Aj. Broccoli et al., The effect of changes in observational coverage on the association betweensurface temperature and the Arctic oscillation, J CLIMATE, 14(11), 2001, pp. 2481-2485
The effect of changes in observational coverage on the association between
the Arctic oscillation (AO) and extratropical Northern Hemisphere surface t
emperature is examined. A coupled atmosphere-ocean model, which produces a
realistic simulation of the circulation and temperature patterns associated
with the AO, is used as a surrogate for the real climate system. The assoc
iation between the AO and spatial mean temperature, as quantified by regres
sing the latter on the AO index, is subject to a positive bias due to the i
ncomplete spatial coverage of the observational network. The bias is larges
t during the early part of the twentieth century and decreases, but does no
t vanish, thereafter.