Jump to navigation.

Data / Links

Global / PNW Data Archive: Atmospheric Indices

Skip navigation.

This page provides time series of large scale atmospheric and atmosphere-ocean phenomena, many of which can be related to climate variability in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). It includes:

Atmospheric Indices

Name Temporal
Resolution		 Range of Years Comments
El Niņo / Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indices
NINO: Equatorial Pacific SSTs: Nino1+2, Nino3, Nino4, Nino3.4   1950-present Supplied by NOAA
NINO: Niño 3.4 Monthly 1856-2000 the average sea surface temperature in the region 5N-5S, 170W-120W
CTI: Eastern Eq. Pacific SST Anomalies "Cold Tongue Index"   1849-August2004 6N-6S, 180-90W.
SOI: Southern Oscillation Index, Tahiti and Darwin Monthly 1854-present  
SOI: COADS-based Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)   1887-1992  
SOI: Walker and Bliss Southern Oscillation index   1875-1933  
Quinn et al. El Niño index   1525-1987  
Precipitation in the islands of the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific. Seasonal 1892-1989 4N-12S, 152.5E-82.5W
Other Indices
Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) Monthly 1900-present  
Arctic Oscillation (AO)   1899-2001
1948-99		  
Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) Monthly 1953-September 2001  
Madden and Julian Osciilation (MJO)      
Maloney and Hartmann Daily 1979 to mid-2002  
Wheeler and Hendon Daily 1979 to present  
NCEP 5-day 1978 to mid-2004 pentad = 5-day means
Pacific/North American (PNA) pattern index      
Wallace and Gutzler (1981) grid-point definition   1948-2004  
EOF-definition   1948-2002  
North Pacific sea level pressure index (NPI) Monthly 1900-1992 Sea level pressure anomalies averaged poleward of 30°N, from 156°E-138°W.
The leading (EOF) mode of global SST variability Monthly 1900-1993 Zhang and Wallace

Hemispheric and Global Average Temperatures

Name Temporal
Resolution		 Range of Years Comments
Marine surface air temperature anomalies Monthly 1854-1997 Todd: also 1950-2000?
National Climatic Data Center Monthly, Annual 1880-present  
Sea surface temperature anomalies Monthly 1849-present  
University of East Anglia   1856-present  

For Assistance

Contact Todd Mitchell (mitchell@atmos.washington.edu).