Page 348 - Earth's Climate Past and Future

324 PART V • Historical and Future Climate Change

FIGURE 17-21 North Atlantic
Oscillation (NAO) During positive
NAO years, the western subtropical
L North Atlantic Ocean is warm, and
strong winds (upper yellow arrow)
blow this warmth and moisture into
north-central Europe. NAO
conditions (positive or negative)
H can persist for many years.
(Adapted from J. W. Hurrell et al., “An
Overview of the North Atlantic
Dust
Oscillation,” in The North Atlantic
A Oscillation; Climate Significance and
Environmental Impact, ed. J. W. Hurrell
et al., Geophysical Monograph Series 134
[2003]: 1–35.)
3

2

NAO index 1

0

–1

–2
1850 1900 1950
B Year

6. How does warming of the ocean affect sea level? Advanced Reading
Chung, C. E., V. Ramanathan, and J. T. Kiehl. 2003.
7. How do the North Atlantic Oscillation and Pacific
Decadal Oscillation (NAO and PDO) complicate “Effects of the South Asian Absorbing Haze on the
efforts to detect global warming? Northeast Monsoon and Surface-Air Heat
Exchange.” Journal of Climate 15: 2462–76.
Huang, S. H., N. Pollack, and P.-Y. Shen. 2000.
Additional Resources “Temperature Trends over the Past Five Centuries
Reconstructed from Borehole Temperature.” Nature
Basic Reading 403: 756–8.
www.igbp.net (International Geosphere-Biosphere Hurrell, J. W. 1995. “Decadal Trends in the North
Program) Atlantic Oscillation: Regional Temperatures and
http://wcrp.wmo.int/ (World Climate Research Precipitation.” Science 269: 676–9.
Program) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2007.
www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis.”
(National Climate Data Center) [Geneva: World Meterological Association, 2007].
www.ipcc.ch (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Levitus, S., J. I. Antonov, T. B. Boyer, and C. Stevens.
Change) 2000. “Warming of the World Ocean.” Science 287:
www.pages-igbp.org (Past Global Changes Project) 22285–93.