Solar cycle modulation of the seasonal linkage of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)

Abstract

The influence of the winter NAO on the high‐latitude summer climate is examined by separating the years according to the 11‐year solar cycle. During the solar maximum years, the winter NAO has a significant relation with the spring‐summer climate, while the winter‐to‐summer linkage is very weak during the solar minimum years. During the solar maximum years, the winter NAO affects spring snow cover over the Eurasian continent and sea ice over the Barents Sea. In summer, the NAO signal shows a strong annular‐like structure only during solar maximum years. The results suggest that the influence of the winter NAO on the summer climate is modulated by the solar cycle through the surface cryospheric processes.