Atmospheric trends explained by changes in frequency of short-term circulation patterns

Abstract

The circulation of the atmosphere is subject to natural and anthropogenic forcings that alter the energy balance of the climate system. In each hemisphere the zonally averaged atmospheric circulation can be represented by a single overturning cell if viewed in isentropic coordinates, highlighting the connections between tropics and extratropics. Here we present clusters of the meridional atmospheric circulation based on reanalysis data. Our results reveal preferred global circulation regimes with two clusters in each solstice season. These clusters show strong trends in their occurrence in the last two decades of the 20th century coincident with the depletion of the low-stratospheric ozone over Antarctica. We hypothesize that a change in the occurrence of short-term circulation regimes may lead to some long-term atmospheric trends. Finally, we show a strong coupling between the atmospheric circulation in boreal and austral winters and propose a mechanism linking anomalies in both seasons to the stratospheric ozone that requires confirmation with modelling experiments.