Interannual teleconnections between the summer North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Asian summer monsoon

Here we present a study of the relationship between July–August (JA) mean climate over China, which is strongly linked to the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM), and the summer (JA) North Atlantic Oscillation (SNAO). The variations of temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover related to the SNAO were analyzed for the period 1951–2002 using gridded data sets as well as instrumental data from 160 stations in China. It was shown that the major patterns of summer climate over China are highly connected with the interannual variation of the SNAO, supporting a teleconnection between the North Atlantic region and East Asia. Based on the analyses of the daily and monthly reanalysis data sets, we propose possible mechanisms of this teleconnection. Changes in the position of the North Atlantic storm tracks and transient eddy activity associated with the positive (negative) SNAO phase contribute downstream to negative (positive) sea level pressure anomalies in northeastern East Asia. In negative SNAO years, a stationary wave pattern is excited from the southern SNAO center over northwestern Europe to northeastern East Asia. However, during positive SNAO years, a stationary wave pattern is excited extending from the SNAO center across the central Eurasian continent at around 40°N and downstream to the southeast. This may explain a connection between the positive SNAO and atmospheric circulation in middle and southeastern China. Key Points July–August SNAO variability almost concurrent, with summer climate variability Near‐simultaneous responses of atmospheric circulation in E Asia and the SNAO Propagation of the SNAO signal to E China one week after the +/− SNAO event