scholarly journals Persistent influence of tropical North Atlantic wintertime sea surface temperature on the subsequent Atlantic hurricane season

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (15) ◽  
pp. 7927-7935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xidong Wang ◽  
Hailong Liu ◽  
Gregory R. Foltz
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Atlantic Hurricane ◽  
Tropical North Atlantic ◽  
Hurricane Season

scholarly journals Role of Mixed Layer Dynamics in Tropical North Atlantic Interannual Sea Surface Temperature Variability

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (22) ◽  
pp. 8083-8101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allyson Rugg ◽  
Gregory R. Foltz ◽  
Renellys C. Perez
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Thermocline Depth ◽  
Equatorial Atlantic ◽  
Tropical North Atlantic ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract This study examines the causes of observed sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the tropical North Atlantic between 1982 and 2015. The emphasis is on the boreal winter and spring seasons, when tropical Atlantic SSTs project strongly onto the Atlantic meridional mode (AMM). Results from a composite analysis of satellite and reanalysis data show important forcing of SST anomalies by wind-driven changes in mixed layer depth and shortwave radiation between 5° and 10°N, in addition to the well-known positive wind–evaporation–SST and shortwave radiation–SST feedbacks between 5° and 20°N. Anomalous surface winds also drive pronounced thermocline depth anomalies of opposite signs in the eastern equatorial Atlantic and intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ; 2°–8°N). A major new finding is that there is strong event-to-event variability in the impact of thermocline depth on SST in the ITCZ region, in contrast to the more consistent relationship in the eastern equatorial Atlantic. Much stronger anomalies of meridional wind stress, thermocline depth, and vertical turbulent cooling are found in the ITCZ region during a negative AMM event in 2009 compared to a negative event in 2015 and a positive event in 2010, despite SST anomalies of similar magnitude in the early stages of each event. The larger anomalies in 2009 led to a much stronger and longer-lived event. Possible causes of the inconsistent relationship between thermocline depth and SST in the ITCZ region are discussed, including the preconditioning role of the winter cross-equatorial SST gradient.

scholarly journals A spatiotemporal reconstruction of sea-surface temperatures in the North Atlantic during Dansgaard–Oeschger events 5–8

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 901-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari F. Jensen ◽  
Aleksi Nummelin ◽  
Søren B. Nielsen ◽  
Henrik Sadatzki ◽  
Evangeline Sessford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
Proxy Data ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Temperature Reconstructions

Abstract. Here, we establish a spatiotemporal evolution of the sea-surface temperatures in the North Atlantic over Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events 5–8 (approximately 30–40 kyr) using the proxy surrogate reconstruction method. Proxy data suggest a large variability in North Atlantic sea-surface temperatures during the DO events of the last glacial period. However, proxy data availability is limited and cannot provide a full spatial picture of the oceanic changes. Therefore, we combine fully coupled, general circulation model simulations with planktic foraminifera based sea-surface temperature reconstructions to obtain a broader spatial picture of the ocean state during DO events 5–8. The resulting spatial sea-surface temperature patterns agree over a number of different general circulation models and simulations. We find that sea-surface temperature variability over the DO events is characterized by colder conditions in the subpolar North Atlantic during stadials than during interstadials, and the variability is linked to changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning circulation and in the sea-ice cover. Forced simulations are needed to capture the strength of the temperature variability and to reconstruct the variability in other climatic records not directly linked to the sea-surface temperature reconstructions. This is the first time the proxy surrogate reconstruction method has been applied to oceanic variability during MIS3. Our results remain robust, even when age uncertainties of proxy data, the number of available temperature reconstructions, and different climate models are considered. However, we also highlight shortcomings of the methodology that should be addressed in future implementations.

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