Water temperature anomalies in the north Atlantic and precipitation in the Crimea in the years with extreme values of the north Atlantic oscillation index

A sign-variable structure of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the high, subtropical, and tropical latitudes of the North Atlantic under the North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAO) values NAO ≥ 1 and NAO ≤ ?1 is considered. A difference in cyclonic activity in winter under extreme values of the NAO is noted. The relation between the NAO anomalies in the areas with maximum cyclonic activity in the North Atlantic and some hydrometeorological quantities in the Crimea is analyzed. Preliminary estimates of the occurrence of a quasi-twenty-year cycle in the variability of processes determined by extreme values of the NAO are presented.     

Sensitivity of the Northern Hemisphere circulation to North Atlantic SSTs in the ARPÈGE Climate AGCM

In order to determine the response of the atmosphere to winter sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the North Atlantic area, we carried out ensemble runs of 20 years, forced with constant, perturbed, SST patterns using the climate version of the ARPèGE AGCM, at T42 resolution. A Monte Carlo technique was applied, in such a way that the control experiment, forced with observed climatological temperatures, and the four scenario experiments, forced with perturbed SSTs are equivalent to a length of 20 independent winters. Four anomalous winter North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) fields have been constructed by considering the observed SST variability in the main basins, namely the Labrador Sea and the Greenland Sea. Two patterns are of the `seesaw' type, while the two others have same the polarity in both basins. The patterns have been reinforced by a factor of 5–6 compared to presently observed multi-annual anomalies, in order to get SST anomalies which may have occurred during periods of the Little Ice Age. The differences between each of the four winter simulations with perturbed SSTs and the control run are analyzed in terms of tropospheric thickness, mean-sea-level pressure and storm activity. The `seesaw' type patterns give a weaker response in the tropospheric thickness fields than the two others. This is expected from simple considerations. In the mean circulation and synoptic activity, it appears that the Labrador Sea SST is important in determining the atmospheric response. This is probably due to enhanced temperature gradients east of New Foundland which enhances the storm activity. Received: 23 September 1998 / Accepted: 17 November 1999     

The influence of the North Atlantic on climate variations in the Barents Sea and their predictability

The effects of Atlantic water inflow on the climate variability in the Barents Sea are studied. Initial data are the series of water temperature at the Kola meridian cross-section, monthly values of ice extent, air temperature at the stations, sea level pressure from the reanalysis data, and sea surface temperature. The methods of multivariate correlation, spectral, and factor analysis and EOF decomposition are used. It was found that variations in the Atlantic water inflow define the main part of interannual variability of sea ice extent, water temperature, and air temperature in the Barents Sea in the cold season. The influence of regional atmospheric circulation on the interannual variability of these parameters is small. The effects that water temperature anomalies in the area of Newfoundland and in the equatorial part of the North Atlantic have on climate parameters in the Barents Sea are discovered. The response of these parameters lags behind the respective anomalies by 9-58 months. The high correlation between them makes it possible to develop the method of statistical forecasting of sea ice extent and water temperature in the Barents Sea with the lead time up to 4 years.     

A Model Study of the Relationship between Sea-Ice Variability and Surface and Intermediate Water Mass Properties in the Labrador Sea

Sea ice plays an important role in the variability of the Labrador Sea especially in its most western part adjacent to an important region of deep convection. Winter-to-winter re-emergence and propagation of both sea-ice concentration (SIC) and sea surface temperature anomalies have been observed following years of high SIC in this region. They have potentially important links to water mass properties and freshwater and heat transports in the subpolar North Atlantic. This article builds on the results of two precursor papers and presents results from a coupled sea-ice–ocean model study of the interannual variability of sea ice in the Labrador Sea. The relationships between SIC and water column properties in the subpolar North Atlantic are assessed. Winters with high SIC and strong surface cooling are found to be conducive to intensified convection. Surface and mid-depth temperature and salinity anomalies are observed in the Labrador Sea and the northwestern North Atlantic during winters with anomalous Labrador Sea SIC. These anomalies are found to propagate along the major circulation patterns in the subpolar North Atlantic and to persist for up to three years.     

Interdecadal climate variability in the subpolar North Atlantic

The statistical relationships between various components of the subpolar North Atlantic air-sea-ice climate system are reexamined in order to investigate potential processes involved in interdecadal climate variability. It is found that sea surface temperature anomalies concentrated in the Labrador Sea region have a strong impact upon atmospheric sea level pressure anomalies over Greenland, which in turn influence the transport of freshwater and ice anomalies out of the Arctic Ocean, via Fram Strait. These freshwater and ice anomalies are advected around the subpolar gyre into the Labrador Sea affecting convection and the formation of Labrador Sea Water. This has an impact upon the transport of North Atlantic Current water into the subpolar gyre and thus, also upon sea surface temperatures in the region. An interdecadal negative feedback loop is therefore proposed as an internal source of climate variability within the subpolar North Atlantic. Through the lags associated with the correlations between different climatic components, observed horizontal advection time scales, and the use of Boolean delay equation models, the time scale for one cycle of this feedback loop is determined to have a period of about 21 years.     

The nonlinear association between ENSO and the Euro-Atlantic winter sea level pressure

A nonlinear projection of the tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) onto the Northern Hemisphere winter sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies by neural networks (NN) was performed to investigate the nonlinear association between El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Euro-Atlantic winter climate. While the linear impact of ENSO on the Euro-Atlantic winter SLP is weak, the NN projection reveals statistically significant SLP anomalies over the Euro-Atlantic sector during both extreme cold and warm ENSO episodes, suggesting that the Euro-Atlantic climate mainly responds to ENSO nonlinearly. The nonlinear response, mainly a quadratic response to the SSTA, reveals that regardless of the sign of the SSTA, positive SLP anomalies are found over the North Atlantic, stretching from eastern Canada to Europe (with anomaly center located just northwestward of Portugal), and negative anomalies centered over Scandinavia and Norwegian Sea, consistent with the excitation of the positive North Atlantic Oscillation pattern.     

The Western Mediterranean summer variability and its feedbacks

The anomalous climatic variability of the Western Mediterranean in summer, its relationships with the large scale climatic teleconnection modes and its feedbacks from some of these modes are the targets of this study. The most important trait of this variability is the recurrence of warm and cold episodes, that take place at 2–4 year intervals, and which are monitored in the Western Mediterranean Index. We find that the Western Mediterranean events are part of a basin scale mode, and are related to the previous spring atmospheric anomalies. These anomalies are related mainly to the Pacific North America teleconnection pattern and the North Atlantic Oscillation, but also to a number of other climatic modes, connected with the previous two, as the Southern Oscillation, the Indian Core Monsoon and the Scandinavian teleconnection pattern. We identify the main spatial and temporal traits of the Western Mediterranean summer variability, the physical mechanisms at play in the generation of the events and their impacts. Considering the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean events influence the sea surface temperature in the southeastern part of the North Atlantic Gyre. Additionally, they are significantly related to summer precipitation anomalies of the opposite sign in the Baltic basin (Central Germany and Poland) and near the Black Sea. We then estimate the mutual influence that the anomalous previous state of the Western Mediterranean, of the Pacific North America teleconnection pattern and of the North Atlantic Oscillation have on their summer conditions using a simple stochastic model. As the summer Western Mediterranean events have an influence on a part of the Baltic basin, we propose a second stochastic model in order to investigate if thereafter the Baltic basin variability will feedback on the Western Mediterranean sea surface temperature anomalies. Among the variables included in the second model are, in addition to the Western Mediterranean previous state, that of the Baltic Sea and of the Scandinavian teleconnection pattern. From each of the feedback matrices, a linear statistical analysis extracts spatial patterns whose evolution in time exhibits predictive capabilities for the Western Mediterranean evolution in summer and autumn that are above those of persistence, and that could be improved.     

Interrelation of total precipitation over Eurasia with atmospheric centers of action of the northern hemisphere and with major modes of the North Atlantic surface temperature variability

Conventional average values of Wallace-Gutzler indices for the regional circulations and average values of major variability components of the fields of the North Atlantic surface temperature anomalies are plotted on the geographical map used to analyze the total daily precipitation fields. The computation conditions of average values are defined by the dates classified according to three equiprobable gradations of total precipitation. A projection of conditional average values to the precipitation field points enables to estimate the atmospheric and oceanic “tracks” within the marked out gradations of total precipitation. The stratification and computation of characteristics are carried out for the summer and winter seasons. Large regions are revealed of statistically significant interrelation of the atmospheric circulation and major components of variability of the sea surface temperature anomalies with the extreme gradations of total precipitation for summer and winter seasons. The recommendations are formulated for the use of obtained results in the practice of the seasonal forecasting of meteorological conditions.     

Synchronous and asynchronous relations between the North Atlantic SSTA and the Northern Hemisphere large-scale circulation features

The spatial and temporal relationships between sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) in the North Atlantic and the large-scale mid-troposphere circulation features in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer and the winter seasons are investigated. Results are based on atmospheric circulation indices (CI), introduced by Wallace and Gutzler for physical reasoning the low frequency atmospheric oscillations. Extreme levels and extreme situations in the mid-troposphere were defined and the SSTA composite charts were constructed with backward lags from 0 to 3 months. Analysis shows that several CI extreme phases of different signs are associated with synchronous and asynchronous SSTA composites of statistically separable types, or even antipodes, which may be interpreted as the intraseasonal influence of the ocean on the large-scale mid-troposphere anomaly features. Noteworthy is the role of the North Atlantic tropical zone in formation of ridges and blocking situations both in synchronous and asynchronous aspects. The North Atlantic SSTA relations to the West Atlantic Oscillation are shown to be significantly weaker that the same to the East Atlantic Oscillation.     

Variability peculiarities of distribution of transparency and suspended matter content in the northwestern part of the Black Sea in spring caused by large-scale processes in the ocean–atmosphere system

The display is considered of global processes in the ocean-atmosphere system in the variability of hydrophysical and hydrobiological fields of the northwestern part of the Black Sea in spring period of 1978–1995. It is demonstrated that the variability of North Atlantic and Southern oscillations in winter-spring period affects the spring hydrometeorological conditions in catchment areas of European rivers of the Black Sea basin causing the variability of runoff volumes of these rivers and the scales of spreading river waters at the northwestern shelf. Hydrological and hydrobiological characteristics of shelf waters varying in the process influence the formation of distribution of suspended matter content and transparency.     

Statistical models for predicting rainfall in the Caribbean

Summary Separate predictive models are created for the Caribbean early wet season (May–June–July) and late wet season (August–September–October). Simple correlations are used to select predictors for a Caribbean rainfall index and predictive equations are formulated using multiple linear regression. The process is repeated after long term trends are removed from the Caribbean rainfall index and the models validated using a number of statistical methods. Four variables are confirmed as predictors for the early season: Caribbean sea surface temperature anomalies, tropical North Atlantic sea level pressure anomalies, vertical shear anomalies in the equatorial Atlantic, and the size of the Atlantic portion of the Western Hemisphere Warm Pool. Only the first two are retained in the late season model. On the interannual time-scale, equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies become significant in both seasons. The NINO3 index is retained among the predictors for the early season, and zonal gradients of sea surface temperature between the equatorial Pacific and tropical Atlantic are retained for the late season. The results also indicate spatial variation in the importance of the seasonal predictors.     

北极海冰变化的时间和空间型

利用 4 4a(195 1～ 1994年 )北极海冰密度逐月资料 ,分析提出了一种与北极冰自然季节变化相吻合的分季法 ,并根据这种分季法 ,使用EOF分解 ,揭示了北极各季海冰面积异常的特征空间型及其对应的时间变化尺度。结果表明 :(1)北极冰面积异常变化的关键区 ,冬季 (2～ 4月 )主要位于北大西洋一侧的格陵兰海、巴伦支海和戴维斯海峡以及北太平洋一侧的鄂霍次克海和白令海 ,夏季 (8～ 10月 )则主要限于从喀拉海、东西伯利亚海、楚科奇海到波佛特海的纬向带状区域内 ,格陵兰海和巴伦支海是北极海冰面积异常变化的最重要区域 ;(2 )春 (5～ 7月 )、秋 (11月～次年 1月 )季各主要海区海冰面积异常基本呈同相变化 ,夏季东西伯利亚海、楚科奇海、波佛特海一带海冰面积异常和喀拉海呈反相变化 ,而冬季巴伦支海、格陵兰海海冰面积异常和戴维斯海峡、拉布拉多海、白令海、鄂霍次克海的海冰变化呈反相变化 ;(3)北极冰总面积过去 4 4a来确实经历了一种趋势性的减少 ,并且叠加在这种趋势变化之上的是年代尺度变化 ,其中春季 (5～ 7月 )海冰面积异常变化对年平均北极冰总面积异常变化作出了主要贡献 ;(4)位于北太平洋一侧极冰面积异常型基本具有半年的持续性 ,而位于北大西洋一侧极冰面积异常型具有半年至一年的持续性     

东西伯利亚——波弗特海海冰多年代际变率及其与大西洋多年代际振荡的联系

基于哈得来中心（Hadley Centre）逐月的海表温度、海冰密集度资料以及美国国家环境预报中心/国家大气研究中心（NCEP/NCAR）的大气环流再分析资料,分析了1950—2020年秋季（8—10月）东西伯利亚—波弗特海（East Siberian-Beaufort,EsCB）海冰年代际变化的时空特征,并阐述了大西洋多年代际振荡（Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation,AMO）对EsCB海冰年代际变率的可能调制作用。结果表明,EsCB是秋季北极海冰年代际变化最主要的区域,该区海冰密集度年代际变率可占其异常总方差的40%以上。进一步研究发现,AMO对秋季EsCB海冰存在明显的调制作用,在AMO正位相,北大西洋正海温异常激发向极传播的大气罗斯贝波列,有利于北极中部出现高压异常,相应的大气绝热下沉运动使得对流层低层出现明显的升温,从而有利于EsCB海冰的融化。与此同时,地表升温和EsCB海冰消融会引起局地云量的增多、大气向下长波辐射增大,这反过来又使得地表气温升高,这种地表气温-云-长波辐射的正反馈过程有利于年代际海冰信号的长时间维持。耦合模式的北大西洋“起搏...     

秋季北极海冰对EP型ENSO的非线性响应

利用1961—2015年Hadley中心逐月海表温度资料、海冰密集度资料以及NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,探讨了秋季北极海冰对于EP型ENSO事件的异常响应,并进一步研究了这种异常响应的可能原因。结果表明,秋季北极海冰对EP型ENSO的响应具有非线性,特别是喀拉海海域(60°～90°E,70°～80°N)海冰无论在EP型El Ni?o或是La Ni?a位相,均表现为显著的负异常。进一步研究发现,不同ENSO位相造成该区域海冰异常偏少的机制有明显不同。EP型El Ni?o年秋季菲律宾附近海域对流活动被抑制,所激发的经向波列在高纬地区形成异常反气旋环流,其南风分量向喀拉海输送暖平流,造成海冰异常偏少。而EP型La Ni?a年喀拉海海域则主要受到来自大西洋开放性海域西风异常的影响,合成结果和个例年均显示EP型La Ni?a年秋季北大西洋上空存在一个显著的西风急流中心,有利于北大西洋开放性海域较暖海水向下游输送,进而影响喀拉海海冰。这些结果表明,热带外地区大气环流场对EP型ENSO的非线性响应导致了喀拉海海冰对EP型ENSO事件的响应也表现出明显的非线性。     

北太平洋冬季上层海温异常的NPGO模态

利用较高分辨率的全球海洋同化分析系统(SODA)资料, 对冬季北太平洋上层的海温异常做了整层经验正交函数(EOF)分析, 并主要讨论了第二模态的结果。该模态空间结构与经典的北太平洋涡旋振荡(NPGO)一致, 且时间系数与NPGO指数也吻合, 故北太平洋上层海温异常EOF第二模态可称为NPGO模态。这说明NPGO现象不单纯反映在海表面温度异常上, 在上层海温中该现象也存在。在该模态空间场上, 水深100 m以上25°N～30°N的副热带处, 沿纬圈从120°E向东延伸至中东太平洋均为海温正异常带, 其北面则为负异常带, 两者构成双带系统;其中在170°W附近分别有正、负异常大值区, 中心构成南北偶极子;在本州岛以东海域, 从海表直到海洋上层底则有小范围的海温强异常。该模态空间结构的形成与大气NPO模态关系密切, 并与中纬度西风大值带上的风应力异常有关, 是造成NPGO的直接原因。该模态表现出明显的准13年年代际变化, 且对其进行5年滑动平均后发现, 从20世纪70年代中期以来, 该序列的振幅越来越大, 1976/1977年和1988/1989年的两次气候年代际突变均处该序列峰值处。引入了冬季北太平洋上层海温异常的NPGO指数, 其能更好反映海洋上层的NPGO现象及其年代际变化。     

Factors favorable to frequent extreme precipitation in the upper Yangtze River Valley

Extreme precipitation events in the upper Yangtze River Valley (YRV) have recently become an increasingly important focus in China because they often cause droughts and floods. Unfortunately, little is known about the climate processes responsible for these events. This paper investigates factors favorable to frequent extreme precipitation events in the upper YRV. Our results reveal that a weakened South China Sea summer monsoon trough, intensified Eurasian-Pacific blocking highs, an intensified South Asian High, a southward subtropical westerly jet and an intensified Western North Pacific Subtropical High (WNPSH) increase atmospheric instability and enhance the convergence of moisture over the upper YRV, which result in more extreme precipitation events. The snow depth over the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) in winter and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) over three key regions in summer are important external forcing factors in the atmospheric circulation anomalies. Deep snow on the Tibetan Plateau in winter can weaken the subsequent East Asian summer monsoon circulation above by increasing the soil moisture content in summer and weakening the land–sea thermal contrast over East Asia. The positive SSTA in the western North Pacific may affect southwestward extension of the WNPSH and the blocking high over northeastern Asia by arousing the East Asian-Pacific pattern. The positive SSTA in the North Atlantic can affect extreme precipitation event frequency in the upper YRV via a wave train pattern along the westerly jet between the North Atlantic and East Asia. A tripolar pattern from west to east over the Indian Ocean can strengthen moisture transport by enhancing Somali cross-equatorial flow.     

Influence of Low-frequency Solar Forcing on the East Asian Winter Monsoon Based on HadCM3 and Observations

In this study, we investigate the influence of low-frequency solar forcing on the East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM)by analyzing a four-member ensemble of 600-year simulations performed with Had CM3(Hadley Centre Coupled Model,version 3). We find that the EAWM is strengthened when total solar irradiance(TSI) increases on the multidecadal time scale. The model results indicate that positive TSI anomalies can result in the weakening of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, causing negative sea surface temperature(SST) anomalies in the North Atlantic. Especially for the subtropical North Atlantic, the negative SST anomalies can excite an anomalous Rossby wave train that moves from the subtropical North Atlantic to the Greenland Sea and finally to Siberia. In this process, the positive sea-ice feedback over the Greenland Sea further enhances the Rossby wave. The wave train can reach the Siberian region, and strengthen the Siberian high. As a result, low-level East Asian winter circulation is strengthened and the surface air temperature in East Asia decreases. Overall,when solar forcing is stronger on the multidecadal time scale, the EAWM is typically stronger than normal. Finally, a similar linkage can be observed between the EAWM and solar forcing during the period 1850–1970.     

Precursor Role of Winter Sea-Ice in the Labrador Sea for Following-Spring Precipitation over Southeastern North America and Western Europe

The role of winter sea-ice in the Labrador Sea as a precursor for precipitation anomalies over southeastern North America and Western Europe in the following spring is investigated. In general terms, as the sea ice increases, the precipitation also increases. In more detail, however, analyses indicate that both the winter sea-ice and the sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies related to increases in winter sea-ice in the Labrador Sea can persist into the following spring. These features play a forcing role in the spring atmosphere, which may be the physical mechanism behind the observational relationship between the winter sea-ice and spring precipitation anomalies. The oceanic forcings in spring include Arctic sea-ice anomalies and SST anomalies in the tropical Pacific and high-latitude North Atlantic. Multi-model Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 and Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project simulation results show that the atmospheric circulation response to the combination of sea-ice and SST is similar to that observed, which suggests that the oceanic forcings are indeed the physical reason for the enhanced spring precipitation. Sensitivity experiments conducted using an atmospheric general circulation model indicate that the increases in precipitation over southeastern North America are mainly attributable to the effect of the SST anomalies, while the increases over Western Europe are mainly due to the sea-ice anomalies. Although model simulations reveal that the SST anomalies play the primary role in the precipitation anomalies over southeastern North America, the observational statistical analyses indicate that the area of sea-ice in the Labrador Sea seems to be the precursor that best predicts the spring precipitation anomaly.     

Interannual summer air temperature variability over Greece and its connection to the large-scale atmospheric circulation and Mediterranean SSTs 1950–1999

The interannual and decadal variability of summer (June to September) air temperature in the northeastern Mediterranean is analysed for the period 1950 to 1999. Extremely hot and cool summers are illustrated by means of composite analysis. The combined influence of the large-scale atmospheric circulation and thermic predictors on local temperature is assessed by means of an objective approach based on empirical orthogonal functions and canonical correlation analysis. Monthly values of sea level pressure, geopotential heights, atmospheric thickness and Mediterranean sea surface temperatures are used as predictor fields and air temperature from 24 observational sites spread over Greece and western Turkey constitute the predictand variable. Results indicate that more than 50% of the total summer temperature variability can be explained linearly by the combination of eight large-scale predictor fields on two canonical correlation modes. The first canonical mode is related to a more meridional circulation at the upper tropospheric levels, which favours local land-sea contrasts in the associated local temperature pattern. Variations of this mode are found to be responsible for the occurrence of extreme events and decadal trends in regional temperature, the latter being characterized by a cooling in the early 1960s and a warming in the early 1990s. The second canonical mode pictures variations in the intensity of the zonal circulation over the Atlantic area that drive temperature anomalies affecting mainly the Aegean Sea and the west of Greece. Our results suggest the potential of statistical downscaling for Greek summer temperature with reliable climate forecasts for planetary-scale anomalies.     

A 1,000-year ice core record of interannual to multidecadal variations in atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic

Interannual to multidecadal modes in ocean/atmosphere dynamics in the North Atlantic region have been identified using sea salt aerosol proxy records from northern Greenland ice cores over the last 1,000 years. Sea salt concentrations show a consistent relationship with anomalies in the meridional pressure gradient over the North Atlantic region over all considered time scales. These pressure anomalies are connected to shifts in storm tracks, leading to lower pressure and higher storm activity, hence, higher sea salt export over the Greenland ice sheet. Two modes of long-term variability with a period of 10.4 years and 62 years could be identified. The latter is connected to long-term changes in sea surface temperature (SST) as documented by a high correlation of North Atlantic SST with our sea salt record over the last 150 years. Long-term reconstruction of these modes shows that the 10.4-year cycle has been a phenomenon persistent over the last millennium while the 62-year cycle has been mainly active after 1700. Accordingly, the longer-term persistence of this multidecadal variability in sea salt points also to significant variations in SST over the last 300 years.