A stratospheric connection to Atlantic climate variability

It is well recognized that the stratosphere is connected to tropospheric weather and climate. In particular, extreme stratospheric circulation events and their dynamical feedback on the troposphere are known to play a major role1. However, what is not known to date is whether the state of the stratosphere also matters for the ocean and its circulation. Previous research suggests co-variability of decadal stratospheric flow variations and conditions in the North Atlantic Ocean, but such findings are based on short simulations with only one climate model2. Here we report that over the past 30 years the stratosphere and the Atlantic thermohaline circulation underwent low-frequency variations that were similar to each other.