climate variability is a continual, natural

oscillation about a changing or unchanging mean climate state

What is Climate Variability?

2. It can be monthly, seasonal, decadal, or longer†.

Look for our other factsheets and educational modules on drought.gov and aaes.auburn.edu/wrc

†Someshort-termclimatevariabilityisforecastedandavailableat:cpc.noaa.gov

Ryan P. McGehee, M.S., E.I. Puneet Srivastava, Ph.D., P.E.

Climate Variability

AtlanticSea-SurfaceTemperature(SST)Anomalies(0°-60°Nand80°W-0°)*

climate change is a long-lasting, shift in the mean climate

state; recent change has been linked to human GHG emissions

We Give Special Thanks to:

for Figures

and Content

*Data(andfigures)availableat:esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data

1. It is not climate change.

PDO

ENSO

AMO

NAO3. It is composed of many climate cycles.

What is Climate Variability? (Continued)

Information sponsored by:

Aclimatecycleisanatural‘riseandfall’patternintheEarth’sclimatesystem.Somenotablecyclesincludethefollowing:

AtlanticMultidecadalOscillation(AMO)ElNiñoSouthernOscillation(ENSO)PacificDecadalOscillation(PDO)NorthAtlanticOscillation(NAO)

OtherVariabilityCycles(NotPictured):MaddenJulianOscillation(MJO)NorthAmericanPattern(PNA)AntarcticOscillation(AAO)ArcticOscillation(AO)AndManyMore…

StreamflowandBaseflow

Astheclimatecyclesfluctuate,theycausefluctuationsinothervariablessuchas…

PrecipitationandTemperature

Groundwater

4. It impacts weather, climate, and resources.

AndManyOthersNotListedHere…