Jet Shift Research Articles

South Indian Ocean Rossby Waves

ABSTRACTSouth Indian Ocean Rossby waves (SIO-RW) are identified in the Global Ocean Data Assimilation System (GODAS) 1.5–7 yr filtered sea surface height (SSH) time series. There is a persistent three-year oscillation in the 5°–15°S latitude band from 55° to 85°E. Field correlations show little coupling at 90°E, but as the SIO-RW undulates westward at approximately 0.19 m s−1 across the mid-basin, a northwest–southeast axis of warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and deep convection forms. Many teleconnections in earlier work are confirmed: interannual pulses of zonal wind in the eastern basin trigger the SIO-RW via anticyclonic wind stress curl. New insights derive from an understanding of links with the upper troposphere. As the SIO-RWs move westward with the onset of an El Niño in the Pacific, increased convection over the north Indian Ocean corresponds to reduced evaporation and SST warming. Mid-tropospheric heating T′ > 2°C over the northwest Indian Ocean accelerates the southern sub-tropical jet to greater than 10 m s−1 over the southeast Indian Ocean, reinforcing the anticyclonic vorticity. The downstream acceleration of the jet generates upper-level divergence and moist convection over the western basin, anchoring an atmospheric Rossby wave in a northwest–southeast alignment underpinned by differential propagation of the SIO-RW. As the ocean Rossby wave reaches Africa, the coupling fades and transitions. What distinguishes Indian Ocean from Pacific Ocean Rossby waves are their southern latitude and higher frequency. The tropical mid-tropospheric heating that accelerates the southern sub-tropical jet shifts westward in tandem with the SIO-RW.

Drivers of the Low-Cloud Response to Poleward Jet Shifts in the North Pacific in Observations and Models

The long-standing expectation that poleward shifts of the midlatitude jet under global warming will lead to poleward shifts of clouds and a positive radiative feedback on the climate system has been shown to be misguided by several recent studies. On interannual time scales, free-tropospheric clouds are observed to shift along with the jet, but low clouds increase across a broad expanse of the North Pacific Ocean basin, resulting in negligible changes in total cloud fraction and top-of-atmosphere radiation. Here it is shown that this low-cloud response is consistent across eight independent satellite-derived cloud products. Using multiple linear regression, it is demonstrated that the spatial pattern and magnitude of the low-cloud-coverage response is primarily driven by anomalous surface temperature advection. In the eastern North Pacific, anomalous cold advection by anomalous northerly surface winds enhances sensible and latent heat fluxes from the ocean into the boundary layer, resulting in large increases in low-cloud coverage. Local increases in low-level stability make a smaller contribution to this low-cloud increase. Despite closely capturing the observed response of large-scale meteorology to jet shifts, global climate models largely fail to capture the observed response of clouds and radiation to interannual jet shifts because they systematically underestimate how sensitive low clouds are to surface temperature advection, and to a lesser extent, low-level stability. More realistic model simulations of cloud–radiation–jet interactions require that parameterizations more accurately capture the sensitivity of low clouds to surface temperature advection.

Connecting the Energy and Momentum Flux Response to Climate Change Using the Eliassen–Palm Relation

AbstractCoupled climate models project that extratropical storm tracks and eddy-driven jets generally shift poleward in response to increased CO2 concentration. Here the connection between the storm-track and jet responses to climate change is examined using the Eliassen–Palm (EP) relation. The EP relation states that the eddy potential energy flux is equal to the eddy momentum flux times the Doppler-shifted phase speed. The EP relation can be used to connect the storm-track and eddy-driven jet responses to climate change assuming 1) the storm-track and eddy potential energy flux responses are consistent and 2) the response of the Doppler-shifted phase speed is negligible. We examine the extent to which the EP relation connects the eddy-driven jet (eddy momentum flux convergence) response to climate change with the storm-track (eddy potential energy flux) response in two idealized aquaplanet model experiments. The two experiments, which differ in their radiation schemes, both show a poleward shift of the storm track in response to climate change. However, the eddy-driven jet shifts poleward using the sophisticated radiation scheme but equatorward using the gray radiation scheme. The EP relation gives a good approximation of the momentum flux response and the eddy-driven jet shift, given the eddy potential energy flux response, because the Doppler-shifted phase speed response is negligible. According to the EP relation, the opposite shift of the eddy-driven jet for the different radiation schemes is associated with dividing the eddy potential energy flux response by the climatological Doppler-shifted phase speed, which is dominated by the zonal-mean zonal wind.

Dominant SST Mode in the Southern Hemisphere Extratropics and Its Influence on Atmospheric Circulation

The variability in the Southern Ocean (SO) sea surface temperature (SST) has drawn increased attention due to its unique physical features; therefore, the temporal characteristics of the SO SST anomalies (SSTA) and their influence on extratropical atmospheric circulation are addressed in this study. Results from empirical orthogonal function analysis show that the principal mode of the SO SSTA exhibits a dipole-like structure, suggesting a negative correlation between the SSTA in the middle and high latitudes, which is referred to as the SO Dipole (SOD) in this study. The SOD features strong zonal symmetry, and could reflect more than 50% of total zonal-mean SSTA variability. We find that stronger (weaker) Subantarctic and Antarctic polar fronts are related to the positive (negative) phases of the SOD index, as well as the primary variability of the large-scale SO SSTA meridional gradient. During December–January–February, the Ferrel cell and the polar jet shift toward the Antarctic due to changes in the SSTA that could be associated with a positive phase of the SOD, and are also accompanied by a poleward shift of the subtropical jet. During June–July–August, in association with a positive SOD, the Ferrel cell and the polar jet are strengthened, accompanied by a strengthened subtropical jet. These seasonal differences are linked to the differences in the configuration of the polar jet and the subtropical jet in the Southern Hemisphere.

Quantifying Isentropic Mixing Linked to Rossby Wave Breaking in a Modified Lagrangian Coordinate

AbstractIsentropic mixing is an important process for the distribution of chemical constituents in the mid- to high latitudes. A modified Lagrangian framework is applied to quantify the mixing associated with two distinct types of Rossby wave breaking (i.e., cyclonic and anticyclonic). In idealized numerical simulations, cyclonic wave breaking (CWB) exhibits either comparable or stronger mixing than anticyclonic wave breaking (AWB). Although the frequencies of AWB and CWB both have robust relationships with the jet position, this asymmetry leads to CWB dominating mixing variability related to the jet shifting. In particular, when the jet shifts poleward the mixing strength decreases in areas of the midlatitude troposphere and also decreases on the poleward side of the jet. This is due to decreasing CWB occurrence with a poleward shift of the jet. Across the tropopause, equatorward of the jet, where AWB mostly occurs and CWB rarely occurs, the mixing strength increases as AWB occurs more frequently with a poleward shift of the jet. The dynamical relationship above is expected to be relevant both for internal climate variability, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the annular modes, and for future climate change that may drive changes in the jet position.

Seasonal and Regional Variations of Long-Term Changes in Upper-Tropospheric Jets from Reanalyses

Abstract Long-term changes in upper-tropospheric jet latitude, altitude, and strength are assessed for 1980–2014 using five modern reanalyses: MERRA, MERRA-2, ERA-Interim, JRA-55, and NCEP CFSR. Changes are computed from jet locations evaluated daily at each longitude to analyze regional and seasonal variations. The changes in subtropical and polar (eddy driven) jets are evaluated separately. Good agreement among the reanalyses in many regions and seasons provides confidence in the robustness of the diagnosed trends. Jet shifts show strong regional and seasonal variations, resulting in changes that are not robust in zonal or annual means. Robust changes in the subtropical jet indicate tropical widening over Africa except during Northern Hemisphere (NH) spring, and tropical narrowing over the eastern Pacific in NH winter. The Southern Hemisphere (SH) polar jet shows a robust poleward shift, while the NH polar jet shifts equatorward in most regions/seasons. Both subtropical and polar jet altitudes typically increase; these changes are more robust in the NH than in the SH. Subtropical jet wind speeds have generally increased in winter and decreased in summer, whereas polar jet wind speeds have weakened (strengthened) over Africa and eastern Asia (elsewhere) during winter in both hemispheres. The Asian monsoon has increased in area and appears to have shifted slightly westward toward Africa. The results herein highlight the importance of understanding regional and seasonal variations when quantifying long-term changes in jet locations, the mechanisms for those changes, and their potential human impacts. Comparison of multiple reanalyses is a valuable tool for assessing the robustness of jet changes.

CMIP5 Diversity in Southern Westerly Jet Projections Related to Historical Sea Ice Area: Strong Link to Strengthening and Weak Link to Shift

Abstract A major feature of projected changes in Southern Hemisphere climate under future scenarios of increased greenhouse gas concentrations is the poleward shift and strengthening of the main eddy-driven belt of midlatitude, near-surface westerly winds (the westerly jet). However, there is large uncertainty in projected twenty-first-century westerly jet changes across different climate models. Here models from the World Climate Research Programme’s phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) were evaluated to assess linkages between diversity in simulated sea ice area (SIA), Antarctic amplification, and diversity in projected twenty-first-century changes in the westerly jet following the representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario. To help disentangle cause and effect in the coupled model analysis, uncoupled atmosphere-only fixed sea surface experiments from CMIP5 were also evaluated. It is shown that across all seasons, approximately half of the variance in projected RCP8.5 jet strengthening is explained statistically by intermodel differences in simulated historical SIA, whereby CMIP5 models with larger baseline SIA exhibit more ice retreat and less jet strengthening in the future. However, links to jet shift are much weaker and are only statistically significant in austral autumn and winter. It is suggested that a significant cross-model correlation between historical jet strength and projected strength change (r = −0.58) is, at least in part, a result of atmospherically driven historical SIA biases, which then feed back into the atmosphere in future projections. The results emphasize that SIA appears to act in concert with proximal changes in sea surface temperature gradients in relation to model diversity in westerly jet projections.

Seasonal Sensitivity of the Northern Hemisphere Jet Streams to Arctic Temperatures on Subseasonal Time Scales

Near-surface Arctic warming has been shown to impact the midlatitude jet streams through the use of carefully designed model simulations with and without Arctic sea ice loss. In this work, a Granger causality regression approach is taken to quantify the response of the zonal wind to variability of near-surface Arctic temperatures on subseasonal time scales across the CMIP5 models. Using this technique, a robust influence of regional Arctic warming on the North Atlantic and North Pacific jet stream positions, speeds, and zonal winds is demonstrated. However, Arctic temperatures only explain an additional 3%–5% of the variance of the winds after accounting for the variance associated with the persistence of the wind anomalies from previous weeks. In terms of the jet stream response, the North Pacific and North Atlantic jet streams consistently shift equatorward in response to Arctic warming but also strengthen, rather than weaken, during most months of the year. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the jet stream position and strength to Arctic warming is shown to be a strong function of season. Specifically, in both ocean basins, the jets shift farthest equatorward in the summer months. It is argued that this seasonal sensitivity is due to the Arctic-warming-induced wind anomalies remaining relatively fixed in latitude, while the climatological jet migrates in and out of the anomalies throughout the annual cycle. Based on these results, model differences in the climatological jet stream position are shown to lead to differences in the jet stream position’s sensitivity to Arctic warming.

Melt electrospinning: Electrodynamics and spinnability

The electrodynamics of the polymer melt as well as its effects on fiber spinnability in the framework of laser-heated melt electrospinning was investigated. We challenge the classic views in the aspects of the molten Taylor-cone, the thinning process, and the jet deformation. A temperature-voltage phase diagram was constructed to distinguish the regimes of the bending, the whipping, and the break-up of the jet. These jet kinematics are significantly dependent on the molten Taylor-cone, the jet thinning, and the forces exerted on the jet. The surface tension restricts the growth of the jet while it can be safely neglected after jet initiation. Jet breaks up periodically at the tip of Taylor-cone if the polymer viscosity is too low or the elongation rate is not high enough to stretch the jet. The elongation rate for each segment of the jet keeps almost constant at a certain melt temperature, while the elongation rate increases and the solidification point of the jet shifts from the Taylor-cone to the target with increasing melt temperature. An analytic equation is proposed to estimate the jet diameter along the spinline before jet solidifies. Additionally, the experiment of coiling proved that the electrical and the elastic as the dominant forces for bending are gradually replaced by the inertial and the viscous forces for whipping.

Contributions of Climate Feedbacks to Changes in Atmospheric Circulation

The projected response of the atmospheric circulation to the radiative changes induced by CO2 forcing and climate feedbacks is currently uncertain. In this modeling study, the impact of CO2-induced climate feedbacks on changes in jet latitude and speed is assessed by imposing surface albedo, cloud, and water vapor feedbacks as if they were forcings in two climate models, CAM4 and ECHAM6. The jet response to radiative feedbacks can be broadly interpreted through changes in midlatitude baroclinicity. Clouds enhance baroclinicity, favoring a strengthened, poleward-shifted jet; this is mitigated by surface albedo changes, which have the opposite effect on baroclinicity and the jet, while water vapor has opposing effects on upper- and lower-level baroclinicity with little net impact on the jet. Large differences between the CAM4 and ECHAM6 responses illustrate how model uncertainty in radiative feedbacks causes a large spread in the baroclinicity response to CO2 forcing. Across the CMIP5 models, differences in shortwave feedbacks by clouds and albedo are a dominant contribution to this spread. Forcing CAM4 with shortwave cloud and albedo feedbacks from a representative set of CMIP5 models yields a wide range of jet responses that strongly correlate with the meridional gradient of the anomalous shortwave heating and the associated baroclinicity response. Differences in shortwave feedbacks statistically explain about 50% of the intermodel spread in CMIP5 jet shifts for the set of models used, demonstrating the importance of constraining radiative feedbacks for accurate projections of circulation changes.

A Mechanistically Credible, Poleward Shift in Warm-Season Precipitation Projected for the U.S. Southern Great Plains?

Abstract Global and regional climate model ensembles project that the annual cycle of rainfall over the southern Great Plains (SGP) will amplify by midcentury. Models indicate that warm-season precipitation will increase during the early spring wet season but shift north earlier in the season, intensifying late summer drying. Regional climate models (RCMs) project larger precipitation changes than their global climate model (GCM) counterparts. This is particularly true during the dry season. The credibility of the RCM projections is established by exploring the larger-scale dynamical and local land–atmosphere feedback processes that drive future changes in the simulations, that is, the responsible mechanisms or processes. In this case, it is found that out of 12 RCM simulations produced for the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP), the majority are mechanistically credible and consistent in the mean changes they are producing in the SGP. Both larger-scale dynamical processes and local land–atmosphere feedbacks drive an earlier end to the spring wet period and deepening of the summer dry season in the SGP. The midlatitude upper-level jet shifts northward, the monsoon anticyclone expands, and the Great Plains low-level jet increases in strength, all supporting a poleward shift in precipitation in the future. This dynamically forced shift causes land–atmosphere coupling to strengthen earlier in the summer, which in turn leads to earlier evaporation of soil moisture in the summer, resulting in extreme drying later in the summer.

Nonstationarity in Southern Hemisphere Climate Variability Associated with the Seasonal Breakdown of the Stratospheric Polar Vortex

Abstract Statistical models of climate generally regard climate variability as anomalies about a climatological seasonal cycle, which are treated as a stationary stochastic process plus a long-term seasonally dependent trend. However, the climate system has deterministic aspects apart from the climatological seasonal cycle and long-term trends, and the assumption of stationary statistics is only an approximation. The variability of the Southern Hemisphere zonal-mean circulation in the period encompassing late spring and summer is an important climate phenomenon and has been the subject of numerous studies. It is shown here, using reanalysis data, that this variability is rendered highly nonstationary by the organizing influence of the seasonal breakdown of the stratospheric polar vortex, which breaks time symmetry. It is argued that the zonal-mean tropospheric circulation variability during this period is best viewed as interannual variability in the transition between the springtime and summertime regimes induced by variability in the vortex breakdown. In particular, the apparent long-term poleward jet shift during the early-summer season can be more simply understood as a delay in the equatorward shift associated with this regime transition. The implications of such a perspective for various open questions are discussed.

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Intermodel Spread around the Kuroshio–Oyashio Extension Region in Coupled GCMs Caused by Meridional Variation of the Westerly Jet from Atmospheric GCMs

The Kuroshio–Oyashio Extension (KOE) is a region of energetic oceanic mesoscale eddies and vigorous air–sea interaction that can influence climate variability over the northwest Pacific and East Asia. General circulation models (GCMs) exhibit considerable differences in their simulated climatology around the KOE region. Specifically, there are substantial intermodel spreads in both sea surface temperature (SST) and the upper-level westerly jet. In this study, the cause for such large spreads is studied by analyzing 21 pairs of coupled and atmospheric GCMs from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). It is found that the intermodel spread of the climatological westerly jet among coupled GCMs is largely inherited from their atmospheric models rather than being due to their SST difference as previously thought. An anomalous equatorward shift in the simulated westerly jet can give rise to a cold SST bias around the KOE region as follows. The equatorward jet shift induces cyclonic surface wind anomalies over the North Pacific, which not only enhance the turbulent heat fluxes out of the ocean south of the KOE but also drive an anomalous cyclonic ocean circulation that brings colder (warmer) water into the north (south) of the KOE. The KOE region is consequently cooled due to both the atmospheric and oceanic effects. Such processes are demonstrated through idealized perturbation experiments using an ocean model. The results herein point to reducing atmospheric model errors in the westerly jet as the way forward to improve the coupled simulations around the KOE region.

Positive and Negative Eddy Feedbacks Acting on Midlatitude Jet Variability in a Three-Level Quasigeostrophic Model

Abstract The variability of midlatitude jets is investigated in a long-term integration of a dry three-level quasigeostrophic model on the sphere. As for most observed jets, the leading EOF of the zonal-mean wind corresponds to latitudinal shifts of the jet, and the second EOF to pulses of the jet speed. The first principal component (PC1) is also more persistent than the second one (PC2); this longer persistence arises from different eddy feedbacks both in the short term (i.e., within a few days following the peak of the PCs) and in the long term. The short-term eddy feedbacks come from two distinct mechanisms. First, a planetary waveguide effect acts as a negative feedback on both PCs. The positive phases of PC1 and PC2, which correspond to poleward-shifted and accelerated jets, respectively, are first driven then canceled by planetary waves reflecting on the equatorward flank of the jet. A similar process occurs for the negative phases when planetary waves reflect on the poleward flank of the jet. Second, synoptic waves also exert a short-term negative feedback on PC2: when the jet accelerates, the enhanced meridional wind shear increases the barotropic sink of eddy energy and depletes it very rapidly, therefore preventing synoptic eddies from maintaining the accelerated jet. Finally, at lags longer than their typical time scale, synoptic eddies drive a positive feedback on PC1 only. This feedback can be explained by a baroclinic mechanism in which the jet shift modifies the baroclinicity, causing, first, eddy heat flux anomalies and, then, momentum convergence anomalies. This feedback is absent for PC2, despite some changes in the baroclinicity.

Barotropic and Baroclinic Eddy Feedbacks in the Midlatitude Jet Variability and Responses to Climate Change–Like Thermal Forcings

Abstract Studies have suggested that the persistence in the meridional vacillation of the midlatitude jet (i.e., annular mode time scale) in comprehensive climate models is related to the model biases in climatological jet latitude, with important implications for projections of future climates and midlatitude weather events. Through the use of the recently developed finite-amplitude wave activity formalism and feedback quantifying techniques, this paper has quantified the role of barotropic and baroclinic eddy feedbacks in annular mode time scales using an idealized dry atmospheric model. The eddy–mean flow interaction that characterizes the persistent anomalous state of the midlatitude jet depends on processes associated with the lower-tropospheric source of vertically propagating Rossby waves, baroclinic mechanisms, and processes associated with upper-tropospheric wave propagation and breaking, barotropic mechanisms. A variety of climate change–like thermal forcings are used to generate a range of meridional shifts in the midlatitude eddy-driven jet. The idealized model shows a reduction in annular mode time scale associated with an increase in jet latitude, similar to comprehensive climate models. This decrease in time scale can be attributed to a similar decrease in the strength of the barotropic eddy feedback, which, in the positive phase of the annular mode, is characterized by anomalous potential vorticity (PV) mixing on the equatorward flank of the climatological jet. The decrease in subtropical PV mixing is, in turn, associated with a stronger subtropical jet as the eddy-driven jet is more distant from the subtropics. These results highlight the importance of subtropical eddy–mean flow interactions for the persistence of an eddy-driven jet.

Sea ice led to poleward-shifted winds at the Last Glacial Maximum: the influence of state dependency on CMIP5 and PMIP3 models

Abstract. Latitudinal shifts in the Southern Ocean westerly wind jet could drive changes in the glacial to interglacial ocean CO2 inventory. However, whilst CMIP5 model results feature consistent future-warming jet shifts, there is considerable disagreement in deglacial-warming jet shifts. We find here that the dependence of pre-industrial (PI) to Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) jet shifts on PI jet position, or state dependency, explains less of the shifts in jet simulated by the models for the LGM compared with future-warming scenarios. State dependence is also weaker for intensity changes, compared to latitudinal shifts in the jet. Winter sea ice was considerably more extensive during the LGM. Changes in surface heat fluxes, due to this sea ice change, probably had a large impact on the jet. Models that both simulate realistically large expansions in sea ice and feature PI jets which are south of 50° S show an increase in wind speed around 55° S and can show a poleward shift in the jet between the PI and the LGM. However, models with the PI jet positioned equatorwards of around 47° S do not show this response: the sea ice edge is too far from the jet for it to respond. In models with accurately positioned PI jets, a +1° difference in the latitude of the sea ice edge tends to be associated with a −0.85° shift in the 850 hPa jet. However, it seems that around 5° of expansion of LGM sea ice is necessary to hold the jet in its PI position. Since the Gersonde et al. (2005) data support an expansion of more than 5°, this result suggests that a slight poleward shift and intensification was the most likely jet change between the PI and the LGM. Without the effect of sea ice, models simulate poleward-shifted westerlies in warming climates and equatorward-shifted westerlies in colder climates. However, the feedback of sea ice counters and reverses the equatorward trend in cooler climates so that the LGM winds were more likely to have also been shifted slightly poleward.

Understanding the Varied Influence of Midlatitude Jet Position on Clouds and Cloud Radiative Effects in Observations and Global Climate Models

Abstract This study examines the dynamical mechanisms responsible for changes in midlatitude clouds and cloud radiative effects (CRE) that occur in conjunction with meridional shifts in the jet streams over the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Oceans. When the midlatitude jet shifts poleward, extratropical cyclones and their associated upward vertical velocity anomalies closely follow. As a result, a poleward jet shift contributes to a poleward shift in high-topped storm-track clouds and their associated longwave CRE. However, when the jet shifts poleward, downward vertical velocity anomalies increase equatorward of the jet, contributing to an enhancement of the boundary layer estimated inversion strength (EIS) and an increase in low cloud amount there. Because shortwave CRE depends on the reflection of solar radiation by clouds in all layers, the shortwave cooling effects of midlatitude clouds increase with both upward vertical velocity anomalies and positive EIS anomalies. Over midlatitude oceans where a poleward jet shift contributes to positive EIS anomalies but downward vertical velocity anomalies, the two effects cancel, and net observed changes in shortwave CRE are small. Global climate models generally capture the observed anomalies associated with midlatitude jet shifts. However, there is large intermodel spread in the shortwave CRE anomalies, with a subset of models showing a large shortwave cloud radiative warming over midlatitude oceans with a poleward jet shift. In these models, midlatitude shortwave CRE is sensitive to vertical velocity perturbations, but the observed sensitivity to EIS perturbations is underestimated. Consequently, these models might incorrectly estimate future midlatitude cloud feedbacks in regions where appreciable changes in both vertical velocity and EIS are projected.

The Role of Eddy Diffusivity on a Poleward Jet Shift

Abstract The authors use a quasigeostrophic (QG) two-layer model to examine how eddies modify the meridional asymmetry of a zonal jet. The initial asymmetry is introduced in the model’s “radiative equilibrium state” and is intended to mimic a radiatively forced poleward jet shift simulated by climate models. The calculations show that the initial “poleward” jet shift in the two-layer model is amplified by eddy potential vorticity fluxes. This eddy-accentuation effect is greater as the baroclinicity of the equilibrium state is reduced, suggesting that seasonal variations in baroclinicity may help explain observed and modeled jet-shift sensitivity to season. The eddy-accentuated jet shift from the corresponding radiative equilibrium state is more clearly visible in the slowly varying, eddy-free reference state of Nakamura and Zhu. This reference state formally responds only to nonadvective, nonconservative processes, but ultimately arises from the advective eddy fluxes. The implication is that fast eddies are capable of driving a slowly varying jet shift, which may be balanced by nonconservative processes such as radiative heating/cooling.

Abrupt reorganization of North Pacific and western North American climate during the last deglaciation

AbstractDramatic hydroclimate shifts occurred in western North America during the last deglaciation, but the timing and mechanisms driving these changes are uncertain and debated, and previous modeling has largely relied on linear interpolations between equilibrium snapshot simulations. Using a published transient climate simulation and a range of proxy records, we analyze the region's climate evolution in order to identify the mechanisms governing hydroclimate shifts. A rapid loss of ice around 14,000 years ago causes an abrupt reorganization of the circulation, which precipitates drying and moistening of southwestern and northwestern North America, respectively. The atmospheric circulation transitions between two states on a timescale of decades to centuries, during which time the westerly jet shifts north by about 7°. In contrast to previous studies, we find that changes in the water budget of western North America prior to this event are not attributable to variations in the position of the jet, but rather to the intensity of moisture transport into the continent.