The decadal variation in displacement sudden stratospheric warmings
driven by Pacific teleconnections
Abstract
Sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) are important processes that exert
impacts on tropospheric weather and climate. This study used the
duration to describe the variations in the displacement SSWs and defined
Pacific–North American (PNA) and Western Pacific (WP) combined indices
(PWC Index) to describe the combinations of PNA and WP. We found that
the duration of the displacement SSWs (SSW1) first increased and then
decreased around 2000. The decadal variation in SSW1 can be explained by
PWC Index, since the teleconnection combinations with the same signs
(+PNA+WP/−PNA−WP) can affect upward planetary wave 1 and SSW1 more
efficiently than +PNA−WP/−PNA+WP. The second mode of tropical Pacific
sea surface temperature plays a more important role in modulating the
decadal variations in PWC Index and displacement SSWs than the first
mode.