Solar-wind-magnetosphere energy influences the interannual variability of the northern-hemispheric winter climate

• Published in: National Science Review
• Main Authors: He, Shengping, Wang, Huijun, Li, Fei, Li, Hui, Wang, Chi
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: solar wind; winter climate; interannual variability; stratosphere; JANUARY TEMPERATURE; ARCTIC OSCILLATION; CYCLE; OZONE; IRRADIANCE; MODULATION; TROPOSPHERE; IMPACTS; SIGNAL; LINKS; Arctic; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: http://ir.nssc.ac.cn/handle/122/7718; https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwz082

Solar irradiance has been universally acknowledged to be dominant by quasi-decadal variability, which has been adopted frequently to investigate its effect on climate decadal variability. As one major terrestrial energy source, solar-wind energy flux into Earth's magnetosphere (E-in) exhibits dramatic interannual variation, the effect of which on Earth's climate, however, has not drawn much attention. Based on the Ein estimated by 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we demonstrate a novelty that the annual mean Ein can explain up to 25% total interannual variance of the northern-hemispheric temperature in the subsequent boreal winter. The concurrent anomalous atmospheric circulation resembles the positive phase of Arctic Oscillation/North Atlantic Oscillation. The warm anomalies in the tropic stratopause and tropopause induced by increased solar-wind-magnetosphere energy persist into the subsequent winter. Due to the dominant change in the polar vortex and mid-latitude westerly in boreal winter, a 'top-down' propagation of the stationary planetary wave emerges in the Northern Hemisphere and further influences the atmospheric circulation and climate.