Interdecadal change of winter SST variability in the Kuroshio Extension region and its linkage with Aleutian atmospheric low pressure system

Abstract

By utilizing multiple datasets from various sources available for the last 100 years, the existence for the interdecadal change of the winter sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region is investigated. And its linkage with the Aleutian Low (AL) activity changes is also discussed. The results find that the KE SST variability exhibits the significant ∼6 a and ∼10 a oscillations with obvious interdecadal change. The ∼6 a oscillation is mainly detected during 1930–1950, which is largely impacted by the anomalous surface heat flux forcing and Ekman heat transport associated with the AL intensity variation. The ∼10 a oscillation is most evident after the 1980s, which is predominantly triggered by the AL north-south shift through the bridge of oceanic Rossby waves.