Regional Climate Impacts of the Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode

The Northern Hemisphere annular mode (NAM) (also known as the North Atlantic Oscillation) is shown to exert a strong influence on wintertime climate, not only over the Euro-Atlantic half of the hemisphere as documented in previous studies, but over the Pacific half as well. It affects not only the m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2001-07, Vol.293 (5527), p.85-89
Main Authors: David W. J. Thompson, Wallace, John M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Buoys
Climate
Climate change
Climate models
Climatic changes
Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Meteorological research
Meteorology
Northern hemisphere
Precipitation
Signatures
Snow
Statistical Distributions
Temperature
Temperature distribution
Time series
Weather
Winter
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Summary:The Northern Hemisphere annular mode (NAM) (also known as the North Atlantic Oscillation) is shown to exert a strong influence on wintertime climate, not only over the Euro-Atlantic half of the hemisphere as documented in previous studies, but over the Pacific half as well. It affects not only the mean conditions, but also the day-to-day variability, modulating the intensity of mid-latitude storms and the frequency of occurrence of high-latitude blocking and cold air outbreaks throughout the hemisphere. The recent trend in the NAM toward its high-index polarity with stronger subpolar westerlies has tended to reduce the severity of winter weather over most middle- and high-latitude Northern Hemisphere continental regions.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1058958