North Atlantic Oscillation: Description, Mechanisms, and Influence on the Eurasian Climate

• Published in: Physical oceanography 2004-03, Vol.14 (2), p.96-113
• Main Authors: Polonskii, AB, Basharin, D V, Voskresenskaya, EN, Worley, S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmosphere; Catchment areas; Climate change; Climatic conditions; Marine; Ocean temperature; Ocean-atmosphere interaction; Physical oceanography; Rivers; Sea surface temperature
• ISSN: 0928-5105; 0928-5105
• DOI: 10.1023/B:POCE.0000037873.85289.6e

The present work is devoted to the characteristic of the North-Atlantic Oscillation and the analysis of the state-of-the-art of this problem. In the survey section of the work, we deal with the following issues: the definition of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oscillations, their interaction with oceanic processes, and their influence on the variations of climate in Eurasia. In addition, by using the COADS (Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set) data and the data on the discharge of European and Asian rivers, we establish some new original results. It is confirmed that the anomalies of the sea-surface temperature are consequences of the integral response of the ocean to the preceding atmospheric actions and that the spectra of these anomalies are characterized by the presence of significant peaks within the band of periods of 10-20 yr. These periods correspond to inherent oceanic variability. The atmospheric response manifests itself in the form of abnormal conditions over the catchment areas of European and Asian rivers, which leads to oscillations of their discharges. As a result of the intensification of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the displacement of the centers of action of the atmosphere in the 60-90s of the previous century, the influence of this oscillation on the climatic conditions in the European-Asian region became more intense.