The North Atlantic Ocean is one of the most important drivers for the global ocean circulation and its variability on time scales beyond inter-annual. Global climate variability is to a large extent triggered by changes in the North Atlantic sea surface state. The quality and skill of climate predictions depends crucially on a good knowledge of the northern sea surface temperatures (SST) and sea ice distributions. On a regional scale, these parameters strongly impact on weather and climate in Europe, determining precipitation patterns and strengths, as well as changes in temperature and wind patterns. Knowledge of these factors, and of their development in the years to come, is of paramount importance for society and key economic sectors, which have to base their planning and decisions on robust climate information. NACLIM will contribute to this goal.

NACLIM: North Atlantic Climate