Wintertime ocean–atmosphere interaction processes associated with the SST variability in the North Pacific subarctic frontal zone

Abstract Recent research indicates that the midlatitude oceanic frontal zones are the key regions of ocean–atmosphere interaction. The thermal condition of midlatitude ocean in frontal zones can affect the atmosphere efficiently through both diabatic heating and transient eddy feedback. In this study, the wintertime SST variability in the subarctic frontal zone (SAFZ) of the North Pacific and the associated ocean–atmosphere interaction mechanism are examined based on observational and theoretical analyses. It is found that the SAFZ-related SST anomaly is characterized as a large-scale interannual mode that can persist during the whole winter, and that its evolution is accompanied with local ocean–atmosphere interaction processes. The initial anticyclonic surface wind anomaly associated with the weakened Aleutian Low forces a large-scale warm SST anomaly in midlatitude North Pacific by driving northward Ekman flow and downward heat flux. With the increase of SST anomaly, the air-sea heat flux exchange reverses, indicating that the ocean starts to heat the atmosphere. In addition to increasing the diabatic heating, the warm SST anomaly strengthens the SST gradient in the north part of SAFZ. The low-level atmospheric baroclinicity is adjusted to synchronize with the SAFZ correspondingly due to oceanic thermal influence, causing change of transient eddy activities. Though all the ocean-induced diabatic heating, transient eddy heating and transient eddy vorticity forcing are enhanced over SAFZ, the last physical process plays the most important role in shifting and maintaining the equivalent barotropic atmospheric circulation anomalies. Therefore, the ocean–atmosphere interaction provides a mechanism for the development and maintenance of SAFZ-related anomalies of the North Pacific ocean–atmosphere system throughout the winter.