scholarly journals The Arctic vortex in March 2011: a dynamical perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 11447-11453 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Hurwitz ◽  
P. A. Newman ◽  
C. I. Garfinkel
Keyword(s):  
Planetary Wave ◽  
La Niña ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The North ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract. Despite the record ozone loss observed in March 2011, dynamical conditions in the Arctic stratosphere were unusual but not unprecedented. Weak planetary wave driving in February preceded cold anomalies in the polar lower stratosphere in March and a relatively late breakup of the Arctic vortex in April. La Niña conditions and the westerly phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) were observed in March 2011. Though these conditions are generally associated with a stronger vortex in mid-winter, the respective cold anomalies do not persist through March. Therefore, the La Niña and QBO-westerly conditions cannot explain the observed cold anomalies in March 2011. In contrast, positive sea surface temperature anomalies in the North Pacific may have contributed to the unusually weak tropospheric wave driving and strong Arctic vortex in late winter 2011.

scholarly journals The Arctic vortex in March 2011: a dynamical perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 22113-22127 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Hurwitz ◽  
P. A. Newman ◽  
C. I. Garfinkel
Keyword(s):  
Planetary Wave ◽  
La Niña ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The North ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract. Despite the record ozone loss observed in March 2011, dynamical conditions in the Arctic stratosphere were unusual but not unprecedented. Weak planetary wave driving in February preceded cold anomalies in the polar lower stratosphere in March and a relatively late breakup of the Arctic vortex in April. La Niña conditions and the westerly phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) were observed in March 2011. Though these conditions are generally associated with a stronger vortex in mid-winter, the respective cold anomalies do not persist through March. Therefore, the La Niña and QBO-westerly conditions cannot explain the observed cold anomalies in March 2011. In contrast, positive sea surface temperature anomalies in the North Pacific may have contributed to the unusually weak tropospheric wave driving and strong Arctic vortex in late winter 2011.

Model Biases in the Simulation of the Springtime North Pacific ENSO Teleconnection

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (23) ◽  
pp. 9985-10002
Author(s):  
Ruyan Chen ◽  
Isla R. Simpson ◽  
Clara Deser ◽  
Bin Wang
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
The North ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The North Pacific

AbstractThe wintertime ENSO teleconnection over the North Pacific region consists of an intensified (weakened) low pressure center during El Niño (La Niña) events both in observations and in climate models. Here, it is demonstrated that this teleconnection persists too strongly into late winter and spring in the Community Earth System Model (CESM). This discrepancy arises in both fully coupled and atmosphere-only configurations, when observed SSTs are specified, and is shown to be robust when accounting for the sampling uncertainty due to internal variability. Furthermore, a similar problem is found in many other models from piControl simulations of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (23 out of 43 in phase 5 and 11 out of 20 in phase 6). The implications of this bias for the simulation of surface climate anomalies over North America are assessed. The overall effect on the ENSO composite field (El Niño minus La Niña) resembles an overly prolonged influence of ENSO into the spring with anomalously high temperatures over Alaska and western Canada, and wet (dry) biases over California (southwest Canada). Further studies are still needed to disentangle the relative roles played by diabatic heating, background flow, and other possible contributions in determining the overly strong springtime ENSO teleconnection intensity over the North Pacific.

scholarly journals Tropospheric QBO–ENSO Interactions and Differences between the Atlantic and Pacific

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1353-1368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicitas Hansen ◽  
Katja Matthes ◽  
Sebastian Wahl
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
El Niño ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
El Nino ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The North ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract This study investigates the interaction of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the troposphere separately for the North Pacific and North Atlantic region. Three 145-yr model simulations with NCAR’s Community Earth System Model Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (CESM-WACCM) are analyzed where only natural (no anthropogenic) forcings are considered. These long simulations allow the authors to obtain statistically reliable results from an exceptional large number of cases for each combination of the QBO (westerly and easterly) and ENSO phases (El Niño and La Niña). Two different analysis methods were applied to investigate where nonlinearity might play a role in QBO–ENSO interactions. The analyses reveal that the stratospheric equatorial QBO anomalies extend down to the troposphere over the North Pacific during Northern Hemisphere winter only during La Niña and not during El Niño events. The Aleutian low is deepened during QBO westerly (QBOW) as compared to QBO easterly (QBOE) conditions, and the North Pacific subtropical jet is shifted northward during La Niña. In the North Atlantic, the interaction of QBOW with La Niña conditions (QBOE with El Niño) results in a positive (negative) North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) pattern. For both regions, nonlinear interactions between the QBO and ENSO might play a role. The results provide the potential to enhance the skill of tropospheric seasonal predictions in the North Atlantic and North Pacific region.

scholarly journals Surface impacts of the Quasi Biennial Oscillation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley J. Gray ◽  
James A. Anstey ◽  
Yoshio Kawatani ◽  
Hua Lu ◽  
Scott Osprey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Tropical Precipitation ◽  
The North ◽  
Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract. Teleconnections between the Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and the Northern Hemisphere zonally-averaged zonal winds, mean sea level pressure (mslp) and tropical precipitation are explored using regression analysis. A novel technique is introduced to separate responses associated with the stratospheric polar vortex from other underlying mechanisms. A previously reported mslp response in January, with a pattern that resembles the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) under QBO westerly conditions, is confirmed and found to be primarily associated with a QBO modulation of the stratospheric polar vortex. This mid-winter response is relatively insensitive to the exact height of the maximum QBO westerlies and a maximum response occurs with westerlies over a relatively deep range between 10–70 hPa. Two additional mslp responses are reported, in early winter (December) and late winter (February/March). In contrast to the January response the early and late winter responses show maximum sensitivity to the QBO winds at ~ 20 hPa and ~ 70 hPa but are relatively insensitive to the QBO winds in between (~ 50 hPa). The late winter response is centred over the North Pacific and is associated with QBO influence from the lowermost stratosphere at tropical/subtropical latitudes. The early winter response consists of anomalies over both the North Pacific and Europe, but the mechanism is unclear and requires further investigation. QBO anomalies are found in tropical precipitation amounts and a southward shift of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone under westerly QBO conditions is also evident.

scholarly journals Surface impacts of the Quasi Biennial Oscillation

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 8227-8247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley J. Gray ◽  
James A. Anstey ◽  
Yoshio Kawatani ◽  
Hua Lu ◽  
Scott Osprey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Zonal Winds ◽  
Orthogonal Function ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract. Teleconnections between the Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and the Northern Hemisphere zonally averaged zonal winds, mean sea level pressure (mslp) and tropical precipitation are explored. The standard approach that defines the QBO using the equatorial zonal winds at a single pressure level is compared with the empirical orthogonal function approach that characterizes the vertical profile of the equatorial winds. Results are interpreted in terms of three potential routes of influence, referred to as the tropical, subtropical and polar routes. A novel technique is introduced to separate responses via the polar route that are associated with the stratospheric polar vortex, from the other two routes. A previously reported mslp response in January, with a pattern that resembles the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation under QBO westerly conditions, is confirmed and found to be primarily associated with a QBO modulation of the stratospheric polar vortex. This mid-winter response is relatively insensitive to the exact height of the maximum QBO westerlies and a maximum positive response occurs with westerlies over a relatively deep range between 10 and 70 hPa. Two additional mslp responses are reported, in early winter (December) and late winter (February/March). In contrast to the January response the early and late winter responses show maximum sensitivity to the QBO winds at ∼ 20 and ∼ 70 hPa respectively, but are relatively insensitive to the QBO winds in between (∼ 50 hPa). The late winter response is centred over the North Pacific and is associated with QBO influence from the lowermost stratosphere at tropical/subtropical latitudes in the Pacific sector. The early winter response consists of anomalies over both the North Pacific and Europe, but the mechanism for this response is unclear. Increased precipitation occurs over the tropical western Pacific under westerly QBO conditions, particularly during boreal summer, with maximum sensitivity to the QBO winds at 70 hPa. The band of precipitation across the Pacific associated with the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) shifts southward under QBO westerly conditions. The empirical orthogonal function (EOF)-based analysis suggests that this ITCZ precipitation response may be particularly sensitive to the vertical wind shear in the vicinity of 70 hPa and hence the tropical tropopause temperatures.

scholarly journals Analysis of Arctic Spring Ozone Anomaly in the Phases of QBO and 11-year Solar Cycle for 1979–2011

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousuke Yamashita ◽  
Hideharu Akiyoshi ◽  
Masaaki Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cycle ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Negative Anomaly ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Biennial Oscillation

Arctic ozone amount in winter to spring shows large year-to-year variation. This study investigates Arctic spring ozone in relation to the phase of quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO)/the 11-year solar cycle, using satellite observations, reanalysis data, and outputs of a chemistry climate model (CCM) during the period of 1979–2011. For this duration, we found that the composite mean of the Northern Hemisphere high-latitude total ozone in the QBO-westerly (QBO-W)/solar minimum (Smin) phase is slightly smaller than those averaged for the QBO-W/Smax and QBO-E/Smax years in March. An analysis of a passive ozone tracer in the CCM simulation indicates that this negative anomaly is primarily caused by transport. The negative anomaly is consistent with a weakening of the residual mean downward motion in the polar lower stratosphere. The contribution of chemical processes estimated using the column amount difference between ozone and the passive ozone tracer is between 10–20% of the total anomaly in March. The lower ozone levels in the Arctic spring during the QBO-W/Smin years are associated with a stronger Arctic polar vortex from late winter to early spring, which is linked to the reduced occurrence of sudden stratospheric warming in the winter during the QBO-W/Smin years.

scholarly journals A Nonstationary ENSO–NAO Relationship Due to AMO Modulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Zhang ◽  
Xuebin Mei ◽  
Xin Geng ◽  
Andrew G. Turner ◽  
Fei-Fei Jin
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
The North ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract Many previous studies have demonstrated a high uncertainty in the relationship between El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). In the present work, decadal modulation by the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) is investigated as a possible cause of the nonstationary ENSO–NAO relationship based on observed and reanalysis data. It is found that the negative ENSO–NAO correlation in late winter is significant only when ENSO and the AMO are in phase (AMO+/El Niño and AMO−/La Niña). However, no significant ENSO-driven atmospheric anomalies can be observed over the North Atlantic when ENSO and the AMO are out of phase (AMO−/El Niño and AMO+/La Niña). Further analysis indicates that the sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the tropical North Atlantic (TNA) plays an essential role in this modulating effect. Because of broadly analogous TNA SSTA responses to both ENSO and the AMO during late winter, a warm SSTA in the TNA is evident when El Niño occurs during a positive AMO phase, resulting in a significantly weakened NAO, and vice versa when La Niña occurs during a negative AMO phase. In contrast, neither the TNA SSTA nor the NAO shows a prominent change under out-of-phase combinations of ENSO and AMO. The AMO modulation and the associated effect of the TNA SSTA are shown to be well reproduced by historical simulations of the HadCM3 coupled model and further verified by forced experiments using an atmospheric circulation model. These offer hope that similar models will be able to make predictions for the NAO when appropriately initialized.

scholarly journals The Stratospheric Pathway of La Niña

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (24) ◽  
pp. 8899-8914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maddalen Iza ◽  
Natalia Calvo ◽  
Elisa Manzini
Keyword(s):  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Lower Threshold ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Dynamical Analysis ◽  
Destructive Interference ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The North ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Stratospheric Cooling

Abstract A Northern Hemisphere (NH) polar stratospheric pathway for La Niña events is established during wintertime based on reanalysis data for the 1958–2012 period. A robust polar stratospheric response is observed in the NH during strong La Niña events, characterized by a significantly stronger and cooler polar vortex. Significant wind anomalies reach the surface, and a robust impact on the North Atlantic–European (NAE) region is observed. A dynamical analysis reveals that the stronger polar stratospheric winds during La Niña winters are due to reduced upward planetary wave activity into the stratosphere. This finding is the result of destructive interference between the climatological and the anomalous La Niña tropospheric stationary eddies over the Pacific–North American region. In addition, the lack of a robust stratospheric signature during La Niña winters reported in previous studies is investigated. It is found that this is related to the lower threshold used to detect the events, which signature is consequently more prone to be obscured by the influence of other sources of variability. In particular, the occurrence of stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs), partly linked to the phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation, modulates the observed stratospheric signal. In the case of La Niña winters defined by a lower threshold, a robust stratospheric cooling is found only in the absence of SSWs. Therefore, these results highlight the importance of using a relatively restrictive threshold to define La Niña events in order to obtain a robust surface response in the NAE region through the stratosphere.

scholarly journals Can ENSO-Like Convection Force an ENSO-Like Extratropical Response on Subseasonal Time Scales?

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (20) ◽  
pp. 8339-8349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Goss ◽  
Sukyoung Lee ◽  
Steven B. Feldstein ◽  
Noah S. Diffenbaugh
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
El Niño ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
El Nino ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Convective Heating ◽  
Western North America ◽  
The North ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The North Pacific

A daily El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index is developed based on precipitation rate and is used to investigate subseasonal time-scale extratropical circulation anomalies associated with ENSO-like convective heating. The index, referred to as the El Niño precipitation index (ENPI), is anomalously positive when there is El Niño–like convection. Conversely, the ENPI is anomalously negative when there is La Niña–like convection. It is found that when precipitation becomes El Niño–like (La Niña–like) on subseasonal time scales, the 300-hPa geopotential height field over the North Pacific and western North America becomes El Niño–like (La Niña–like) within 5–10 days. The composites show a small association with the MJO. These results are supported by previous modeling studies, which show that the response over the North Pacific and western North America to an equatorial Pacific heating anomaly occurs within about one week. This suggests that the mean seasonal extratropical response to El Niño (La Niña) may in effect simply be the average of the subseasonal response to subseasonally varying El Niño–like (La Niña–like) convective heating. Implications for subseasonal to seasonal forecasting are discussed.

scholarly journals Enhanced Tropospheric Wave Forcing of Two Anticyclones in the Prephase of the January 2009 Major Stratospheric Sudden Warming Event

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (5) ◽  
pp. 1797-1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Schneidereit ◽  
Dieter H. W. Peters ◽  
Christian M. Grams ◽  
Julian F. Quinting ◽  
Julia H. Keller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Conveyor Belt ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
La Niña ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Stratospheric Sudden Warming ◽  
Wave Forcing ◽  
The North ◽  
Eddy Heat Flux ◽  
La Nina

Abstract Tropospheric forcing of planetary wavenumber 2 is examined in the prephase of the major stratospheric sudden warming event in January 2009 (MSSW 2009). Because of a huge increase in Eliassen–Palm fluxes induced mainly by wavenumber 2, easterly angular momentum is transported into the Arctic stratosphere, deposited, and then decelerates the polar night jet. In agreement with earlier studies, the results reveal that the strongest eddy heat fluxes, associated with wavenumber 2, occur at 100 hPa during the prephase of MSSW 2009 in ERA-Interim. In addition, moderate conditions of the cold phase of ENSO (La Niña) contribute to the eddy heat flux anomaly. It is shown that enhanced tropospheric wave forcing over Alaska and Scandinavia is caused by tropical processes in two ways. First, in a climatological sense, La Niña contributes to an enhanced anticyclonic flow over both regions. Second, the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) has an indirect influence on the Alaskan ridge by enhancing eddy activity over the North Pacific. This is manifested in an increase in cyclone frequency and associated warm conveyor belt outflow, which contribute to the maintenance and amplification of the Alaskan anticyclone. The Scandinavian ridge is maintained by wave trains emanating from the Alaskan ridge propagating eastward, including an enhanced transport of eddy kinetic energy. The MSSW 2009 is an extraordinary case of how a beneficial phasing of La Niña and MJO conditions together with multiscale interactions enhances tropospheric forcing for wavenumber 2–induced zonal mean eddy heat flux in the lower stratosphere.

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