THE NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION AND LONG-TERM CHANGES IN THE LEVEL OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN

E. N. Dvorkin, S. Yu. Kochanov, and N. P. Smirnov

The influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on interannual sea level changes in the Arctic Ocean is analyzed. It is shown that dynamics of atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic determines sea level variations in the North European Basin, substantially affects level variations in the Kara and Laptev seas, and, to a less degree, in the East Siberian Sea. Level variations in the Chukchi Sea are strongly affected by the North Pacific Pattern. There is a close connection between level variations and climatic characteristics of the Arctic Ocean.