Pacific Decadal Oscillation

E41339

climate oscillation climate variability mode ocean–atmosphere phenomenon sea surface temperature pattern

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation is a long-term pattern of sea surface temperature variability in the North Pacific Ocean that shifts phases over decades and strongly influences regional climate and marine ecosystems.

Statements (50)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	climate oscillation → climate variability mode → ocean–atmosphere phenomenon → sea surface temperature pattern →
affects	coastal upwelling intensity in the North Pacific → sea level pressure patterns over the North Pacific → wind stress over the North Pacific Ocean →
affectsRegion	Alaska → Canada West Coast → East Asia → North America → North Pacific Ocean → U.S. West Coast →
alsoKnownAs	PDO →
discoveredBy	Steven R. Hare →
firstDescribedIn	1990s →
hasNegativePhasePattern	cool anomalies along the North American west coast and warm anomalies in the central North Pacific →
hasPhase	negative phase → positive phase →
hasPositivePhasePattern	warm anomalies along the North American west coast and cool anomalies in the central North Pacific →
hasTemporalScale	decadal → multidecadal →
indexMethod	empirical orthogonal function analysis of sea surface temperature anomalies →
indexRegion	North Pacific north of 20°N →
influences	drought frequency in parts of North America → fisheries productivity → marine ecosystems → marine heatwave occurrence → ocean productivity in the North Pacific → precipitation patterns in North America → regional climate variability → river flows in western North America → salmon populations in the North Pacific → snowpack in western North America → storm tracks over the North Pacific → temperature patterns in North America →
isCharacterizedBy	sea surface temperature anomalies in the North Pacific → shifts in atmospheric circulation over the North Pacific →
isMeasuredBy	PDO index → sea surface temperature index →
isPartOf	Pacific climate system →
locatedIn	North Pacific Ocean →
modulates	impacts of El Niño–Southern Oscillation on North American climate →
namedBy	Steven R. Hare →
relatedTo	El Niño–Southern Oscillation →
studiedBy	climatologists → fisheries scientists → oceanographers →
timescale	interdecadal →
typicalPhaseDuration	20–30 years →

Referenced by (3)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
California Current → Northern Pacific Ocean →	affectedBy
Alaska Current →	linkedTo