| We investigate whether changes in atmospheric concentrations in ozone and greenhouse gases influence decadal-scaled oceanic and atmospheric dynamics in the Northeast Pacific. Using a coupled ocean-atmosphere GCM we simulate preindustrial and present day climatic conditions, focusing on the North Pacific. Using modeled and paleoproxy data, we explore how the changed composition of the atmosphere influences the PDO and North Pacific High, two dominant modes of regional variability. We examine spatial and temporal patterns of regional sea-surface temperatures on interannual to interdecadal timescales. Within these simulations the influence of the prescribed atmospheric perturbations is significant on longer time scales at the smaller spatial scales examined. The significance of the variability evident in both the proxy and modeled results is a matter of the temporal and spatial scale examined. |
