Influence of the North Atlantic SST on the atmospheric circulation

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: Czaja, Arnaud, Frankignoul, Claude
• Other Authors: Laboratoire d'océanographie dynamique et de climatologie (LODYC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 1999
• Subjects: Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Air/sea constituent fluxes (3339; 4504); [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; Newfoundland; Labrador Sea; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00772194; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00772194/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00772194/file/1999GL900613.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GL900613

International audience Using the monthly COADS dataset and NMC-NCAR archives we show that significant anomalies of the atmospheric circulation are related to previous SST anomalies in the North Atlantic. A signal over the northwest Labrador Sea in late spring is associated with the dominant mode of SST variability during the preceeding winter. It is more clearly seen in the mid-troposhere than at sea level and appears to be related to the anomalous surface heat exchanges that slowly damp the SST anomalies. In addition, a NAO-like signal in early winter is associated with SST anomalies east of Newfoundland and in the eastern subtropical North Atlantic during the preceeding summer.