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NAO impact towards the springtime snow disappearance in the western Eurasian continent
Author(s) -
Hori M. E.,
Yasunari T.
Publication year - 2003
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 - 10.1029/2003gl018103
Subject(s) - anomaly (physics) , snow , climatology , snow cover , advection , troposphere , geology , north atlantic oscillation , atmospheric circulation , snow line , intrusion , geopotential height , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , geography , meteorology , precipitation , geomorphology , physics , geochemistry , condensed matter physics , thermodynamics
The atmospheric control over the disappearance of snow in western Eurasia and its relationship to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are investigated. While the NAO has a strong effect on the lower tropospheric temperature in the region, its ability to force control over the snow extent is confined to western Europe in January and February. Successive composite differences and heat budget analysis reveals a northeastward propagation of snow cover anomaly maintained by an anomalous zonal heat advection related to the NAO from January to March, and the intrusion of warm climatological southerly maintaining the snow anomaly until April.