Large-scale modes of climate variability like NAM, SAM, and ENSO exist in the ocean
Is it true that large-scale modes of climate variability like NAM, SAM, and ENSO exist in the ocean?
No. The claim that large-scale modes of climate variability like NAM, SAM, and ENSO exist in the ocean is refuted by the scientific literature, which establishes these phenomena as atmospheric circulation patterns and coupled ocean-atmosphere or climate indices rather than oceanic modes.
Verdict: REFUTED · 0 sources for, 9 against · Last checked
The provided papers uniformly describe the Northern Annular Mode (NAM), Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) as patterns of atmospheric circulation variability, meteorological teleconnections, or coupled climate phenomena involving the atmosphere. While ENSO involves sea surface temperatures, these modes are primarily atmospheric or coupled climate variability patterns rather than features existing solely or fundamentally 'in the ocean' in the sense implied. Therefore, the claim is refuted by standard meteorological and climatological definitions provided in the literature.
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Ning, L. & Bradley, R. S. (2015). Winter Climate Extremes over the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Modes of Climate Variability*. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-13-00750.1
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Dätwyler, C., Grosjean, M., Steiger, N. J., & Neukom, R. (2019). Teleconnections and relationship between ENSO and SAM in reconstructions and models over the past millennium. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2019-110
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Lee, D. Y., Petersen, M., & Lin, W. (2020). Variability of the Southern Annular Mode and Southern Ocean Surface Westerly Winds in E3SM. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10501683.1
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Kawamura, T., Kosaka, Y., Okajima, S., & Nakamura, H. (2024). Projected changes of the Northern Annular Mode linked to seasonality of the ENSO teleconnection. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.22541/au.172961979.91737935/v1
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Kawamura, T., Kosaka, Y., Okajima, S., & Nakamura, H. (2025). Projected changes of the Northern Annular Mode linked to seasonality of the ENSO teleconnection. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.22541/au.172961979.91737935/v2
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Kidston, J. (n.d.). On the Dynamical Mechanism of the Southern Annular Mode, Including Seasonality: Inter-Annual Variability: and Trends. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.16968271
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Dong, Y., Polvani, L. M., & Bonan, D. (2023). Recent multi-decadal Southern Ocean surface cooling unlikely caused by Southern Annular Mode trends. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.169447433.33762344/v1
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Kudryavtseva, N. (2020). Abrupt changes in wave climate of regional seas caused by large-scale atmospheric forcing and teleconnections. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-22430
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Dubey, N., Hari, V., & Ghosh, S. (2025). Role of large-scale climate teleconnections in modulating vegetation productivity over India. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-357
What does the evidence say?
The provided papers uniformly describe the Northern Annular Mode (NAM), Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) as patterns of atmospheric circulation variability, meteorological teleconnections, or coupled climate phenomena involving the atmosphere. While ENSO involves sea surface temperatures, these modes are primarily atmospheric or coupled climate variability patterns rather than features existing solely or fundamentally 'in the ocean' in the sense implied. Therefore, the claim is refuted by standard meteorological and climatological definitions provided in the literature.
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