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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 34, L07709, doi:10.1029/2007GL029683, 2007

The Atlantic Meridional Mode and hurricane activity

Daniel J. Vimont

Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA


James P. Kossin

Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA


Abstract

Connections between the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) and seasonal hurricane activity are investigated. The AMM, a dynamical “mode” of variability intrinsic to the tropical coupled ocean-atmosphere system, is strongly related to seasonal hurricane activity on both decadal and interannual time scales. The connection arises due to the AMM's relationship with a number of local climatic conditions that all cooperate in their influence on hurricane activity. Further analysis indicates that the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) can excite the AMM on decadal time scales. As such, it is suggested that the AMO's influence on seasonal hurricane activity manifests itself through the AMM. This relationship between the AMM, AMO, and seasonal hurricane activity refocuses our understanding of how climate variations relate to seasonal hurricane activity in the Atlantic, and offers an improved framework beyond purely thermodynamic arguments that relates hurricanes to large-scale climate variations.

Received 14 February 2007; accepted 7 March 2007; published 11 April 2007.

Keywords: climate variability; tropical meteorology; ocean/atmospehre interactions.

Index Terms: 1616 Global Change: Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513); 3374 Atmospheric Processes: Tropical meteorology; 3339 Atmospheric Processes: Ocean/atmosphere interactions (0312, 4504).

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Citation: Vimont, D. J., and J. P. Kossin (2007), The Atlantic Meridional Mode and hurricane activity, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L07709, doi:10.1029/2007GL029683.