Decadal Trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation: Regional Temperatures and Precipitation
Abstract
Greenland ice-core data have revealed large decadal climate variations over the North Atlantic that can be related to a major source of low-frequency variability, the North Atlantic Oscillation. Over the past decade, the Oscillation has remained in one extreme phase during the winters, contributing significantly to the recent wintertime warmth across Europe and to cold conditions in the northwest Atlantic. An evaluation of the atmospheric moisture budget reveals coherent large-scale changes since 1980 that are linked to recent dry conditions over southern Europe and the Mediterranean, whereas northern Europe and parts of Scandinavia have generally experienced wetter than normal conditions.
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Science
Volume 269 | Issue 5224
4 August 1995
4 August 1995
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1995 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Received: 20 March 1995
Accepted: 30 May 1995
Published in print: 4 August 1995
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- James W. Hurrell
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