Atmospheric response to the Gulf Stream: Seasonal variations

Journal of Climate

Volumn 23, Issue 13, 2010, Pages 3699-3719

  Minobe, Shoshiro ^a   Miyashita, Masato ^a   Kuwano Yoshida, Akira ^b   Tokinaga, Hiroki ^c   Xie, Shang Ping ^c  

^a HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY   (Japan)

^b JAPAN AGENCY FOR MARINE EARTH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY   (Japan)

^c UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ATMOSPHERIC HEATING; ATMOSPHERIC RESPONSE; DEEP CONVECTION; FLORIDA CURRENT; GULF STREAM; HATTERAS; HEATING MODE; HIGH RESOLUTION; LIGHTNING FLASH RATE; LOWER TROPOSPHERE; MARINE ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER; NORTH ATLANTIC; OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS; REANALYSIS; SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS; SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS; SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES; SEASONAL VARIATION; SEASONALITY; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; SURFACE WIND CONVERGENCE; UPPER TROPOSPHERE;

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE; ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE; CLOUDS; EVAPORATION; HEATING; HYDRAULICS; LIGHTNING PROTECTION; OCEAN CURRENTS; SURFACE PROPERTIES; TRANSPORT PROPERTIES; TROPOSPHERE; WATER VAPOR; WEATHER FORECASTING;

ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER;

AIR-SEA INTERACTION; ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN COUPLING; ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN SYSTEM; ATMOSPHERIC FORCING; CONVERGENCE; EVAPORATION; LATENT HEAT FLUX; PRECIPITATION (CLIMATOLOGY); SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE; SEASONAL VARIATION; SEASONALITY; SENSIBLE HEAT FLUX; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; TEMPERATURE GRADIENT; TROPOSPHERE;

ATLANTIC OCEAN; ATLANTIC OCEAN (NORTH); CAPE HATTERAS; GULF STREAM; HATTERAS ISLAND; NORTH CAROLINA; UNITED STATES;

EID: 77955505351     PISSN: 08948755     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/2010JCLI3359.1     Document Type: Article

References (73)

1. Alexander, M. A., and J. D. Scott, 1997: Surface flux variability over the North Pacific and North Atlantic. J. Climate, 10, 2963-2978.
2. Aumann, H. H., and Coauthors, 2003: AIRS/AMSU/HSB on the Aqua mission: Design, science objectives, data products, and processing systems. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 41, 253-264.
3. Bjerknes, J., 1964: Atlantic air-sea interaction. Advances in Geophysics, Vol. 10, Academic Press, 1-82.
4. Bourras, D., G. Reverdin, H. Giordani, and G. Caniaux, 2004: Response of the atmospheric boundary layer to a mesoscale oceanic eddy in the northeast Atlantic. J. Geophys. Res., 109, D18114, doi:10.1029/2004JD004799.
5. Brayshaw, D. J., B. Hoskins, and M. Blackburn, 2008: The storm-track response to idealized SST perturbations in an aquaplanet GCM. J. Atmos. Sci., 65, 2842-2860.
6. Cayan, D. R., 1992: Latent and sensible heat flux anomalies over the northern oceans: The connection to monthly atmospheric circulation. J. Climate, 5, 354-369.
7. Chelton, D. B., and M. H. Freilich, 2005: Scatterometer-based assessment of 10-m wind analyses from the operational ECMWF and NCEP numerical weather prediction models. Mon. Wea. Rev., 133, 409-429.
8. Chelton, D. B., and F. J. Wentz, 2005: Global microwave satellite observations of sea surface temperature for numerical weather prediction and climate research. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 86, 1097-1115.
9. Chelton, D. B., M. G. Schlax, M. H. Freilich, and R. F. Milliff, 2004: Satellite measurements reveal persistent small-scale features in ocean winds. Science, 303, 978-983.
10. Christian, H. J., and Coauthors, 2003: Global frequency and distribution of lightning as observed from space by the Optical Transient Detector. J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4005, doi:10.1029/2002JD002347.
11. Ciasto, L. M., and D. W. J. Thompson, 2004: North Atlantic atmosphere-ocean interaction on intraseasonal time scales. J. Climate, 17, 1617-1621.
12. Czaja, A., and C. Frankignoul, 2002: Observed impact of Atlantic SST anomalies on the North Atlantic Oscillation. J. Climate, 15, 606-623.
13. Dong, S., S. L. Hautala, and K. A. Kelly, 2007: Interannual variations in upper-ocean heat content and heat transport convergence in the western North Atlantic. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 37, 2682-2697.
14. Doyle, J. D., and T. T. Warner, 1993: The impact of the sea surface temperature resolution on mesoscale coastal processes during GALE IOP 2. Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 313-334.
15. Ducet, N., and P.-Y. Le Traon, 2001: A comparison of surface eddy kinetic energy and Reynolds stresses in the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio current systems from merged TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1/2 altimetric data. J.Geophys. Res., 106 (C8), 16 603-16 622.
16. Feliks, Y., M. Ghil, and E. Simonnet, 2004: Low-frequency variability in the midlatitude atmosphere induced by an oceanic thermal front. J. Atmos. Sci., 61, 961-981.
17. Frankignoul, C., G. de Coetlogon, T. M. Joyce, and S. Dong, 2001: Gulf stream variability and ocean-atmosphere interactions. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 31, 3516-3529.
18. Graham, N. E., and T. P. Barnett, 1987: Sea surface temperature, surface wind divergence, and convection over tropical oceans. Science, 238, 657-659.
19. Hobbs, P. V., 1987: The Gulf Stream rainband. Geophys. Res. Lett., 14, 1142-1145.
20. Hoskins, B. J., and D. J. Karoly, 1981: The steady linear response of a spherical atmosphere to thermal and orographic forcing. J. Atmos. Sci., 38, 1179-1196.
21. Joyce, T. M., Y. O. Kwon, and L. Yu, 2009: On the relationship between synoptic wintertime atmospheric variability and path shifts in the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio Extension. J. Climate, 22, 3177-3192.
22. Keenlyside, N. S., M. Latif, J. Jungclaus, L. Kornblueh, and E. Roeckner, 2008: Advancing decadal-scale climate prediction in the North Atlantic sector. Nature, 453, 84-88.
23. Kobashi, F., S. P. Xie, N. Iwasaka, and T. T. Sakamoto, 2008: Deep atmospheric response to the North Pacific oceanic subtropical front in spring. J. Climate, 21, 5960-5975.
24. Kuo, Y. H., M. A. Shapiro, and E. G. Donall, 1991: The interaction between baroclinic and diabatic processes in a numerical simulation of a rapidly intensifying extratropical marine cyclone. Mon. Wea. Rev., 119, 368-384.
25. Kushnir, Y., W. A. Robinson, I. Bladé, N. M. J. Hall, S. Peng, and R. Sutton, 2002: Atmospheric GCM response to extratropical SST anomalies: Synthesis and evaluation. J. Climate, 15, 2233-2256.
26. Kuwano-Yoshida, A., S. Minobe, and S.-P. Xie, 2010: Precipitation response to the Gulf Stream in an atmospheric GCM. J. Climate, 23, 3676-3698.
27. Li, X., W. Zheng, W. G. Pichel, C.-Z. Zou, P. Clemente-Colón, and K. S. Friedman, 2004: A cloud line over the Gulf Stream. Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L14108, doi:10.1029/2004GL019892.
28. Lindzen, R. S., and S. Nigam, 1987: On the role of sea surface temperature gradients in forcing low-level winds and convergence in the tropics. J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 2418-2436.
29. Liu, W. T., and W. Tang, 1996: Equivalent neutral wind. JPL Publication 96-17, 8 pp.
30. Liu, W. T., X. Xie, P. S. Polito, S.-P. Xie, and H. Hashizume, 2000: Atmospheric manifestation of tropical instability wave observed by Quik SCAT and tropical rain measuring mission. Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 2545-2548.
31. Liu, W. T., X. Xie, and P. P. Niiler, 2007: Ocean-atmosphere interaction over Agulhas Extension meanders. J. Climate, 20, 5784-5797.
32. Minobe, S., and A. Maeda, 2005: A 1° monthly gridded sea-surface temperature dataset compiled from ICOADS from 1850 to 2002 and Northern Hemisphere frontal variability. Int. J. Climatol., 25, 881-894.
33. Minobe, S., A. Kuwano-Yoshida, N. Komori, S.-P. Xie, and R. J. Small, 2008: Influence of the Gulf Stream on the troposphere. Nature, 452, 206-209.
34. Miyasaka, T., and H. Nakamura, 2005: Structure and formation mechanisms of the Northern Hemisphere summertime subtropical highs. J. Climate, 18, 5046-5065.
35. Nakamura, H., T. Sampe, A. Goto, W. Ohfuchi, and S.-P. Xie, 2008: On the importance of midlatitude oceanic frontal zones for the mean state and dominant variability in the tropospheric circulation. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L15709, doi:10.1029/2008GL034010.
36. Namias, J., 1959: Recent seasonal interaction between North Pacific waters and the overlying atmospheric circulation. J. Geophys. Res., 64, 631-646.
37. Namias, J., 1969: Seasonal interactions between the North Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere during the 1960s. Mon. Wea. Rev., 97, 173-192.
38. Namias, J., 1972: Experiments in objectively predicting some atmospheric and oceanic variables for the winter of 1971-72. J. Appl. Meteor., 11, 1164-1174.
39. Neelin, J. D., 1989: On the interpretation of the Gill model. J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 2466-2468.
40. Nonaka, M., and S.-P. Xie, 2003: Covariations of sea surface temperature and wind over the Kuroshio and its extension: Evidence for ocean-to-atmosphere feedback. J. Climate, 16, 1404-1413.
41. O'Neill, L. W., D. B. Chelton, and S. K. Esbensen, 2003: Observations of SST-induced perturbations of the wind stress field over the Southern Ocean on seasonal timescales. J. Climate, 16, 2340-2354.
42. O'Neill, L. W., D. B. Chelton, S. K. Esbensen and F. J. Wentz, 2005: High-resolution satellite measurements of the atmospheric boundary layer response to SST variations along the Agulhas Return Current. J. Climate, 18, 2706-2723.
43. Onogi, K., and Coauthors, 2007: The JRA-25 reanalysis. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 85, 369-432.
44. Park, K.-A., P. C. Cornillon, and D. L. Codiga, 2006: Modification of surface winds near ocean fronts: Effects of Gulf Stream rings on scatterometer (Quik SCAT, NSCAT) wind observations. J. Geophys. Res., 111, C03021, doi:10.1029/2005JC003016.
45. Peng, S., W. A. Robinson, and M. P. Hoerling, 1997: The modeled atmospheric response to midlatitude SST anomalies and its dependence on background circulation states. J. Climate, 10, 971-987.
46. Reed, R. J., G. A. Grell, and Y. H. Kuo, 1993: The ERICA IOP 5 Storm. Part II: Sensitivity tests and further diagnosis based on model output. Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 1595-1612.
47. Rio, M.-H., and F. Hernandez, 2004: A mean dynamic topography computed over the world ocean from altimetry, in situ measurements, and a geoid model. J. Geophys. Res., 109, C12032, doi:10.1029/2003JC002226.
48. Rossby, T., and E. Gottlieb, 1998: The Oleander project: Monitoring the variability of the Gulf Stream and adjacent waters between New Jersey and Bermuda. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 79, 5-18.
49. Samelson, R. M., E. D. Skyllingstad, D. B. Chelton, S. K. Esbensen, L. W. O'Neill, and N. Thum, 2006: On the coupling of wind stress and sea surface temperature. J. Climate, 19, 1557-1566.
50. Sampe, T., and S.-P. Xie, 2007: Mapping high sea winds from space: A global climatology. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 88, 1965-1978.
51. Sampe, T., and S.-P. Xie, 2010: Large-scale dynamics of the meiyu-baiu rainband: Environmental forcing by the westerly jet. J. Climate, 23, 113-134.
52. Sanders, F., 1986: Explosive cyclogenesis over the west-central North Atlantic Ocean, 1981-84. Part I: Composite structure and mean behavior. Mon. Wea. Rev., 114, 1781-1794.
53. Small, R. J., and Coauthors, 2008: Air-sea interaction over ocean fronts and eddies. Dyn. Atmos. Oceans, 45, 274-319.
54. Song, Q., P. Cornillon, and T. Hara, 2006: Surface wind response to oceanic fronts. J. Geophys. Res., 111, C12006, doi:10.1029/2006JC003680.
55. Sweet, W., R. Fett, J. Kerling, and P. Laviolette, 1981: Air-sea interaction effects in the lower troposphere across the north wall of the Gulf Stream. Mon. Wea. Rev., 109, 1042-1052.
56. Tanimoto, Y., H. Nakamura, T. Kagimoto, and S. Yamane, 2003: An active role of extratropical sea surface temperature anomalies in determining anomalous turbulent heat flux. J. Geophys. Res., 108, 3304, doi:10.1029/2002JC001750.
57. Taylor, A. H., and J. A. Stephens, 1998: The North Atlantic oscillation and the latitude of the Gulf Stream. Tellus, 50A, 134-142.
58. Thiébaux, J., E. Rogers, W. Wang, and B. Katz, 2003: A new high-resolution blended real-time global sea surface temperature analysis. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 84, 645-656.
59. Tokinaga, H., Y. Tanimoto, and S.-P. Xie, 2005: SST-induced surface wind variations over the Brazil-Malvinas confluence: Satellite and in situ observations. J. Climate, 18, 3470-3482.
60. Tokinaga, H., Y. Tanimoto, S.-P. Xie, T. Sampe, H. Tomita, and H. Ichikawa, 2009: Ocean frontal effects on the vertical development of clouds over the western North Pacific: In situ and satellite observations. J. Climate, 22, 4241-4260.
61. Tomczak, M., and J. S. Godfrey, 2003: Regional Oceanography: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Daya Publishing House, 390 pp.
62. Trunk, T. J., and L. F. Bosart, 1990: Mean radar echo characteristics during project GALE. Mon. Wea. Rev., 118, 459-469.
63. Waliser, D. E., N. E. Graham, and C. Gautier, 1993: Comparison of the highly reflective cloud and outgoing longwave radiation datasets for use in estimating tropical deep convection. J. Climate, 6, 331-353.
64. Wallace, J. M., T. P. Mitchell, and C. Deser, 1989: The influence of sea surface temperature on surface wind in the eastern equatorial Pacific: Seasonal and interannual variability. J. Climate, 2, 1492-1499.
65. Wang, C., D. B. Enfield, S.-k. Lee, and C. W. Landsea, 2006: Influences of the Atlantic warm pool on Western Hemisphere summer rainfall and Atlantic hurricanes. J. Climate, 19, 3011-3028.
66. Wang, C., S.-k. Lee, and D. B. Enfield, 2007: Impact of the Atlantic warm pool on the summer climate of the Western Hemisphere. J. Climate, 20, 5021-5040.
67. Warner, T. T., M. N. Lakhtakia, and J. D. Doyle, 1990: Marine atmospheric boundary layer circulations forced by Gulf Stream sea surface temperature gradients. Mon. Wea. Rev., 118, 309-323.
68. Watanabe, M., F. F. Jin, and J. Pan, 2006: Accelerated iterative method for solving steady problems of linearized atmospheric models. J. Atmos. Sci., 63, 3366-3382.
69. White, W. B., and J. L. Annis, 2003: Coupling of extratropical mesoscale eddies in the ocean to westerly winds in the atmospheric boundary layer. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 33, 1095-1107.
70. Xie, S.-P., 2004: Satellite observations of cool ocean-atmosphere interaction. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 85, 195-208.
71. Xie, S.-P., J. Hafner, Y. Tanimoto, W. T. Liu, H. Tokinaga, and H. Xu, 2002: Bathymetric effect on the winter sea surface temperature and climate of the Yellow and East China Seas. Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 2228, doi:10.1029/2002GL015884.
72. Young, G. S., and T. D. Sikora, 2003: Mesoscale stratocumulus bands caused by Gulf Stream meanders. Mon. Wea. Rev., 131, 2177-2191.
73. Zolina, O., and S. K. Gulev, 2003: Synoptic variability of ocean-atmosphere turbulent fluxes associated with atmospheric cyclones. J. Climate, 16, 2717-2734.