An ocean model's response to North Atlantic Oscillation‐like wind forcing

The response of the Atlantic Ocean to North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)‐like wind forcing was investigated using an ocean‐only general circulation model coupled to an atmospheric boundary layer model. A series of idealized experiments was performed to investigate the interannual to multi‐decadal frequency response of the ocean to a winter wind anomaly pattern. Overall, the strength of the SST response increased slightly with longer forcing periods. In the subpolar gyre, however, the model showed a broad response maximum in the decadal band (12–16 years).