| Reconstruction of the North Atlantic Oscillation, 1429-1983 | |
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Reconstruction of the North Atlantic Oscillation, 1429-1983
International Journal of Climatology, Volume 21, Issue 12, pp. 1453-1465, 2001. Mary F. Glueck and Charles W. Stockton Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, University of Arizona. |
| ABSTRACT: The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is considered to be the dominant mode of winter atmospheric variability in the Northern Hemisphere (Barnston AG, Livezey RE. 1987. Classification, seasonality and persistence of low frequency atmospheric circulation patterns. Monthly Weather Review 115: 1083-1126), especially in the North Atlantic region. A better understanding of its recent variability in the context of pre-instrumental period variations is critical for prediction purposes. A 555-year (1429-1983) multi-proxy reconstruction of the cool season NAO, calibrated against the Lisbon-Iceland (LISJHI) NAO, is presented. Predictor variables include tree-ring chronologies from Morocco and Finland, GISP2 d18O annual series, and a GISP2 snow accumulation record. Although the reconstructed values are generally lower than the instrumental values during the calibration period (1863-1983), the final reconstruction does capture the low frequency of the instrumental NAO. The reconstruction compares favourably with existing shorter NAO reconstructions and with the instrumental NAO. The variability in the reconstructed NAO is also discussed within the context of lengthy regional climate records. Results suggest that the occurrence and length of the recent persistently high phase of the NAO are not unusual over the 555-year period of time, but that the magnitude of some of the instrumental values may, in fact, be unique. |
| DATA: Download the Reconstructed NAO time series and Afraskou and Ich Ramouz chronology values plus the data description from the WDC Paleo Archive.
Download the tree-ring data from the
International Tree Ring Data Bank:
Afraskou Ringwidth
Standard,
Residual, and
Arstan Chronologies.
Finland
Karhunpe Ringwidth
Measurements and
Standard Chronology
Access the
Greenland Summit Ice Cores CDROM including the |
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To read or view the full study, please visit the
Wiley InterScience website. It was published in International Journal of Climatology Volume 21, Issue 12, pp. 1453-1465 , 2001. |
| Contact Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 7 May 2002
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