Northern Hemisphere 700 mb Heights and Pacific Ocean Temperatures for Winter Months

Abstract

Mean monthly 700 mb height data are analyzed in relation to Pacific Ocean sea-surface temperatures (SST). Instead of treating the winter season as a unit, the data are analyzed separately for December, January and February; some results for November are also included. The associated pattern of the atmospheric circulation is most pronounced in January and February, especially over the Pacific. This indicates that time intervals of one month, and even shorter ones, are long enough to reveal the atmospheric relation to the sea-surface temperature. Moreover, an average of 700 mb data over the Pacific for January and February, would probably show a greater correlation with SST than the “winter” average which commonly includes December. The differences between December and February observations are discussed with the aid of the theoretical model of Hoskins and Karoly (1981).