Climate Trivia: It’s All Connected
Teleconnections occur when an event in one part of the world impacts another part of the world. One frequent source of teleconnections is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO is the periodic shift in wind patterns and sea-surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean. ENSO’s teleconnections include control over the number of winter storms impacting the California Coast, the intensity of the South Asian (Indian) Monsoon, and even the wintertime Nor’easters along the Eastern U.S. Seaboard.
Trivia Question: Which is another well-documented climate teleconnection?
a. Flooding in India resulting in sea-level rise around Manhattan
b. Mudslides in California causing snow in Maryland
c. Warm North Atlantic sea-surface temperatures leading to more wildfires in the western U.S.
d. Thunderstorms in Omaha leading to drought in Kazakhstan
The correct answer is c. While there may be some spurious correlation between some of the other events listed, analysis of over 500 years of proxy data from the West illustrates that wildfires there are more frequent when sea-surface temperatures in the North Atlantic are warm. Temperatures in the North Atlantic fluctuate between warm and cool conditions on a period of about 65 years, a phenomenon known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.
Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Source: Maue, Ryan N. “Northern Hemisphere Tropical Cyclone Activity.” Geophysical Research Letters 35 (2009): L05805 and Kitzberger, T et al. “Contingent Pacific-Atlantic Ocean influence on multicentury wildfire synchrony over western North America.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104 (2007): 543-548 and eGaetana, AT et al. “Statistical Prediction of Seasonal East Coast Winter Storm Frequency.” Journal of Climate 15 (2002): 1101-1117 and Hirsch, ME et al. “An East Coast Winter Storm Climatology.” Journal of Climate 14 (2001): 882-899 and Eichler, T and Higgins W. “Climatology and ENSO-Related Variability of North American Extratropical Cyclone Activity.” Journal of Climate 19 (2006): 2076-2093 and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Climate Prediction Center. Accessed Online 7 December 2009 http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/stormtracks/eisdiffobs.meta.gif
