The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a weather phenomenon over the North Atlantic Ocean of fluctuations in the difference of atmospheric pressure at sea level (SLP) between the Icelandic Low and the Azores High. Through fluctuations in the strength of the Icelandic Low and the Azores High, it controls the strength and direction of westerly winds and location of storm tracks across the North Atlantic.[1]
The NAO was discovered through several studies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[2] Unlike the El Niño–Southern Oscillation phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, the NAO is a largely atmospheric mode. It is one of the most important manifestations of climate fluctuations in the North Atlantic and surrounding humid climates.[3]
The North Atlantic Oscillation is closely related to the Arctic oscillation (AO) (or Northern Annular Mode (NAM)), but should not be confused with the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO).
- ^ Hurrel, James W. (2003). The North Atlantic Oscillation: Climatic Significance and Environmental Impact. American Geophysical Union. ISBN 9780875909943.
- ^ Stephenson, D.B., H. Wanner, S. Brönnimann, and J. Luterbacher (2003), The History of Scientific Research on the North Atlantic Oscillation, in The North Atlantic Oscillation: Climatic Significance and Environmental Impact, edited by J.W. Hurrell, Y. Kushnir, G. Ottersen, and M. Visbeck, pp. 37-50, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, doi:10.1029/134GM02
- ^ Hurrell, James W. (1995). "Decadal Trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation: Regional Temperatures and Precipitation". Science. 269 (5224): 676–679. Bibcode:1995Sci...269..676H. doi:10.1126/science.269.5224.676. PMID 17758812. S2CID 23769140.