Open AccessImpact of freshening over the Southern Ocean on ENSO
Author(s) -
Ma Hao,
Wu Lixin,
Li Zhengquan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
atmospheric science letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 45
ISSN - 1530-261X
DOI - 10.1002/asl2.410
Subject(s) - thermocline , el niño southern oscillation , climatology , zonal and meridional , sea surface temperature , oceanography , forcing (mathematics) , geology , period (music) , environmental science , pacific decadal oscillation , atmospheric sciences , physics , acoustics
The response of El Niño‐Southern Oscillation ( ENSO ) to idealized freshwater forcing over the Southern Ocean ( SO ) is investigated using a fully‐coupled climate model. Modeling results explicitly show that freshening over the SO can modulate mean climate of tropical Pacific, triggering La Niña‐like sea surface temperature ( SST ) anomalies and a sharper zonal tilt of tropical thermocline, which further influences ENSO variability. Amplitude of ENSO is intensified due to shallower thermocline in central‐eastern tropical Pacific, while the period of ENSO is significantly enlarged primarily because upper‐ocean meridional temperature gradient between equatorial and off‐equatorial region is decreased, which is favorable to extend the period of ENSO © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society .