Climate variability modes due to ocean-atmosphere interaction in the central Atlantic

Roxana Bojariu

doi:10.3402/tellusa.v49i3.14675

Climate variability modes due to ocean-atmosphere interaction in the central Atlantic

Tellus

Volume 49 (1997): Issue 3

By: Roxana Bojariu

Open Access

|Jan 1997

Abstract

Sea surface temperature (SST) and surface wind patterns from the central Atlantic are studied using empirical orthogonal function and canonical correlation analysis. The data set, which consists of monthly means of SST, zonal and meridional wind components, spans the interval 1965—1987. North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) effects are revealed by the analysis of the tropical Atlantic variability. The persistence of a NAO phase for several years seems to be related to the persistence of SST and wind anomalies through a feedback mechanism which takes place in the northern tropical Atlantic.

References

Bjerknes , J . 1964 . Atlantic air-sea interaction. Advances in geophysics. Academic Press, pp.1-82.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Bottomley , M. , Folland , C. K. , Hsiung , J. , Newell , R. E. and Parker , D. E . 1990 . Global surface temperature atlas (GOSTA) . HMSO , London .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Cayan , D. R . 1992 . Latent and sensible heat flux anomalies over the northern oceans: the connection to monthly atmospheric circulation . J. Climate 5 , 354 – 369 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Folland , C. K. and Parker , D. E . 1995 . Correction of instrumental biases in historical sea surface temperature data . Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc . 121 , 319 – 367 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Glowienka-Hense , R . 1990 . The North Atlantic Oscillation in the Atlantic European SLP . Tellus 42A , 497 – 507 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Hagen , E. and Schmager , G . 1991 . On mid latitude air pressure variations and related SSTA fluctuations in the tropical/subtropical Northern Atlantic from 1957 to 1974 . Z. Meteorol . 41 , 3 , 176 – 190 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Hastenrath , S. and Heller , L . 1977 . Dynamics of climatic hazards in Northeast Brazil . Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc . 103 , 77 – 92 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Houghton , R. W. and Tourre , Y. M . 1992 . Characteristic low frequency sea surface temperature fluctuation in the tropical Atlantic . J. Climate 5 , 765 – 7771 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Kharin , V . 1994 . The relationship between sea surface temperature anomalies and atmospheric circulation in general circulation model experiments . Max-Planck-Institut fur Meteorologie , Hamburg, Report No . 136 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Kushnir , Y . 1994 . Interdecadal variations in North Atlantic sea surface temperature and associated atmospheric conditions . J. Climate 7 , 141 – 157 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Moura , A. D. and Shukla , 1981 . On the dynamics of droughts in northeast Brazil: observation, theory and numerical experiments with a general circulation model. J. Atmos. Sci . 38 , 2653 – 2675.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Namias J . 1972 . Influence of northern hemisphere general circulation on drought in northeast Brazil . Tellus 24 , 336 – 343 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Parker , D. E. , Folland C K. and Jackson , M . 1995 . Marine surface temperature: observed variations and data requirements . Climatic Change 31 , 559 – 600 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Preisendorfer , R. W . 1988 . Principal component analysis in meteorology and oceanography . Elsevier, 425 pp.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Rogers , J. C. and Van Loon , H . 1979 . The seesaw in winter temperatures between Greenland and northern Europe. Part II: Some oceanic and atmospheric effects in middle and high latitudes. Mon. Wea. Re v . 107 , 509 – 519 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Servain , J . 1991 . Simple climatic indices for tropical Atlantic Ocean and some application . J. Geophys. Res . 96 , 15137 – 15146 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Servain , J. and Legler , D. M . 1986 . Empirical orthogonal function analyses of tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature and wind stress: 1964-1979 . J. Geophys. Res . 91 , 14181 – 14191 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Van Loon , H. and Rogers , J. C . 1978 . The seesaw in winter temperatures between Greenlandand northern Europe. Part I: General description. Mon. Wea. Re v . 106 , 296 – 310 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Von Storch , H . 1995 . Spatial patterns: E0Fs and CCA. In: Von Storch , H. and Navarra , A. (eds): Analysis of climate variability: applications of statistical techniques. Springer pp. 227 - 258 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Wallace , J. M. , Smith , C. , and Jiang , Q . 1990 . Spatial patterns of atmosphere-ocean interaction in the Northern Hemisphere winter . J. Climate 3 , 991 – 998 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Woodruff , S. D. , Slutz , R. J. , Jenne , R. L. and Steurer , P. M . 1987 . A comprehensive ocean-atmosphere data-set . Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc . 68 , 1239 – 1250 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Zebiak , S. E . 1993 . Air-sea interaction in the equatorial Atlantic region . J. Climate 6 , 1567 – 1586 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Zorita , E. , Kharin , V. , and von Storch H , 1992 . The atmospheric circulation and sea surface temperature in the north Atlantic area in winter: their interaction and relevance for Iberian precipitation . J. Climate 5 , 1097 – 1108 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article