Correlated atmospheric variability between geographically separated regions. Wave propagation, mean-flow changes and coupled atmosphere–ocean forcing can produce physical connections, while statistical correlation alone does not identify a unique cause. A Rossby-wave teleconnection is an important large-scale pathway rather than an exhaustive definition of all teleconnections.
A spatially localized forcing, such as persistent tropical heating, can excite Rossby waves that propagate wave activity into distant regions. Mean winds Doppler-shift the waves, and background potential vorticity gradients and jets guide or refract the packets. A stationary pattern can thus connect remote ridges and troughs even though the underlying wave energy propagates. Group velocity, rather than phase velocity alone, diagnoses packet propagation; damping, seasonality and eddy feedbacks affect the response.
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Teleconnection refers to a climate phenomenon where weather patterns and anomalies in one region are linked to those in another, often distant region. These connections occur over large distances and can span thousands of kilometers, impacting climatic conditions and weather events across vast areas. Teleconnections are often associated with the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Arctic Oscillation (AO), and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).