Climatic Variations of the California Current System: Application of Smart Climatology to the Coastal Ocean
Abstract
The Northern Oscillation Index (NOI), an atmospheric climate index relating climate variations in the tropical Pacific and Northeast Pacific was used to selectively average output from the Parallel Ocean Climate Model (POCM 4C) for 1979-1998. Composites, or smart climatologies, were made representing El Nino (EN) and La Nina (LN) conditions, as well as a long-term mean (LTM) average or traditional climatology, for November to March. Conditions in the California Current System (CCS) in the smart climatologies were consistent with large-scale features noted in previously published studies of EN and LN. Overall, the patterns of anomalies (POCM 4C Smart Climatology minus POCM 4C Traditional Climatology) in salinity, temperature, and currents were opposite in sign and magnitude between the EN and LN composites. This was expected for opposite phases of the same climate variation, and many of the model's EN/LN differences were found to be statistically significant. Therefore, POCM 4C smart climatologies provide better estimates of ocean state and circulation patterns than traditional climatology. Such smart climatologies offer improved environmental information to Naval operational and strategic planners. They also are useful for studying climate variations, and in improving boundary and initial conditions for ocean and atmosphere models.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA439299
Entities
People
- Joel W. Feldmeier
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School