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Enhanced Linkage between Eurasian Winter and Spring Dominant Modes of Atmospheric Interannual Variability since the Early 1990s

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-17-0525.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (9) ◽

pp. 3575-3595 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Shangfeng Chen ◽

Renguang Wu ◽

Wen Chen ◽

Shuailei Yao

Keyword(s):

Interannual Variability ◽

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Wave Train ◽

Seasonal Prediction ◽

Dominant Mode ◽

The North ◽

Anomaly Pattern ◽

Sst Anomaly ◽

The North Atlantic

The present study reveals a marked enhancement in the relationship between Eurasian winter and spring atmospheric interannual variability since the early 1990s. Specifically, the dominant mode of winter Eurasian 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies, with same-sign anomalies over southern Europe and East Asia and opposite-sign anomalies over north-central Eurasia, is largely maintained to the following spring after the early 1990s, but not before the early 1990s. The maintenance of the dominant atmospheric circulation anomaly pattern after the early 1990s is associated with a triple sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly pattern in the North Atlantic that is sustained from winter to the subsequent spring. This triple SST anomaly pattern triggers an atmospheric wave train over the North Atlantic through Eurasia during winter through spring. Atmospheric model experiments verify the role of the triple SST anomaly in maintaining the Eurasian atmospheric circulation anomalies. By contrast, before the early 1990s, marked SST anomalies related to the winter dominant mode only occur in the tropical North Atlantic during winter and they disappear during the following spring. The triple SST anomaly pattern after the early 1990s forms in response to a meridional atmospheric dipole over the North Atlantic induced by a La Niña–like cooling over tropical Pacific, and its maintenance into the following spring may be via a positive air–sea interaction process over the North Atlantic. Results of this analysis suggest a potential source for the seasonal prediction of the Eurasian spring climate.

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What Leads to Persisting Surface Air Temperature Anomalies from Winter to Following Spring over Mid- to High-Latitude Eurasia?

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-19-0819.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (14) ◽

pp. 5861-5883 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Renguang Wu ◽

Shangfeng Chen

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

Air Temperature ◽

North Atlantic ◽

High Latitude ◽

Surface Air Temperature ◽

Circulation Anomaly ◽

The North ◽

Anomaly Pattern ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Atmospheric Circulation Anomaly

AbstractSurface air temperature (SAT) anomalies tend to persist from winter to the following spring over the mid- to high latitudes of Eurasia. The present study compares two distinct cases of Eurasian SAT anomaly evolution and investigates the reasons for the persistence of continental-scale mid- to high-latitude Eurasian SAT anomalies from winter to following spring (termed persistent cases). The persisting SAT anomalies are closely associated with the sustenance of large-scale atmospheric circulation anomaly pattern over the North Atlantic and Eurasia, featuring a combination of the North Atlantic Oscillation/Arctic Oscillation (NAO/AO) and the Scandinavian pattern, from winter to spring. The combined circulation anomalies result in SAT warming over most of mid- to high-latitude Eurasia via anomalous wind-induced temperature advection. The sustenance of atmospheric circulation anomaly pattern is related to the maintenance of the North Atlantic triple sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly pattern due to air–sea interaction processes. The Barents Sea ice anomalies, which form in winter and increase in spring, also partly contribute to the sustenance of atmospheric circulation anomalies via modulating thermal state of the lower troposphere. In the cases that notable SAT warming (cooling) in winter is replaced by pronounced SAT cooling (warming) in the subsequent spring—termed reverse cases—the North Atlantic SST anomalies become small and the Greenland Sea ice change is a response to atmospheric change in spring. Without the support of lower boundary forcing, the atmospheric circulation anomaly pattern experiences a reverse in the spatial distribution from winter to spring likely due to internal atmospheric processes.

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Dominant Modes of Interannual Variability in Eurasian Surface Air Temperature during Boreal Spring

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-15-0524.1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 1109-1125 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Shangfeng Chen ◽

Renguang Wu ◽

Yong Liu

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Ocean ◽

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

North Atlantic ◽

North Atlantic Ocean ◽

High Latitudes ◽

The North ◽

Anomaly Pattern ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Circulation Anomalies ◽

Atmospheric Circulation Anomalies

Abstract This study investigates interannual variations of surface air temperature (SAT) over mid- and high latitudes of Eurasia during boreal spring and their association with snow, atmospheric circulation, and sea surface temperature (SST) changes. The leading mode of spring SAT variations is featured by same-sign anomalies over most regions. The second mode features a tripole anomaly pattern with anomalies over the central part opposite to those over the eastern and western parts of Eurasia. A diagnosis of surface heat flux anomalies suggests that snow change contributes partly to SAT anomalies in several regions mainly by modulating surface shortwave radiation but cannot explain SAT changes in other regions. Atmospheric circulation anomalies play an important role in spring SAT variability via wind-induced heat advection and cloud-induced surface radiation changes. Positive SAT anomalies are associated with anomalous westerly winds from the North Atlantic Ocean or with anomalous anticyclone and southerly winds. Negative SAT anomalies occur in regions of anomalous cyclone and northerly winds. Atmospheric circulation anomalies associated with the first mode have a close relationship to spring Arctic Oscillation (AO), indicating the impact of the AO on continental-scale spring SAT variations over the mid- and high latitudes of Eurasia. The atmospheric circulation anomalies associated with the second mode feature a wave pattern over the North Atlantic and Eurasia. Such a wave pattern is related to a tripole SST anomaly pattern in the North Atlantic Ocean, signifying the contribution of the North Atlantic Ocean state to the formation of a tripole SAT anomaly pattern over the mid- and high latitudes of Eurasia.

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The relationship between the wind and waves in the North Atlantic and atmospheric circulation oscillations

Russian Meteorology and Hydrology ◽

10.3103/s1068373914070061 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 39 (7) ◽

pp. 476-482

Author(s):

Z. K. Abuzyarov ◽

E. S. Nesterov

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

North Atlantic ◽

The North ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

The Relationship

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Impacts of Summer North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies on the East Asian Winter Monsoon Variability

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-19-0061.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (19) ◽

pp. 6513-6532 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Zhang Chen ◽

Renguang Wu ◽

Zhibiao Wang

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic ◽

Wave Train ◽

Asian Winter Monsoon ◽

The North ◽

Atmospheric Wave ◽

Anomaly Pattern ◽

Dipole Pattern ◽

Sst Anomaly ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Sst Anomalies

Abstract The present study investigates the impacts of the North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies on the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) variability. It is found that the northern component of the EAWM variability is associated with a dipole pattern of preceding summer North Atlantic SST anomalies during 1979–2016. The processes linking preceding summer North Atlantic SST to EAWM include the North Atlantic air–sea interactions and atmospheric wave train triggered by the North Atlantic SST anomalies. Atmospheric wind anomalies in the preceding spring–summer result in the formation of a dipole SST anomaly pattern through surface heat flux changes. In turn, the induced SST anomalies provide a feedback on the atmosphere, modifying the location and intensity of anomalous winds over the North Atlantic. The associated surface heat flux anomalies switch the North Atlantic SST anomaly distribution from a dipole pattern in summer to a tripole pattern in the following winter. The North Atlantic tripole SST anomalies excite an atmospheric wave train extending from the North Atlantic through Eurasia to East Asia in winter, resulting in anomalous EAWM. However, the relationship of the northern component of EAWM to preceding summer North Atlantic SST anomalies is weak before the late 1970s. During 1956–76, due to weak air–sea interaction over the North Atlantic, no obvious tripole SST anomaly pattern is established in winter. The atmospheric wave train in winter is located at higher latitudes, leading to a weak connection between the northern component of EAWM and the preceding summer North Atlantic dipole SST anomaly pattern.

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Strengthened Connection between Springtime North Atlantic Oscillation and North Atlantic Tripole SST Pattern since the Late 1980s

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-19-0628.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 2007-2022 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Shangfeng Chen ◽

Renguang Wu ◽

Wen Chen

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic Oscillation ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Atmospheric Response ◽

Synoptic Scale ◽

Mean Flow ◽

The North ◽

Anomalous Anticyclone ◽

Anomaly Pattern ◽

Sst Anomaly ◽

The North Atlantic

AbstractThis study reveals a marked enhancement in the relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and North Atlantic tripole (NAT) sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly pattern during boreal spring since the late 1980s. A comparative analysis is conducted for two periods before and after the late 1980s to understand the reasons for the above interdecadal change. During both periods, SST cooling in the northern tropical Atlantic during the positive phase of the NAT SST pattern results in an anomalous anticyclone over the subtropical western North Atlantic via a Rossby wave–type atmospheric response. The westerly wind anomalies along the north flank of the anomalous anticyclone are accompanied by a marked decrease in synoptic-scale eddies over the midlatitudes as well as cyclonic (anticyclonic) vorticity forcings at the north (south) side. As such, an NAO-like dipole atmospheric anomaly is induced over the North Atlantic, which in turn helps to maintain the NAT SST anomaly via modulating surface heat fluxes. The intensity of the synoptic-scale eddy feedback to mean flow is stronger after than before the late 1980s, which is related to interdecadal increase in the intensity of North Atlantic synoptic-scale eddies. This is followed by a stronger NAO-like atmospheric response to the NAT SST anomaly since the late 1980s. Further analysis shows that changes in the spatial structure of the spring NAO may also partly contribute to changes in the spring NAO–NAT SST connection around the late 1980s. In particular, spring NAO-related atmospheric anomalies are weaker and shift northward before the late 1980s, which reduces the contribution of the NAO to a tripole SST anomaly pattern in the North Atlantic.

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Ocean Dynamics and the Nature of Air–Sea Interactions over the North Atlantic at Decadal Time Scales

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-3307.1 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 982-995 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

W. Park ◽

M. Latif

Keyword(s):

Mixed Layer ◽

North Atlantic ◽

General Circulation ◽

Coupled Model ◽

Ocean Dynamics ◽

Layer Model ◽

The North ◽

Anomaly Pattern ◽

Sst Anomaly ◽

The North Atlantic

Abstract The dependence of the air–sea interactions over the North Atlantic on the ocean dynamics is explored by analyzing multicentury integrations with two different coupled ocean–atmosphere models. One is a coupled general circulation model (CGCM), in which both the atmospheric and the oceanic components are represented by general circulation models (GCMs). The second coupled model employs the same atmospheric GCM, but the oceanic GCM is replaced by a fixed-depth mixed layer model, so that variations of the ocean dynamics are excluded. The coupled model including active ocean dynamics simulates strong multidecadal variability in the sea surface temperature (SST) of the North Atlantic, with a monopolar spatial structure. In contrast, the coupled model that employs an oceanic mixed layer model and thus does not carry active ocean dynamics simulates a tripolar SST anomaly pattern at decadal time scales. The tripolar SST anomaly pattern is characterized by strong horizontal gradients and is by definition the result of the action of surface heat flux anomalies on the oceanic mixed layer. The differences in the spatial structures of the dominant decadal SST anomaly patterns yield rather different atmospheric responses. While the response to the monopolar SST anomaly pattern is shallow and thermal, the response to the tripolar SST anomaly pattern involves changes in the transient eddy statistics. The latter can be explained by the strong horizontal SST gradients that affect the surface baroclinicity, which in turn affects the growth rate of the transient eddies. The differences in the atmospheric response characteristics yield completely different response patterns. In the coupled run with active ocean dynamics, the sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies exhibit a rather homogeneous pattern that resembles somewhat the East Atlantic Pattern (EAP), while a dipolar (North Atlantic Oscillation) NAO-like SLP anomaly pattern is simulated in the coupled run without active ocean dynamics.

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