(Colorado State University. Libraries, 1981-05) Reiter, Elmar R., author; Westhoff, Daniel R., author; Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, publisher
Gridded NMC data for 500-mb geopotential height, 300/500-mb and 500/700-mb thickness for the period 1951 to 1978 were subjected to linear trend analyses. These analyses were performed for each calendar month. Significant geographical and seasonal distributions of cooling and warming patterns emerged. An atmospheric cooling trend over the North Pacific during the winter months appears to be associated with oceanic cooling in that region, but also to planetary-wave adjustments, suggesting that ocean-atmosphere feedback mechanisms are effectively at work over climatic time scales. Consistently large temperature trends also appear over the Asian continent. Comparisons between thickness trends in the 1ayer 300/500-mb with those in the layer 500/700-mb reveal well-pronounced patterns of stabilization and destabilization.
