Snow–Albedo Feedback and Seasonal Climate Variability over North America

Interannual variations in the tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures related to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are known to influence wintertime surface climate anomalies over North America. However, the role of local land surface processes in this phenomenon is not well understood. Here, using a suite of atmospheric general circulation model simulations, it is demonstrated that the North American surface climate anomalies related to ENSO are greatly enhanced by a local snow–albedo feedback. Implications of this feedback mechanism on seasonal climate predictions and greenhouse gas–induced climate changes are discussed.