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The Atlantic Meridional Mode and hurricane activity
Author(s) -
Vimont Daniel J.,
Kossin James P.
Publication year - 2007
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 - 10.1029/2007gl029683
Subject(s) - climatology , atlantic multidecadal oscillation , atlantic hurricane , mode (computer interface) , environmental science , tropical atlantic , zonal and meridional , tropical cyclone , el niño southern oscillation , north atlantic oscillation , atmosphere (unit) , oceanography , sea surface temperature , geology , meteorology , geography , computer science , operating system
Connections between the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) and seasonal hurricane activity are investigated. The AMM, a dynamical “mode” of variability intrinsic to the tropical coupled ocean‐atmosphere system, is strongly related to seasonal hurricane activity on both decadal and interannual time scales. The connection arises due to the AMM's relationship with a number of local climatic conditions that all cooperate in their influence on hurricane activity. Further analysis indicates that the Atlantic Multi‐decadal Oscillation (AMO) can excite the AMM on decadal time scales. As such, it is suggested that the AMO's influence on seasonal hurricane activity manifests itself through the AMM. This relationship between the AMM, AMO, and seasonal hurricane activity refocuses our understanding of how climate variations relate to seasonal hurricane activity in the Atlantic, and offers an improved framework beyond purely thermodynamic arguments that relates hurricanes to large‐scale climate variations.