中国科学院大气物理研究所大气科学和地球流体力学数值模拟国家重点实验室
State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG)
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG)
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Vol.18/No.18 December 2022
Warmer-than-usual Sea Surface Temperature over the Western Tropical Atlantic Triggers La Nina Events
A study recently published in Climate Dynamics by researchers with the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Colorado, identifies that the sea surface temperature anomalies over the western tropical Atlantic exhibits a more permanent connection with the following ENSO variability during the observational record. Different SST datasets recognize that ENSO has stronger correlation with the previous spring sea surface temperature anomalies over the western tropical Atlantic than that with the sea surface temperature anomalies over each of the Atlantic Nino region, the north tropical Atlantic or the Atlantic warm pool.
Further analysis suggests that the modulation of the sea surface temperature anomalies over the western tropical Atlantic to the following ENSO is intensified after the mid-1980s, which exhibits as that the warmer-than-usual sea surface temperature over the western tropical Atlantic induce significant precipitation anomalies in situ, and generate atmospheric teleconnection which affects the anomalous zonal wind over the equatorial Pacific, and in turn triggers La Nina events.
"Both observations and CMIP model historical runs imply that this intensified modulation tends to be attributed to the decadal enhancement in climatological mean SST over the western tropical Atlantic." The first author Dr. CHEN Wei said.
Sayram Lake, located in the northern Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China. As the last place to feel the warm air current of the Atlantic Ocean, the lake is nicknamed the "last tear of the Atlantic". (Image by DONG Junjie)
Citation:
Chen, W., R. Lu, and H. Ding, 2022: A decadal intensification in the modulation of spring western tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature to the following winter ENSO after the mid-1980s. Climate Dyn., https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06288-z.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06288-z
Contact: CHEN Wei, chenwei@mail.iap.ac.cn
Add: No.40, Huayanli, Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing P.O. Box 9804, 100029, China
E-mail: lasg_newsletter@lasg.iap.ac.cn
Editors: Chuanyi Wang (wangcy@lasg.iap.ac.cn), Kangjun Chen(ckj@lasg.iap.ac.cn)
E-mail: lasg_newsletter@lasg.iap.ac.cn
Editors: Chuanyi Wang (wangcy@lasg.iap.ac.cn), Kangjun Chen(ckj@lasg.iap.ac.cn)