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On the cause of eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean T‐S variations associated with El Niño
Author(s) -
Wang Ou,
Fukumori Ichiro,
Lee Tong,
Cheng Benny
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2004gl020188
Subject(s) - pycnocline , southern hemisphere , salinity , water mass , oceanography , pacific ocean , geology , ocean general circulation model , northern hemisphere , temperature salinity diagrams , climatology , convergence zone , environmental science , general circulation model , climate change
The nature of observed variations in temperature‐salinity (T‐S) relationship between El Niño and non‐El Niño years in the pycnocline of the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean (NINO3 region, 5°S–5°N, 150°W–90°W) is investigated using an ocean general circulation model. The origin of the subject water mass is identified using the adjoint of a simulated passive tracer. The higher salinity during El Niño is attributed to larger convergence of saltier water from the Southern Hemisphere and smaller convergence of fresher water from the Northern Hemisphere.