The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation without a role for ocean circulation

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aab3980
• Publication Date: 2015-10-15T21:56:28Z
• Authors: Amy Clement; Katinka Bellomo; Lisa N. Murphy; Mark A. Cane; Thorsten Mauritsen; Gaby Rädel; Bjorn Stevens
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 14. Life underwater; 01 natural sciences; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Ocean circulation changes not needed

What causes the pattern of sea surface temperature change that is seen in the North Atlantic Ocean? This naturally occurring quasi-cyclical variation, known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), affects weather and climate. Some have suggested that the AMO is a consequence of variable large-scale ocean circulation. Clement et al. suggest otherwise. They find that the pattern of AMO variability can be produced in a model that does not include ocean circulation changes, but only the effects of changes in air temperatures and winds.

Science , this issue p. 320