The Relationship between Northeast Pacific Sea Surface Temperatures, Synoptic Evolution, and Surface Air Temperatures over the Pacific Northwest

Abstract

The development of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the northeast Pacific and their impacts on lower-tropospheric air temperatures over the Pacific Northwest are examined. Northeast Pacific SST anomalies are influenced by the synoptic-scale flow, with high pressure and weak surface winds associated with developing warm SST anomalies, while large pressure gradients and strong surface winds result in SST declines. SST over the northeast Pacific correlates significantly with surface air temperatures over the Pacific Northwest, with correlations increasing when high-frequency variability is filtered out. The correlations between unfiltered time series of SST and surface air temperature are largest for a zero-day lag and are strongest near the coast, contrasting with weaker correlations over the Columbia basin east of the Cascade Mountains. SST correlations with minimum surface air temperature are largest during the warm season, and maximum temperature correlations are highest in March; both have low correlations during autumn. Model simulations of periods with warm and cold northeast Pacific SST anomalies possess lower-tropospheric air temperature warming or cooling over the coastal zone, with SST influence weakening east of the Cascade crest. Eastern Pacific SST anomalies influence sea level pressure and lower-tropospheric heights, with warm SST anomalies resulting in simulated lowered pressure near the surface and increased heights aloft. The relationship between northeast Pacific SST and surface air temperature over land evince complex feedbacks: SST temperature anomalies can be advected inland from the Pacific, the SST anomalies can influence the synoptic-scale flow that affects the SST anomalies, and the synoptic-scale anomalies that produce the SST anomalies can directly influence temperatures over land.