Spatial distribution and the interdecadal change of leading modes of heat budget of the mixed-layer in the tropical Pacific and the association with ENSO

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 1753-1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeng-Zhen Hu ◽  
Arun Kumar ◽  
Bohua Huang
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Heat Budget ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Interdecadal Change ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

scholarly journals Biophysical Feedbacks in the Tropical Pacific

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Marzeion ◽  
Axel Timmermann ◽  
Ragu Murtugudde ◽  
Fei-Fei Jin
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Heat Budget ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Bjerknes Feedback ◽  
Mean State ◽  
Chlorophyll Concentrations ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract This study explores the influence of phytoplankton on the tropical Pacific heat budget. A hybrid coupled model for the tropical Pacific that is based on a primitive equation reduced-gravity multilayer ocean model, a dynamic ocean mixed layer, an atmospheric mixed layer, and a statistical atmosphere is used. The statistical atmosphere relates deviations of the sea surface temperature from its mean to wind stress anomalies and allows for the rectification of the annual cycle and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon through the positive Bjerknes feedback. Furthermore, a nine-component ecosystem model is coupled to the physical variables of the ocean. The simulated chlorophyll concentrations can feed back onto the ocean heat budget by their optical properties, which modify solar light absorption in the surface layers. It is shown that both the surface layer concentration as well as the vertical profile of chlorophyll have a significant effect on the simulated mean state, the tropical annual cycle, and ENSO. This study supports a previously suggested hypothesis (Timmermann and Jin) that predicts an influence of phytoplankton concentration of the tropical Pacific climate mean state and its variability. The bioclimate feedback diagnosed here works as follows: Maxima in the subsurface chlorophyll concentrations lead to an enhanced subsurface warming due to the absorption of photosynthetically available shortwave radiation. This warming triggers a deepening of the mixed layer in the eastern equatorial Pacific and eventually a reduction of the surface ocean currents (Murtugudde et al.). The weakened south-equatorial current generates an eastern Pacific surface warming, which is strongly enhanced by the Bjerknes feedback. Because of the deepening of the mixed layer, the strength of the simulated annual cycle is also diminished. This in turn leads to an increase in ENSO variability.

scholarly journals Dipole Structure of Mixed Layer Salinity in Response to El Niño‐La Niña Asymmetry in the Tropical Pacific

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (21) ◽  
pp. 12165-12172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Guan ◽  
Shijian Hu ◽  
Michael J. McPhaden ◽  
Fan Wang ◽  
Shan Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Layer ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Dipole Structure ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

scholarly journals Strengthening of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent in the SODA Reanalysis: Mechanisms, Ocean Dynamics, and Implications

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 2405-2416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Drenkard ◽  
Kristopher B. Karnauskas
Keyword(s):  
Heat Budget ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Trade Winds ◽  
Equatorial Undercurrent ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract Several recent studies utilizing global climate models predict that the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) will strengthen over the twenty-first century. Here, historical changes in the tropical Pacific are investigated using the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis toward understanding the dynamics and mechanisms that may dictate such a change. Although SODA does not assimilate velocity observations, the seasonal-to-interannual variability of the EUC estimated by SODA corresponds well with moored observations over a ~20-yr common period. Long-term trends in SODA indicate that the EUC core velocity has increased by 16% century−1 and as much as 47% century−1 at fixed locations since the mid-1800s. Diagnosis of the zonal momentum budget in the equatorial Pacific reveals two distinct seasonal mechanisms that explain the EUC strengthening. The first is characterized by strengthening of the western Pacific trade winds and hence oceanic zonal pressure gradient during boreal spring. The second entails weakening of eastern Pacific trade winds during boreal summer, which weakens the surface current and reduces EUC deceleration through vertical friction. EUC strengthening has important ecological implications as upwelling affects the thermal and biogeochemical environment. Furthermore, given the potential large-scale influence of EUC strength and depth on the heat budget in the eastern Pacific, the seasonal strengthening of the EUC may help reconcile paradoxical observations of Walker circulation slowdown and zonal SST gradient strengthening. Such a process would represent a new dynamical “thermostat” on CO2-forced warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean, emphasizing the importance of ocean dynamics and seasonality in understanding climate change projections.

scholarly journals Cloud–Radiation Feedback as a Leading Source of Uncertainty in the Tropical Pacific SST Warming Pattern in CMIP5 Models

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 3867-3881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Ying ◽  
Ping Huang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Budget ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Cmip5 Models ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Surface Warming ◽  
Sst Warming ◽  
Radiation Feedback ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract The role of the intermodel spread of cloud–radiation feedback in the uncertainty in the tropical Pacific SST warming (TPSW) pattern under global warming is investigated based on the historical and RCP8.5 runs from 32 models participating in CMIP5. The large intermodel discrepancies in cloud–radiation feedback contribute 24% of the intermodel uncertainty in the TPSW pattern over the central Pacific. The mechanism by which the cloud–radiation feedback influences the TPSW pattern is revealed based on an analysis of the surface heat budget. A relatively weak negative cloud–radiation feedback over the central Pacific cannot suppress the surface warming as greatly as in the multimodel ensemble and thus induces a warm SST deviation over the central Pacific, producing a low-level convergence that suppresses (enhances) the evaporative cooling and zonal cold advection in the western (eastern) Pacific. With these processes, the original positive SST deviation over the central Pacific will move westward to the western and central Pacific, with a negative SST deviation in the eastern Pacific. Compared with the observed cloud–radiation feedback from six sets of reanalysis and satellite-observed data, the negative cloud–radiation feedback in the models is underestimated in general. It implies that the TPSW pattern should be closer to an El Niño–like pattern based on the concept of observational constraint. However, the observed cloud–radiation feedback from the various datasets also demonstrates large discrepancies in magnitude. Therefore, the authors suggest that more effort should be made to improve the precision of shortwave radiation observations and the description of cloud–radiation feedback in models for a more reliable projection of the TPSW pattern in future.

The NCEP GODAS Ocean Analysis of the Tropical Pacific Mixed Layer Heat Budget on Seasonal to Interannual Time Scales

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (18) ◽  
pp. 4901-4925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boyin Huang ◽  
Yan Xue ◽  
Dongxiao Zhang ◽  
Arun Kumar ◽  
Michael J. McPhaden
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Heat Budget ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Sst Variability ◽  
Ocean Data Assimilation ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Mixed Layer Heat Budget ◽  
Data Assimilation System ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract The mixed layer heat budget in the tropical Pacific is diagnosed using pentad (5 day) averaged outputs from the Global Ocean Data Assimilation System (GODAS), which is operational at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The GODAS is currently used by the NCEP Climate Prediction Center (CPC) to monitor and to understand El Niño and La Niña in near real time. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of using an operational ocean data assimilation system to understand SST variability. The climatological mean and seasonal cycle of mixed layer heat budgets derived from GODAS agree reasonably well with previous observational and model-based estimates. However, significant differences and biases were noticed. Large biases were found in GODAS zonal and meridional currents, which contributed to biases in the annual cycle of zonal and meridional advective heat fluxes. The warming due to tropical instability waves in boreal fall is severely underestimated owing to use of a 4-week data assimilation window. On interannual time scales, the GODAS heat budget closure is good for weak-to-moderate El Niños. A composite for weak-to-moderate El Niños suggests that zonal and meridional temperature advection and vertical entrainment/diffusion all contributed to the onset of the event and that zonal advection played the dominant role during decay of the event and the transition to La Niña. The net surface heat flux acts as a damping during the development stage, but plays a critical role in the decay of El Niño and the transition to the following La Niña. The GODAS heat budget closure is generally poor for strong La Niñas. Despite the biases, the GODAS heat budget analysis tool is useful in monitoring and understanding the physical processes controlling SST variability associated with ENSO. Therefore, it has been implemented operationally at CPC in support of NOAA’s ENSO forecasting.

scholarly journals Modulation of cross-isothermal velocities with ENSO in the tropical Pacific cold tongue

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Lena Deppenmeier ◽  
Frank O. Bryan ◽  
William Kessler ◽  
LuAnne Thompson
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Heat Budget ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Cold Tongue ◽  
Diabatic Processes ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

AbstractThe tropical Pacific cold tongue (CT) plays a major role in the global climate system. The strength of the CT sets the zonal temperature gradient in the Pacific that couples with the atmospheric Walker circulation. This coupling is an essential component of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The CT is supplied with cold water by the equatorial undercurrent that follows the thermocline as it shoals toward the east, adiabatically transporting cold water towards the surface. As the thermocline shoals, its water is transformed through diabatic processes producing water mass transformation (WMT) that allows water to cross mean isotherms. Here, we examine WMT in the cold tongue region from a global high resolution ocean simulation with saved budget terms that close its heat budget exactly. Using the terms of the heat budget, we quantify each individual component of WMT (vertical mixing, horizontal mixing, eddy fluxes, solar penetration), and find that vertical mixing is the single most important contribution in the thermocline, while solar heating dominates close to the surface. Horizontal diffusion is much smaller. During El Niño events, vertical mixing, and hence cross-isothermal flow as a whole, is much reduced, while during La Niña periods strong vertical mixing leads to strong WMT, thereby cooling the surface. This analysis demonstrates the enhancement of diabatic processes during cold events, which in turn enhances cooling of the CT from below the surface.

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