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Introduction

The interannual variability of many atmospheric chemical species depends on atmospheric photochemical and dynamical processes. Because these processes are not uniform throughout the atmosphere, they create a unique signature for the different atmospheric species whose lifetimes are of intermediate length (from days to a few years). Ozone and methane are such atmospheric species.

One pattern of atmospheric interannual variability that may affect these atmospheric chemical species is the Arctic Oscillation (AO), which is the variation in the intensity and position of the north-polar vortex due to an intensification of atmospheric wave activity. This pattern of variability was recognized from observed data (Kuroda, and Kodera, 1998; Kuroda and Kodera, 1999; Gong and Wang, 1999; Baldwin and Dunkerton 1999; Kawamoto and Shiotani, 2000; Wang and Ikeda, 2000) and General Circulation Model experiments (Limpasuvan, and Hartmann, 1999; Kidson and Watterson, 1999; Perlwitz et al., 2000). Here we present the interannual variability of climate and chemical species over the northern polar cap, 50°N-90°N.