Skip to main content

Modulation of Aleutian Low and Antarctic Oscillation co-variability by ENSO

Climate Dynamics volume 44, pages 1245–1256 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

We use both the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis data (1979–2013) and the Community Atmospheric Model Version 3 to explore the modulation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the co-variability of the Aleutian Low (AL) and the Antarctic Oscillation (AAO). The empirical orthogonal function analysis on the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data indicates that after the late-1990s the global sea level pressure (SLP) and 300-hPa geopotential height (Z300) in boreal January are characterized by the concurrence of the AL and the negative phase of the AAO (−AAO). Associated with this AL–AAO co-variation is a sea surface temperature anomaly that resembles the ENSO cycle. Further analyses reveal that the interdecadal change in ENSO signal (westward extension and more La Niña events) is responsible for the co-variability of AL and AAO after the late-1990s. Correspondingly, the El Niño-related anomalous heating and upward motion over the eastern–central equatorial Pacific can lead to the upper-tropospheric divergence in the western–central Pacific. This upper-tropospheric divergence plays an essential role in coupling the equatorial heat anomalies with the variation of the subtropical westerly jet of both hemispheres, and therefore results in the enhanced meridional circulation of the three cells. It thus implies that ENSO might act as a bridge linking AL and AAO after the late-1990s, causing their consistent co-variability. The numerical experiment also supports this hypothesis.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

References

  • Cai W, van Rensch P, Cowan T, Sullivan A (2010) Asymmetry in ENSO teleconnection with regional rainfall, its multidecadal variability, and impact. J Clim 23:4944–4955

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho LMV, Jones C, Ambrizzi T (2005) Opposite phases of the Antarctic Oscillation and relationships with intraseasonal to interannual activity in the tropics during the austral summer. J Clim 18:702–718

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen HP, Sun JQ, Chen XL, Zhou W (2012) CGCM projections of heavy rainfall events in China. Int J Climatol 32:441–450

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung HN, Zhou W, Mok HY, Wu MC (2012) Relationship between Ural-Siberian blocking and the East Asian winter monsoon in relation to the Arctic oscillation and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. J Clim 25:4242–4257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ciasto LM, Thompson DWJ (2008) Observations of largescale ocean–atmosphere interaction in the Southern Hemisphere. J Clim 21:1244–1259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins W et al (2006) The formulation and atmospheric simulation of the Community Atmosphere Model Version 3 (CAM3). J Clim 19:2144–2161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan K, Wang HJ (2004) Antarctic Oscillation and the dust weather frequency in North China. Geophys Res Lett 31:L10201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan K, Wang HJ (2006) Interannual variability of Antarctic Oscillation and its influence on East Asian climate during boreal winter and spring. Sci China Ser D 49:554–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fogt RL, Bromwich DH (2006) Decadal variability of the ENSO teleconnection to the high-latitude South Pacific governed by coupling with the southern annular mode. J Clim 19:979–997

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giese BS, Urizar SC, Fučkar NS (2002) Southern Hemisphere origins of the 1976 climate shift. Geophys Res Lett 29(2):1014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gong DY, Wang SW (1999) Definition of Antarctic Oscillation index. Geophys Res Lett 26:459–462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He SP (2013) Reduction of the East Asian winter monsoon interannual variability after the mid-1980s and possible cause. Chin Sci Bull 58:1331–1338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He SP, Wang HJ (2013a) Oscillating relationship between the East Asian winter monsoon and ENSO. J Clim. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00174.1

    Google Scholar 

  • He SP, Wang HJ (2013b) Impact of the November/December Arctic Oscillation on the following January temperature in East Asia. J Geophys Res 118:12981–12998

    Google Scholar 

  • He SP, Wang HJ, Liu JP (2013) Changes in the relationship between ENSO and Asia-Pacific mid-latitude winter atmospheric circulation. J Clim 26:3377–3393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoerling MP, Hurrell JW, Xu T (2001) Tropical origins for recent North Atlantic climate change. Science 292(5514):90–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horel JD, Wallace JM (1981) Planetary-scale atmospheric phenomena associated with the Southern Oscillation. Mon Weather Rev 109:813–829

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurrell J, Hack J, Shea D, Caron J, Rosinski J (2008) A new sea surface temperature and sea ice boundary dataset for the Community Atmosphere Model. J Clim 21:5145–5153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalnay E et al (1996) The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 77:437–472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kosaka Y, Xie SP (2013) Recent global-warming hiatus tied to equatorial Pacific surface cooling. Nature 501(7467):403–407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • L’Heureux ML, Thompson WJ (2006) Observed relationships between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the extratropical zonal-mean circulation. J Clim 19:276–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li F, Wang HJ (2012a) Predictability of the East Asian winter monsoon interannual variability as indicated by the DEMETER CGCMS. Adv Atmos Sci 29:441–454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li F, Wang HJ (2012b) Autumn Sea Ice Cover, Winter Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode and Winter Precipitation in Eurasia. J Clim 26:3968–3981

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li F, Wang HJ (2013a) Relationship between Bering Sea ice cover and East Asian winter monsoon year-to-year variations. Adv Atmos Sci 30:48–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li F, Wang HJ (2013b) Spring surface cooling trend along the East Asian coast after the late 1990s. Chin Sci Bull 58(31):3847–3851. doi:10.1007/s11434-013-5853-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li F, Wang HJ (2014) Autumn Eurasian snow depth, autumn Arctic sea ice cover and East Asian winter monsoon. Int J Climatol. doi:10.1002/joc.3936

  • Li F, Wang HJ, Gao YQ (2014) On the strengthened relationship between East Asian winter monsoon and Arctic Oscillation: a comparison of 1950–1970 and 1983–2012. J Clim. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00335.1

  • Li SL, Robinson WA, Hoerling MP, Weickmann KM (2007) Dynamics of the extratropical response to a tropical Atlantic SST anomaly. J Clim 20(3):560–574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li F, Wang HJ, Liu JP (2013) The strengthening relationship between Arctic Oscillation and ENSO after the mid-1990s. J Climatol, Int. doi:10.1002/joc.3828

    Google Scholar 

  • Mo KC, Ghil M (1987) Statistics and dynamics of persistent anomalies. J Atmos Sci 44(5):877–902

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Revell MJ, Kidson JW, Kiladis GN (2001) Interpreting low-frequency modes of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric variability as the rotational response to divergent forcing. Mon Weather Rev 129(9):2416–2425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith TM et al (2008) Improvements to NOAA’s historical merged land-ocean surface temperature analysis (1880–2006). J Clim 21(10):2283–2296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stammerjohn SE, Martinson DG, Smith RC, Yuan X, Rind D (2008) Trends in Antarctic annual sea ice retreat and advance and their relation to El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Southern Annular Mode variability. J Geophys Res: Oceans (1978–2012) 113(C3):C03S90. doi:10.1029/2007JC004269

  • Sun JQ, Wang HJ, Yuan W (2008) A possible mechanism for the co-variability of the boreal spring Antarctic Oscillation and the Yangtze River valley summer rainfall. Int J Climatol 29(9):1276–1284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun JQ, Wang HJ, Yuan W (2010) Linkage of the boreal spring Antarctic Oscillation to the West African summer monsoon. J Meteorol Soc Jpn 88(1):15–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson DWJ, Wallace JM (1998) The Arctic Oscillation signature in the wintertime geopotential height and temperature fields. Geophys Res Lett 25:1297–1300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson DWJ, Wallace JM (2000) Annular modes in the extratropical circulation. Part I: month-to-month variability. J Clim 13:1000–1016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner J (2004) The El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Antarctica. Int J Climatol 24(1):1–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace JM, Gutzler DS (1981) Teleconnections in the geopotential height field during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Mon Weather Rev 109:784–812

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang HJ, Fan K (2006) Southern Hemisphere mean zonal wind in upper troposphere and East Asian summer monsoon circulation. Chin Sci Bull 51(12):1508–1514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang HJ, He SP (2012) Weakening relationship between East Asian winter monsoon and ENSO after mid-1970s. Chin Sci Bull 57:3535–3540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang HJ, He SP, Liu JP (2013) Present and future relationship between the East Asian winter monsoon and ENSO: results of CMIP5. J Geophys Res 118:1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou BT, Wang HJ (2006) Interannual and interdecadal variations of the Hadley circulation and its connection with tropical sea surface temperature. Chin J Geophys 49:1147–1154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou BT, Wang HJ (2008) Relationship between Hadley circulation and sea ice extent in the Bering Sea. Chin Sci Bull 53:444–449

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou W, Wang X, Zhou TJ, Li CY, Chan JCL (2007) Interdecadal variability of the relationship between the East Asian winter monsoon and ENSO. Meteorol Atmos Phys 98:283–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou BT, Wang HJ, Cui X (2008) Significant relationship between Hadley circulation and North Pacific oscillation. Chin J Geophys 51:709–717

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou LT, Tam F, Zhou W, Chan JCL (2010) Influence of South China Sea SST and the ENSO on winter rainfall over South China. Adv Atmos Sci 27:832–844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Q, Chen W, Zhou W (2013) Solar cycle modulation of the ENSO impact on the winter climate of East Asia. J Geophys Res Atmos 118. doi:10.1002/jgrd.50453

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants: 41210007 and 41130103) and by the strategic Priority Research Program (XDA05110203) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nansen-Zhu International Research Center, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Fei Li, Huijun Wang & Yongqi Gao

  2. Climate Change Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Fei Li & Huijun Wang

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Fei Li

  4. Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway

    Yongqi Gao

Authors
  1. Fei Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Huijun Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yongqi Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fei Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, F., Wang, H. & Gao, Y. Modulation of Aleutian Low and Antarctic Oscillation co-variability by ENSO. Clim Dyn 44, 1245–1256 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2134-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2134-4

Keywords

  • Aleutian Low
  • Antarctic Oscillation
  • El Niño–Southern Oscillation
  • Interannual variability