Linkage between the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the low frequency variability of the Pacific Subtropical Cell

The decadal variability of Pacific Subtropical Cell (STC) and its linkages with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) are investigated in the present study based on a Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA 2.2.4). It is found that, on decadal time scales, the western boundary and interior pycnocline transports are anticorrelated and the variation of the interior component is more significant, which is consistent with previous studies. The decadal variability of STC in the Northern Hemisphere is found to be strongly associated with PDO. Associated with a positive (negative) phase of PDO, the relaxation (acceleration) of the northeast trades slows down (spins up) the STC within a few years through baroclinic adjustment in conjunction with the subduction of the cold (warm) mixed-layer anomalies in the extratropics. The cold (warm) water is then injected into the thermocline and advected further southwestward to the tropics along the isopycnal surfaces, leading to the slowdown (spin-up) of STC due to zonal pressure gradient change at low latitude. Along with the STC weakening (strengthening), a significant warming (cold) anomaly appears in the tropics and it is advected to the midlatitude by the Kuroshio and North Pacific currents, thus feeding back to the atmosphere over the North Pacific. In contrast to the Northern Hemisphere, it is found the STC in the south only passively responds to the PDO. The mechanism found here highlights the role of the STC advection of extratropical anomalies to the tropics and horizontal gyre advection of the tropical anomalies to the extratropics in decadal variability of the STC and PDO. Key Points PDO can influence STC in north hemisphere via subduction-induced density change Tropic SSTA appears induced by STC and is swept to subtropic by ocean advection SST anomaly in subtropic from STC-induced tropic negatively feedbacks to PDO