The interannual-to-decadal variability of sea surface temperature and height in the North Atlantic exhibits a tripolar pattern. Here, we explore the spatiotemporal structure, including the vertical, of the North Atlantic tripole using observations and reanalysis data in 1993–2021. For the first time, we demonstrate that the tripole's vertical structure across the Mid-Atlantic Bight continental shelf and slope differs from that in the ocean interior. The tripole strongly projects in the Slope Water north of the Gulf Stream mean path, marked with temperature changes across the water column not maintained by air-sea heat flux. Over the shelf, the tripole-associated sea level, temperature, and ocean current are weak. In the ocean interior, the tripole temperature variability is apparent in the upper 100 m in the tropics and three times as deep in the subtropics. The tripole imprints resemble those of the North Atlantic Oscillation, peaking after the dominant atmospheric mode's winter maximum.

中文翻译：

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合成北大西洋三极子的时空结构


北大西洋海面温度和高度的年际到年代际变化呈现三极型。在这里，我们使用 1993-2021 年的观测和再分析数据探索了北大西洋三极的时空结构，包括垂直结构。我们首次证明了横跨大西洋中湾大陆架和坡度的三极子垂直结构与海洋内部的垂直结构不同。三极在墨西哥湾流平均路径以北的斜坡水域强烈突出，其标志是整个水柱的温度变化，而不是由气海热通量维持。在大陆架上，与三极相关的海平面、温度和洋流很弱。在海洋内部，三极温度变化在热带地区 100 m 以上很明显，在亚热带地区是其 3 倍深。三极印记类似于北大西洋涛动的印记，在主要大气模式的冬季最大值之后达到峰值。