Climate variability during warm and cold phases of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) 1871–2008

Abstract

An extended reanalysis, a combination of observations and model output, is used to examine the spatial patterns of physical variables associated with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) from 1871 to 2008. The results are presented as anomalies during positive and negative phases of the AMO. As in previous studies, during positive (negative) AMO phases the sea surface temperature (SST) is anomalously warm (cold) over most of the North Atlantic, with the exception of the east coast of the United States. The atmospheric patterns, associated with the positive phase of the AMO, include anomalous low pressure over the Atlantic between 20°S and 50°N, cyclonic surface winds around the low, reduced wind speeds over the tropical Atlantic and enhanced precipitation in the eastern tropical Atlantic, with roughly opposite conditions during negative AMO phases. There are, however, substantial differences in the SST and the atmospheric anomalies between periods of the same phase, especially in the extratropics. Correlations between the AMO and air temperature anomalies are positive over much of the globe between 40°S and 50°N, with correlations exceeding 0.6 (~95% significance level) over the Maritime Continent and northern rim of the Pacific Ocean. Most of the sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies beyond the Atlantic are not statistically significant.