On the origin of the tropical Atlantic decadal oscillation based on the analysis of the ICOADS

Abstract

AbstractFrom an analysis of the International Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data Set, we were able to confirm salient features of the tropical Atlantic decadal oscillation illustrated in previous works. These features include antisymmetric behaviour of surface air pressure and sea surface temperature with two centres of action residing in the tropical North and South Atlantic Oceans. In addition to the recognized features of the oscillation, we found a new aspect: the principal mechanism regulating the oscillation differs between the north and south centres of action. Decadal components of the relative humidity time series show a maximum value of lag cross‐correlation at a lag of −2 years. Such a temporal evolution was irrespective of the centres of action and the reference time series. The two reference series employed are the sunspot numbers and the southerlies over the western equatorial Atlantic. Associated with this, statistically significant phase shifts between the decadal components of variables exist, especially in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. For the decadal oscillation, relative humidity change was dominated by specific humidity change over the tropical North Atlantic and by air temperature change over the tropical South Atlantic. For the frequency band of the solar cycle, the variation of relative humidity seemed to amplify the Earth's response to the sun's radiation changes that had previously been considered too small to affect the Earth's climate. By incorporating our new findings with the known features of the oscillation, we can suggest that the variability of solar radiation may be crucial as an originator, or at least as a regulator, of the oscillation in combination with the climate distribution of clouds and water vapour over the tropical Atlantic. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society.