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Global linkages originating from decadal oceanic variability in the subpolar North Atlantic
Author(s) -
Chafik L.,
Häkkinen S.,
England M. H.,
Carton J. A.,
Nigam S.,
RuizBarradas A.,
Hannachi A.,
Miller L.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2016gl071134
Subject(s) - climatology , oceanography , north atlantic deep water , walker circulation , atlantic equatorial mode , sea surface temperature , thermohaline circulation , subtropics , ocean current , tropical atlantic , arctic dipole anomaly , atmospheric circulation , geology , gulf stream , climate change , arctic , global warming , environmental science , arctic ice pack , antarctic sea ice , fishery , biology
The anomalous decadal warming of the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean (SPNA), and the northward spreading of this warm water, has been linked to rapid Arctic sea ice loss and more frequent cold European winters. Recently, variations in this heat transport have also been reported to covary with global warming slowdown/acceleration periods via a Pacific climate response. We here examine the role of SPNA temperature variability in this Atlantic‐Pacific climate connectivity. We find that the evolution of ocean heat content anomalies from the subtropics to the subpolar region, likely due to ocean circulation changes, coincides with a basin‐wide Atlantic warming/cooling. This induces an Atlantic‐Pacific sea surface temperature seesaw, which in turn, strengthens/weakens the Walker circulation and amplifies the Pacific decadal variability that triggers pronounced global‐scale atmospheric circulation anomalies. We conclude that the decadal oceanic variability in the SPNA is an essential component of the tropical interactions between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.