Oceanic control of decadal North Atlantic sea level pressure variability in winter

Abstract

The predictability of winter-time North Atlantic sea level pressure (SLP) variability has been investigated by means of an ensemble of integrations with an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) forced by observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) for the period 1951-1994. The results imply that the SLP variations on timescales of several years to decades may be predictable, provided the SST anomalies themselves used to drive the AGCM can be predicted. Our results reveal also that in addition to SST anomalies in the North Atlantic SST anomalies in the equatorial and North Pacific Oceans drive low-frequency variability in SLP over the North Atlantic. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: RR 1347(292) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman