Simulated ocean-atmosphere interaction in the North Pacific from a GCM coupled to a constant-depth mixed layer

Abstract

The life cycle and structure of dominant wintertime SST anomalies and associated atmospheric response in the extratropical North Pacific are examined using results from a 100-yr seasonal simulation of a low-resolution atmospheric model with realistic geography coupled to a simple mixed layer ocean. The study focuses on composited SST anomalies produced solely by ocean-atmosphere energy exchange. Comparison of results with prescribed SST anomaly experiments indicate that the ocean is in part forcing the atmosphere during the decay stage of CCP SST anomalies. The magnitude and position of the lower-tropospheric anomalies forced by SST anomalies are similar to those obtained in linear theory, while the vertical structure is more akin to that found in higher-resolution GCMs. -from Author