AMOC and PDO
Contact: Thomas Reichler (thomas.reichler@utah.edu)
Summary: This DynVar Research Group is motivated by the possibility that low-frequency stratospheric variability and air-sea interaction might also influence the state of the underlying ocean and sea-ice. Consequently, this DynVar Research Topic is focused on investigating simulations with stratosphere-resolving models that have a fully interactive ocean and sea ice component. Given the integrating nature of the ocean variability, the resulting phenomena are expected to occur on relatively long, interannual to multi-decadal time scales in the ocean. Well-known candidates that might be affected include the El Nino Southern Oscillation, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and associated variations in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice coverage. One might even speculate that a stratospherically perturbed ocean can impact the atmosphere in turn and induce complicated feedbacks. This DynVar Research Group is interested in understanding all aspects of the stratospheric connection to low-frequency ocean variability and the implications of such a connection for the decadal to long-term climate prediction problem.