The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is a major mode of climate variability with important societal impacts. Most previous explanations identify the driver of the AMO as the ocean circulation, specifically the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Here we show that the main features of the observed AMO are reproduced in models where the ocean heat transport is prescribed and thus cannot be the driver. Allowing the ocean circulation to interact with the atmosphere does not significantly alter the characteristics of the AMO in the current generation of climate models. These results suggest that the AMO is the response to stochastic forcing from the mid-latitude atmospheric circulation, with thermal coupling playing a role in the tropics. In this view, the AMOC and other ocean circulation changes would be largely a response to, not a cause of, the AMO.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aab3980 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Sensitivity of pteropod calcification to multi stressor variability in coastal habitats.
Mar Environ Res
December 2024
School of Oceanography, University of Washington, 1492 NE Boat St., Seattle, WA, 98105, USA; Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Box 355640, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
Comprehensive understanding of environmental multiple stressors on calcification in marine calcifiers remains an important topic of study, especially under ocean global change associated with multiple stressors. We explore the impact of multiple stressor on pteropod calcification in the southern Salish Sea (Washington, U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTipping point-induced abrupt shifts in East Asian hydroclimate since the Last Glacial Maximum.
Nat Commun
January 2025
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.
Multiple tipping points in the Earth system could be triggered when global warming exceeds specific thresholds. However, the degree of their impact on the East Asian hydroclimate remains uncertain due to the lack of quantitative rainfall records. Here we present an ensemble reconstruction of East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) rainfall since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using nine statistical and machine learning methods based on multi-proxy records from a maar lake in southern China.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhy Does the Biosphere Interact with Earth's Climate, and How Do the Two-Way Interactions Work?
Biology (Basel)
December 2024
Ryukyu Perimeter Institute, 321-16 Biimata, Nago City 905-0005, Okinawa, Japan.
With the use of matter (carbon dioxide, nutrients, and water) and solar energy, phytoplankton produce oxygen and carbohydrates, which are transported to predators through the oceanic food web hierarchy. From the viewpoint of irreversible processes of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, oceanic photosynthesis gives a mechanistic picture of living things characterized by double sets of self-organizations supported by flows of energy and entropy discarded into the ocean environment. This produces biological, ocean circulation, and climate interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHow does globally accumulated tropical cyclone energy vary in response to a changing climate?
Sci Bull (Beijing)
December 2024
Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address:
How tropical cyclone (TC) activity varies in response to a changing climate is widely debated. The accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) is one of the indicators of TC activity and has attracted considerable attention because of its close relationship with the damages caused by TCs. Previous studies have focused on detecting long-term trends in global ACE; however, the results are inconclusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTropical Indian Ocean drives Hadley circulation change in a warming climate.
Natl Sci Rev
January 2025
Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China.
The weakening and poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation (HC) are considered robust responses of atmospheric meridional circulation to anthropogenic warming. Climate impacts arising from these changes enhance drought conditions and reduce food production in the affected regions. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of HC changes is critical to anticipating the resultant climate risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!