A Probable Influence in the Pacific Ocean of the Decadal Solar Oscillation
Harry van Loon, Colorado Research Associates/National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado.
Earlier studies showed that in the maxima of the Decadal Solar Oscillation (DSO) the mean temperature of the troposphere of the Northern Hemisphere tended to vary as the DSO in summer. The association apparently was associated with the tropical Hadley and Walker circulations.
The present report expands the topic to include the northern winter in the Pacific Ocean north of 10S, east of 170E. The influence of the DSO in this region is expressed in 1) a weakening of the Aleutian low, 2) stronger trade winds across the equator, 3) lower sea-surface temperatures and rainfall in the equatorial belt, and 4) higher rainfall in the ITCZ and the SPCZ. This signal is similar to that of the cold extremes in the Southern Oscillation, and in the sea-surface temperatures available since 1854 there was consequently only one warm extreme in the 14 solar maxima.So during these 160 years, the influence of the DSO at its peaks seems to have suppressed the development of warm extremes in the Southern Oscillation. Cold extremes happen in both solar maxima and minima. These results may be interpreted in the following way: Outside the solar maxima the atmosphere in the northern winter is free to do what it will; but in the solar maxima the sun tries to strengthen the Pacific trade winds, encourage upwelling along the Pacific equator, and weaken the Aleutian low.