An Atmospheric Bridge Between the Subpolar and Tropical Atlantic Regions: A Perplexing Asymmetric Teleconnection
The largest sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) occur over the Atlantic subpolar gyre, yet it is the tropical Atlantic from where the global impacts of AMV originate. Processes that communicate SST change from the subpolar Atlantic gyre to...
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ftcolumbiauniv:oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/83sf-gm35 2023-05-15T17:32:28+02:00 An Atmospheric Bridge Between the Subpolar and Tropical Atlantic Regions: A Perplexing Asymmetric Teleconnection Baek, Seung Hun Kushnir, Yochanan Robinson, Walter A. Lora, Juan M. Lee, Dong Eun Ting, Mingfang 2021 https://doi.org/10.7916/83sf-gm35 English eng https://doi.org/10.7916/83sf-gm35 Teleconnections (Climatology) Ocean temperature Atmospheric circulation Climatology Articles 2021 ftcolumbiauniv https://doi.org/10.7916/83sf-gm35 2023-01-21T23:19:53Z The largest sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) occur over the Atlantic subpolar gyre, yet it is the tropical Atlantic from where the global impacts of AMV originate. Processes that communicate SST change from the subpolar Atlantic gyre to the tropical North Atlantic thus comprise a crucial mechanism of AMV. Here we use idealized model experiments to show that such communication is accomplished by an “atmospheric bridge.” Our results demonstrate an unexpected asymmetry: the atmosphere is effective in communicating cold subpolar SSTs to the north tropical Atlantic, via an immediate extratropical atmospheric circulation change that invokes slower wind-driven evaporative cooling along the Eastern Atlantic Basin and into the tropics. Warm subpolar SST anomalies do not elicit a robust tropical Atlantic response. Our results highlight a key dynamical feature of AMV for which warm and cold phases are not opposites. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Columbia University: Academic Commons |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Columbia University: Academic Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftcolumbiauniv |
language |
English |
topic |
Teleconnections (Climatology) Ocean temperature Atmospheric circulation Climatology |
spellingShingle |
Teleconnections (Climatology) Ocean temperature Atmospheric circulation Climatology Baek, Seung Hun Kushnir, Yochanan Robinson, Walter A. Lora, Juan M. Lee, Dong Eun Ting, Mingfang An Atmospheric Bridge Between the Subpolar and Tropical Atlantic Regions: A Perplexing Asymmetric Teleconnection |
topic_facet |
Teleconnections (Climatology) Ocean temperature Atmospheric circulation Climatology |
description |
The largest sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) occur over the Atlantic subpolar gyre, yet it is the tropical Atlantic from where the global impacts of AMV originate. Processes that communicate SST change from the subpolar Atlantic gyre to the tropical North Atlantic thus comprise a crucial mechanism of AMV. Here we use idealized model experiments to show that such communication is accomplished by an “atmospheric bridge.” Our results demonstrate an unexpected asymmetry: the atmosphere is effective in communicating cold subpolar SSTs to the north tropical Atlantic, via an immediate extratropical atmospheric circulation change that invokes slower wind-driven evaporative cooling along the Eastern Atlantic Basin and into the tropics. Warm subpolar SST anomalies do not elicit a robust tropical Atlantic response. Our results highlight a key dynamical feature of AMV for which warm and cold phases are not opposites. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Baek, Seung Hun Kushnir, Yochanan Robinson, Walter A. Lora, Juan M. Lee, Dong Eun Ting, Mingfang |
author_facet |
Baek, Seung Hun Kushnir, Yochanan Robinson, Walter A. Lora, Juan M. Lee, Dong Eun Ting, Mingfang |
author_sort |
Baek, Seung Hun |
title |
An Atmospheric Bridge Between the Subpolar and Tropical Atlantic Regions: A Perplexing Asymmetric Teleconnection |
title_short |
An Atmospheric Bridge Between the Subpolar and Tropical Atlantic Regions: A Perplexing Asymmetric Teleconnection |
title_full |
An Atmospheric Bridge Between the Subpolar and Tropical Atlantic Regions: A Perplexing Asymmetric Teleconnection |
title_fullStr |
An Atmospheric Bridge Between the Subpolar and Tropical Atlantic Regions: A Perplexing Asymmetric Teleconnection |
title_full_unstemmed |
An Atmospheric Bridge Between the Subpolar and Tropical Atlantic Regions: A Perplexing Asymmetric Teleconnection |
title_sort |
atmospheric bridge between the subpolar and tropical atlantic regions: a perplexing asymmetric teleconnection |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7916/83sf-gm35 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.7916/83sf-gm35 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7916/83sf-gm35 |
_version_ |
1766130612466352128 |