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| Possible Impact of the Boreal Spring Antarctic Oscillation on the North American Summer Monsoon |
| SUN Jian-Qi |
| Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100029, China |
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Abstract This study examined the relationship between the boreal spring (April-May) Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) and the North American summer monsoon (NASM) (July-September) for the period of 1979-2008. The results show that these two systems are closely related. When the spring AAO was stronger than normal, the NASM tended to be weaker, and there was less rainfall over the monsoon region. The opposite NASM situation corresponded to a weaker spring AAO. Further analysis explored the possible mechanism for the delayed impact of the boreal spring AAO on the NASM. It was found that the tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) plays an important role in the connection between the two phenomena. The variability of the boreal spring AAO can produce anomalous SSTs over the tropical Atlantic. These SST anomalies can persist from spring to summer and can influence the Bermuda High, affecting water vapor transportation to the monsoon region. Through these processes, the boreal spring AAO exerts a significantly delayed impact on the amount of NASM precipitation. Thus, information about the boreal spring AAO is valuable for the prediction of the NASM.
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Received: 08 July 2010
Revised: 12 July 2010
Accepted: 12 July 2010
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