edu.ucar.opensky::articles:26598 UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact 2025-12-24T19:25:56.048805 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7445rjx The role of upper-ocean variations of the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension in seasonal-to-decadal air-sea heat flux variability 2023-08-22T00:00:00Z publication https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7445rjx https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-023-00453-9 Joh, Y. author Delworth, T. L. author Wittenberg, A. T. author Yang, X. author Rosati, Anthony author Johnson, N. C. author Jia, Liwei author UCAR/NCAR - Library publisher The Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension (KOE) is the North Pacific oceanic frontal zone where air-sea heat and moisture exchanges allow strong communication between the ocean and atmosphere. Using satellite observations and reanalysis datasets, we show that the KOE surface heat flux variations are very closely linked to Kuroshio Extension (KE) sea surface height (SSH) variability on both seasonal and decadal time scales. We investigate seasonal oceanic and atmospheric anomalies associated with anomalous KE upper ocean temperature, as reflected in SSH anomalies (SSHa). We show that the ocean-induced seasonal changes in air-sea coupled processes, which are accompanied by KE upper-ocean temperature anomalies, lead to significant ocean-to-atmosphere heat transfer during November-December-January (i.e., NDJ). This anomalous NDJ KOE upward heat transfer has recently grown stronger in the observational record, which also appears to be associated with the enhanced KE decadal variability. Highlighting the role of KOE heat fluxes as a communicator between the upper-ocean and the overlying atmosphere, our findings suggest that NDJ KOE heat flux variations could be a useful North Pacific climate indicator. UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact PDF Text theme Resource Type 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z publication Copyright author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. None eng geoscientificInformation