Positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical North Atlantic multidecadal oscillation: Cloud and Dust Feedback and AMO
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is characterized by a horseshoe pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies and has a wide range of climatic impacts. While the tropical arm of AMO is responsible for many of these impacts, it is either too weak or completely absent in many climate...
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ftzenodo:oai:zenodo.org:1000661 2024-09-15T18:22:10+00:00 Positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical North Atlantic multidecadal oscillation: Cloud and Dust Feedback and AMO Yuan, Tianle Oreopoulos, Lazaros Zelinka, Mark Yu, Hongbin Norris, Joel Chin, Mian Platnick, Steven Meyer, Kerry 2016-01-01 https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gl067679 unknown Zenodo https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gl067679 oai:zenodo.org:1000661 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2016 ftzenodo https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gl067679 2024-07-25T21:29:54Z The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is characterized by a horseshoe pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies and has a wide range of climatic impacts. While the tropical arm of AMO is responsible for many of these impacts, it is either too weak or completely absent in many climate model simulations. Here we show, using both observational and model evidence, that the radiative effect of positive low cloud and dust feedbacks is strong enough to generate the tropical arm of AMO, with the low cloud feedback more dominant. The feedbacks can be understood in a consistent dynamical framework: weakened tropical trade wind speed in response to a warm middle latitude SST anomaly reduces dust loading and low cloud fraction over the tropical Atlantic, which warms the tropical North Atlantic SST. Together they contribute to the appearance of the tropical arm of AMO. Most current climate models miss both the critical wind speed response and two positive feedbacks though realistic simulations of them may be essential for many climatic studies related to the AMO. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Zenodo Geophysical Research Letters 43 3 1349 1356 |
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The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is characterized by a horseshoe pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies and has a wide range of climatic impacts. While the tropical arm of AMO is responsible for many of these impacts, it is either too weak or completely absent in many climate model simulations. Here we show, using both observational and model evidence, that the radiative effect of positive low cloud and dust feedbacks is strong enough to generate the tropical arm of AMO, with the low cloud feedback more dominant. The feedbacks can be understood in a consistent dynamical framework: weakened tropical trade wind speed in response to a warm middle latitude SST anomaly reduces dust loading and low cloud fraction over the tropical Atlantic, which warms the tropical North Atlantic SST. Together they contribute to the appearance of the tropical arm of AMO. Most current climate models miss both the critical wind speed response and two positive feedbacks though realistic simulations of them may be essential for many climatic studies related to the AMO. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Yuan, Tianle Oreopoulos, Lazaros Zelinka, Mark Yu, Hongbin Norris, Joel Chin, Mian Platnick, Steven Meyer, Kerry |
spellingShingle |
Yuan, Tianle Oreopoulos, Lazaros Zelinka, Mark Yu, Hongbin Norris, Joel Chin, Mian Platnick, Steven Meyer, Kerry Positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical North Atlantic multidecadal oscillation: Cloud and Dust Feedback and AMO |
author_facet |
Yuan, Tianle Oreopoulos, Lazaros Zelinka, Mark Yu, Hongbin Norris, Joel Chin, Mian Platnick, Steven Meyer, Kerry |
author_sort |
Yuan, Tianle |
title |
Positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical North Atlantic multidecadal oscillation: Cloud and Dust Feedback and AMO |
title_short |
Positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical North Atlantic multidecadal oscillation: Cloud and Dust Feedback and AMO |
title_full |
Positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical North Atlantic multidecadal oscillation: Cloud and Dust Feedback and AMO |
title_fullStr |
Positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical North Atlantic multidecadal oscillation: Cloud and Dust Feedback and AMO |
title_full_unstemmed |
Positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical North Atlantic multidecadal oscillation: Cloud and Dust Feedback and AMO |
title_sort |
positive low cloud and dust feedbacks amplify tropical north atlantic multidecadal oscillation: cloud and dust feedback and amo |
publisher |
Zenodo |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gl067679 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gl067679 oai:zenodo.org:1000661 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gl067679 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
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43 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
1349 |
op_container_end_page |
1356 |
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1810461618486640640 |