Arctic climate and atmospheric planetary waves

Analysis of a fifty-year record (1946-1995) of monthly-averaged sea level p ressure data provides a link between the phases of planetary-scale sea leve l pressure waves and Arctic Ocean and ice variability. Results of this anal ysis show: (1) a breakdown of the dominant wave 1 pattern in the late 1960' s, (2) shifts in the mean phase of waves 1 and 2 since this breakdown, (3) an eastward shift in the phases of both waves 1 and 2 during the years of s imulated cyclonic Arctic Ocean circulation relative to their phases during the years of anticyclonic circulation, (4) a strong decadal variability of wave phase associated with simulated Arctic Ocean circulation changes. Fina lly, the Arctic atmospheric circulation patterns that emerge when waves 1 a nd 2 are in their extreme eastern and western positions suggest an alternat ive approach for determining significant forcing patterns of sea ice and hi gh-latitude variability.