Published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 78: 1069-1079.
Abstract
Evidence gleaned from the instrumental
record of climate data identifies a robust, recurring pattern of ocean-atmosphere
climate variability centered over the mid-latitude Pacific basin. Over
the past century, the amplitude of this climate pattern has varied irregularly
at interannual-to-interdecadal time scales. There is evidence of reversals
in the prevailing polarity of the oscillation occurring around 1925, 1947,
and 1977; the last two reversals correspond with dramatic shifts in salmon
production regimes in the North Pacific Ocean. This climate pattern also
affects coastal sea and continental surface air temperatures, as well as
streamflow in major west coast river systems, from Alaska to California.