Northeast Pacific warm blobs sustained via extratropical atmospheric teleconnections

Jian Shi, Hao Huang, Alexey V. Fedorov, Neil J. Holbrook, Yu Zhang (), Ruiqiang Ding, Yongyue Luo, Shengpeng Wang, Jiajie Chen, Xi Hu, Qinyu Liu, Fei Huang () and Xiaopei Lin
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Jian Shi: Ocean University of China
Hao Huang: Ocean University of China
Alexey V. Fedorov: Yale University
Neil J. Holbrook: University of Tasmania
Yu Zhang: Ocean University of China
Ruiqiang Ding: Beijing Normal University
Yongyue Luo: Ocean University of China
Shengpeng Wang: Laoshan Laboratory
Jiajie Chen: Ocean University of China
Xi Hu: Ocean University of China
Qinyu Liu: Ocean University of China
Fei Huang: Ocean University of China
Xiaopei Lin: Ocean University of China

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Large-scale marine heatwaves in the Northeast Pacific (NEP), identified here and previously as ‘warm blobs’, have devastating impacts on regional ecosystems. An anomalous atmospheric ridge over the NEP is known to be crucial for maintaining these warm blobs, also causing abnormally cold temperatures over North America during the cold season. Previous studies linked this ridge to teleconnections from tropical sea surface temperature anomalies. However, it was unclear whether teleconnections from the extratropics could also contribute to the ridge. Here we show that planetary wave trains, triggered by increased rainfall and latent heat release over the Mediterranean Sea accompanied by decreased rainfall over the North Atlantic, can transport wave energy to the NEP, guided by the westerly jet, and induce a quasi-barotropic ridge there. Our findings provide insights into extratropical teleconnections sustaining the NEP ridge, offering a source of potential predictability for the warm blobs and temperature fluctuations over North America.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47032-x

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