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Volcanic contribution to the 1990s North Pacific climate shift in winter
Chi-Hua Wu1, Shih-Yu Lee2, I-Chun Tsai2
1Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 115, Taiwan. chhwu@gate.sinica.edu.tw.
Volcanic eruptions, like Mount Pinatubo, can trigger rapid, decade-long climate shifts. Including volcanic aerosols reveals significant, time-lagged impacts on atmospheric circulation and the jet stream.
Area of Science:
- Climate Science
- Atmospheric Science
- Volcanology
Background:
- The influence of external forcing on climate state changes remains debated.
- Understanding decadal climate variability is crucial for climate change projections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of volcanic eruptions to decadal climate regime shifts.
- To explore the time-lagged impacts of volcanic forcing on atmospheric circulation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of decadal climate changes with and without inclusion of 1990s stratospheric volcanic aerosols.
- Focus on boreal winter over the North Pacific.
Main Results:
- Volcanic eruptions cause rapid changes, including strengthening and poleward shift of the midlatitude westerly jet stream.
- Volcanically driven decadal changes observed in the mid-to-late 1990s, indicating a time-lagged impact.
- Decadal climate states shift more dramatically when volcanic forcing is included.
Conclusions:
- Volcanic forcing significantly influences decadal climate regime shifts.
- Time-lagged effects of volcanic aerosols on atmospheric circulation are evident.
- Climate oscillation patterns are affected by volcanically induced changes in decadal atmospheric circulation.
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