New paper explains solar amplification mechanism controlling North Atlantic climate

A new paper published in Annales Geophysicae finds another solar amplification mechanism by which solar activity controls sea level pressures, mid-tropospheric geopotential heights (which in turn controls the lapse rate and surface temperatures), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic, as well as the Pacific/North American pattern. The authors

"concentrate on the Northern Hemisphere and North Atlantic in the period 1948–2012. Composite and correlation analyses point to a strengthening of the North Atlantic Oscillation and weakening (i.e. becoming more zonal) of the Pacific/North American pattern. The locations of points with lowest and highest sea level pressure in the North Atlantic change their positions between low and high solar activity."

and discuss in the conclusion the potential solar amplification mechanism:

"The solar effect on atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic can be described as a tripole mechanism. During solar maximum conditions the differences between the Icelandic Low and Azores High increase, while the Greenland High decreases. Solar minimum conditions reinforce the high pressure above Greenland together with a weakening of the other two North Atlantic pressure centres."

The paper adds to over 200 others published since 2010 alone which explain numerous mechanisms by which tiny changes in solar activity may be amplified to large-scale changes in atmospheric circulation and climate change. In addition, many papers corroborate solar control of the NAO found in this paper, which may in turn be the primary influence upon Arctic climate and Arctic sea ice extent. 

Ann. Geophys., 33, 207-215, 2015 www.ann-geophys.net/33/207/2015/ doi:10.5194/angeo-33-207-2015 The influence of solar activity on action centres of atmospheric circulation in North Atlantic

L. Sfîcă¹, M. Voiculescu², and R. Huth^3,4
1Faculty of Geography and Geology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iaşi, Romania
²Faculty of Science and Environment, Dunărea de Jos University, Galaţi, Romania
³Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
⁴Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
Abstract. We analyse the response of sea level pressure and mid-tropospheric (500 hPa) geopotential heights to variations in solar activity. We concentrate on the Northern Hemisphere and North Atlantic in the period 1948–2012. Composite and correlation analyses point to a strengthening of the North Atlantic Oscillation and weakening (i.e. becoming more zonal) of the Pacific/North American pattern. The locations of points with lowest and highest sea level pressure in the North Atlantic change their positions between low and high solar activity.