Comparison of the impact of regional and North Atlantic atmospheric circulation on an aquatic ecosystem

Climate Research

Thorsten Blenckner¹  Deliang Chen¹ 

关键词: Atmospheric circulation;    NAO;    Climate;    Ice;    Spring bloom;    Lake ecosystems;   

DOI  :  10.3354/cr023131

来源: Inter-Research Science Publishing

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: Atmospheric circulation is important in affecting surface climate and ecosystems. In this study, we compared the impact of North Atlantic and regional atmospheric circulation, as represented by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and aset of regional circulation indices on local air and water temperature, ice phenology and the phytoplankton spring bloom in a Swedish lake. All these variables were significantly correlated to both circulation indices, except for the water temperature dueto the insulation effects of ice and snow cover. These relationships were more powerful using the regional circulation indices, implying that the regional indices explained the variability of the lake variables with a higher power compared with the NAOindex. Additionally, the application of regional indices allowed the determination of underlying processes. For example, the timing of the ice break-up could be explained with 73% by the regional index associated with total wind speed from January toMarch. This example suggests that regional circulation indices are very useful tools, in addition to global circulation, to improve the understanding of the interaction between ecosystem processes and climate.

【 授权许可】

Unknown