“…Featured by its strong SST gradient, the meridional shift of OE front could generate enhanced SST anomaly (Pak et al, ) and affect the overlaying atmospheric circulation and storm activity (Frankignoul et al, ; Smirnov et al, ). Especially in the low frequency (interannual to decadal time scales), SST anomalies in the OE front are considered as the driven force of atmosphere variability (Masunaga et al, ; Revelard et al, ; Taguchi et al, ) and the North Pacific decadal climate change (Kwon et al, ; Nakamura et al, ; Nakamura & Yamagata, ; Qiu et al, ). The meridional shift of OE front has been in the past attributed to the basin‐scale wind forcing (Kwon & Deser, ; Nonaka et al, ; Schneider et al, ; Seager et al, ) via the oceanic Rossby wave adjustment that modulates the latitude and strength of the OE front (Kwon et al, ; Nonaka et al, ).…”