Penn State
Penn State Data Commons

Find Data: Data Discovery

Data Summary

 Back to Search Results
TitleSupplementary data, code, and information for ‘Absence of internal multidecadal oscillations in climate model simulations’ (Nature Communications, Mann et al. 2020)
Date2020
AbstractFor several decades the existence of interdecadal and multidecadal internal climate oscillations has been asserted by numerous studies based on analyses of historical observations, paleoclimatic data and climate model simulations. Here we use a combination of observational data and state-of-the-art forced and control climate model simulations to demonstrate the absence of consistent evidence for decadal or longer-term internal oscillatory signals that are distinguishable from climatic noise. Only variability in the interannual range associated with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation is found to be distinguishable from the noise background. A distinct (40–50 year timescale) spectral peak that appears in global surface temperature observations appears to reflect the response of the climate system to both anthropogenic and natural forcing rather than any intrinsic internal oscillation. These findings have implications both for the validity of previous studies attributing certain long-term climate trends to internal low-frequency climate cycles and for the prospect of decadal climate predictability.
MetadataClick here for full metadata
Data DOIdoi:10.26208/regs-5592

Researchers
Mann, M. E.
Penn State Department of Meteorology
Steinman, B. A.
Penn State Department of Meteorology
Miller, S. K.
Penn State Department of Meteorology

Data Access


References
Mann, M.E., Steinman, B.A., Miller, S.K., Absence of Internal Multidecadal and Interdecadal Oscillations in Climate Model Simulations, Nature Communications 11, 49, doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13823-w, 2020.