TELECONNECTIONS IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND OCEANS

The area of teleconnections in the atmosphere and oceans has motivated a great deal of vigorous research. The main research areas have been coupled ocean-atmosphere processes that lead to better predictions of the ENSO phenomena. Enormous progress has been made in seasonal forecasting, which allows the estimation of climate anomalies for several months and may have important implications for agriculture and economies. A conference on Teleconnections in the Atmosphere and Oceans was held in Italy on 17-20 November, 2008. The topics discussed included general aspects of thetheory of teleconnections in the atmosphere, methods for identifying atmospheric teleconnection patterns, ENSO-related teleconnections, and teleconnections on decadal time sclaes, including teleconnections involving coupled ocean-atmosphere modes. The first panel discussion focused on general issues related to teleconnections and mechanisms connecting tropical and extratropical regions. The panel also considered the problem of determining the best diagnostic tools to identify teleconnections.