The North Atlantic Oscillation–Arctic Oscillation in the CCSM2 and Its Influence on Arctic Climate Variability

Abstract

Recent observations suggest that large and widespread changes are occurring in the Arctic climate system. Many of these are associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) or the closely related Arctic Oscillation (AO). Here, the Arctic climate and its response to the NAO?AO is examined in a control simulation of the newly released Community Climate System Model, version 2 (CCSM2). Variability in the atmosphere and sea ice systems are considered and the physical mechanisms that drive the variations are discussed. It is found that the model reasonably simulates the spatial structure and variance of the sea level pressure, surface air temperature, and precipitation associated with the NAO?AO. The sea ice response to the NAO?AO also compares well to observations. However, it varies over the length of the time series, which is related to variations in the spatial structure of the sea level pressure anomalies associated with the NAO?AO over time. The model results suggest that these variations, which are similar to changes that occur over the observed record, are common and part of the natural variability of the system. However, the magnitude of the observed trends over the last 40 yr in the NAO?AO index are never realized in the model simulations, suggesting that these trends may be associated with changes in anthropogenic forcing, which the simulation examined here does not include.