A stratospheric connection to Atlantic climate variability
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Material Information

Title:
A stratospheric connection to Atlantic climate variability
Series Title:
Nature Geosciences
Creator:
Reichler, Thomas
Kim, Junsu
Manzini, Elisa
Kroger, Jurgen
Affiliation:
University of Utah -- Department of Atmospheric Sciences
University of Utah -- Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Max Planck Institute of Meteorology
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
Publisher:
Macmillan Publishers Limited
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climatic changes
Stratosphere
Atlantic Ocean

Notes

Abstract:
The stratosphere is connected to tropospheric weather and climate. In particular, extreme stratospheric circulation events are known to exert a dynamical feedback on the troposphere1. However, it is unclear whether the state of the stratosphere also affects the ocean and its circulation. A co-variability of decadal stratospheric flow variations and conditions in the North Atlantic Ocean has been suggested, but such findings are based on short simulations with only one climate model2. Here we assess ocean reanalysis data and find that, over the previous 30 years, the stratosphere and the Atlantic thermohaline circulation experienced low-frequency variations that were similar to each other. Using climate models, we demonstrate that this similarity is consistent with the hypothesis that variations in the sequence of stratospheric circulation anomalies, combined with the persistence of individual anomalies, significantly affect the North Atlantic Ocean. Our analyses identify a previously unknown source for decadal climate variability and suggest that simulations of deep layers of the atmosphere and the ocean are needed for realistic predictions of climate. ( English )

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Florida International University
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