Covarying modes of the Pacific SST and northern hemispheric midlatitude atmospheric circulation anomalies during winter

The interannual-to-interdecadal relationship between the Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) and the northern hemispheric midlatitude's atmosphere represented by the circumpolar vortex was documented with the global oceanic and atmospheric reanalysis data of recent 50 years. Two covarying modes of the Pacific SST and northern circumpolar vortex anomalies during winter were examined using the singular value decomposition and wavelet analysis techniques. One is the interannual, ENSO-related mode and the other is the interdecadal, North Pacific SST-related mode with a period of around 20 years. The two modes exhibit distinct spatial structures. For the interannual mode, the SST anomaly is characterized by a typical ENSO pattern with the principal signature in the tropical eastern Pacific and secondary one in the central North Pacific, while the atmospheric anomaly is regional, characterized by a Pacific-North American pattern. For the interdecadal mode, large SST anomaly is located in the central North Pacific, while the atmospheric anomaly is zonally global, associated with the midlatitute's standing long-wave variations. When the central North Pacific is colder, the long-wave is stronger, and vice versa. Further investigations suggest that the interclecadal mode could involve an interaction between "two oceans and an atmosphere". (C) 2008 National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science in China Press. All rights reserved.