Interannual Relationship between ENSO and Atlantic Storm Track in Spring Modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

It has been well documented that storm track activity are closely related to the weather and short-term climate variability in the extratropics, which is affected by sea surface temperature anomalies over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. Interannual relationship between the El Niño-South...

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Main Authors: Chenfei Liao, Haiming Xu, Jiechun Deng, Leying Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-10-01
Series:Atmosphere
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/9/11/419
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author Chenfei Liao
Haiming Xu
Jiechun Deng
Leying Zhang
author_facet Chenfei Liao
Haiming Xu
Jiechun Deng
Leying Zhang
author_sort Chenfei Liao
collection DOAJ
description It has been well documented that storm track activity are closely related to the weather and short-term climate variability in the extratropics, which is affected by sea surface temperature anomalies over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. Interannual relationship between the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic storm track (AST) in spring modulated by the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) was investigated using reanalysis data and model simulations in this study. The meridional displacement of the AST is significantly correlated with ENSO during negative AMO phase, while no significant relationship is found during positive AMO phase. This may be due to the difference of 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies induced by ENSO in different AMO phases. For an El Niño event during the negative AMO phase, an anomalous 500-hPa wave train propagates eastward across the North American continent, with positive height anomalies at the high latitudes, extending from South Canada to Newfoundland. Thus, easterly wind anomalies appear over central North America, upstream of the negative AST anomaly. Accordingly, the local eddy growth rate (EGR) and baroclinic energy conversion (BC) are obviously reduced, which weaken (strengthen) the southern (northern) part of the climatological AST. As a result, the AST is shifted northward significantly. During the positive AMO phase, the ENSO-related anomalous wave train at 500 hPa only propagates northeastward and is largely suppressed over Northwest Canada, with positive height anomalies confined to the northwest of North America. Therefore, no significant changes of the westerly jet, EGR and BC are found in the upstream region of the AST, and the meridional location of the AST generally remains unchanged. Most previous studies investigate AST variabilities in winter, and few focus on AST in spring. This work may be helpful in understanding more about the interannual and interdecadal variations of springtime AST and in further studying the weather and short-term climate changes caused by AST.
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spelling doaj.art-cb6a65f724364493a288f5dcb47522e02022-12-22T03:33:21ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332018-10-0191141910.3390/atmos9110419atmos9110419Interannual Relationship between ENSO and Atlantic Storm Track in Spring Modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal OscillationChenfei Liao0Haiming Xu1Jiechun Deng2Leying Zhang3Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME)/Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC)/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaKey Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME)/Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC)/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaKey Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME)/Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC)/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaJoint Innovation Center for Modern Forestry Studies, College of Biology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaIt has been well documented that storm track activity are closely related to the weather and short-term climate variability in the extratropics, which is affected by sea surface temperature anomalies over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. Interannual relationship between the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic storm track (AST) in spring modulated by the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) was investigated using reanalysis data and model simulations in this study. The meridional displacement of the AST is significantly correlated with ENSO during negative AMO phase, while no significant relationship is found during positive AMO phase. This may be due to the difference of 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies induced by ENSO in different AMO phases. For an El Niño event during the negative AMO phase, an anomalous 500-hPa wave train propagates eastward across the North American continent, with positive height anomalies at the high latitudes, extending from South Canada to Newfoundland. Thus, easterly wind anomalies appear over central North America, upstream of the negative AST anomaly. Accordingly, the local eddy growth rate (EGR) and baroclinic energy conversion (BC) are obviously reduced, which weaken (strengthen) the southern (northern) part of the climatological AST. As a result, the AST is shifted northward significantly. During the positive AMO phase, the ENSO-related anomalous wave train at 500 hPa only propagates northeastward and is largely suppressed over Northwest Canada, with positive height anomalies confined to the northwest of North America. Therefore, no significant changes of the westerly jet, EGR and BC are found in the upstream region of the AST, and the meridional location of the AST generally remains unchanged. Most previous studies investigate AST variabilities in winter, and few focus on AST in spring. This work may be helpful in understanding more about the interannual and interdecadal variations of springtime AST and in further studying the weather and short-term climate changes caused by AST.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/9/11/419Atlantic multidecadal oscillationdecadal modulationEl Niño-Southern OscillationAtlantic storm trackspring
spellingShingle Chenfei Liao
Haiming Xu
Jiechun Deng
Leying Zhang
Interannual Relationship between ENSO and Atlantic Storm Track in Spring Modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
Atmosphere
Atlantic multidecadal oscillation
decadal modulation
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Atlantic storm track
spring
title Interannual Relationship between ENSO and Atlantic Storm Track in Spring Modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
title_full Interannual Relationship between ENSO and Atlantic Storm Track in Spring Modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
title_fullStr Interannual Relationship between ENSO and Atlantic Storm Track in Spring Modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
title_full_unstemmed Interannual Relationship between ENSO and Atlantic Storm Track in Spring Modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
title_short Interannual Relationship between ENSO and Atlantic Storm Track in Spring Modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
title_sort interannual relationship between enso and atlantic storm track in spring modulated by the atlantic multidecadal oscillation
topic Atlantic multidecadal oscillation
decadal modulation
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Atlantic storm track
spring
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/9/11/419
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AT haimingxu interannualrelationshipbetweenensoandatlanticstormtrackinspringmodulatedbytheatlanticmultidecadaloscillation
AT jiechundeng interannualrelationshipbetweenensoandatlanticstormtrackinspringmodulatedbytheatlanticmultidecadaloscillation
AT leyingzhang interannualrelationshipbetweenensoandatlanticstormtrackinspringmodulatedbytheatlanticmultidecadaloscillation