Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS)

Observed large-scale atmospheric response to ocean circulation changes




How to detect and estimate the influence of ocean circulation changes on the large-scale atmospheric circulation will be discussed using two examples. The first one will show that the observed meridional shifts of the subarctic front associated with the Oyashio Extension have an impact on the North Pacific Oscillation/Western Pacific pattern. The response is stronger during fall and winter and when the front is displaced southward, and it may act as a weak positive feedback. However, its estimated amplitude depends on the representation of the transient atmospheric response to boundary forcing. The second example will briefly discuss the influence of the variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in a climate model.