scholarly journals Role of Stochastic Atmospheric Forcing from the South and North Pacific in Tropical Pacific Decadal Variability

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (13) ◽  
pp. 4013-4038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianyi Sun ◽  
Yuko M. Okumura
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
The South ◽  
Pacific Decadal Variability ◽  
Sst Anomalies ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract Stochastic variability of internal atmospheric modes, known as teleconnection patterns, drives large-scale patterns of low-frequency SST variability in the extratropics. To investigate how the decadal component of this stochastically driven variability in the South and North Pacific affects the tropical Pacific and contributes to the observed basinwide pattern of decadal variability, a suite of climate model experiments was conducted. In these experiments, the models are forced with constant surface heat flux anomalies associated with the decadal component of the dominant atmospheric modes, particularly the Pacific–South American (PSA) and North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) patterns. Both the PSA and NPO modes induce basinwide SST anomalies in the tropical Pacific and beyond that resemble the observed interdecadal Pacific oscillation. The subtropical SST anomalies forced by the PSA and NPO modes propagate to the equatorial Pacific mainly through the wind–evaporation–SST feedback. This atmospheric bridge is stronger from the South Pacific than the North Pacific due to the northward displacement of the intertropical convergence zone and the associated northward advection of momentum anomalies. The equatorial ocean dynamics is also more strongly influenced by atmospheric circulation changes induced by the PSA mode than the NPO mode. In the PSA experiment, persistent and zonally coherent wind stress curl anomalies over the South Pacific affect the zonal mean depth of the equatorial thermocline and weaken the equatorial SST anomalies resulting from the atmospheric bridge. This oceanic adjustment serves as a delayed negative feedback and may be important for setting the time scales of tropical Pacific decadal variability.

Origins of Tropical Pacific Decadal Variability: Role of Stochastic Atmospheric Forcing from the South Pacific*

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (24) ◽  
pp. 9791-9796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuko M. Okumura
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Atmospheric Forcing ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract Based on the analysis of multicentury–millennium integrations of an atmospheric model coupled to the ocean with varying degrees, it is argued that ENSO-like decadal variability is primarily driven by stochastic atmospheric forcing. In particular, the leading mode of internal atmospheric variability over the South Pacific, which projects onto the Pacific–South American (PSA) pattern, plays an important role in modulating the trade winds and sea surface temperature (SST) in the southeast tropical Pacific. Subsequent ocean–atmosphere interactions organize a basinwide SST anomaly pattern in the tropics, which in turn forces atmospheric Rossby waves into the extratropics, reinforcing the PSA pattern and inducing coherent decadal changes in the North Pacific. In the absence of ocean dynamics, equatorial SST variability is reduced and the North Pacific exhibits decadal variability independent of the tropical–South Pacific. The strong tropical–South Pacific linkage may be attributed to the equatorially asymmetric nature of tropical Pacific climate.

Pacific Decadal Variability: The Tropical Pacific Mode and the North Pacific Mode*

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1101-1120 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Wu ◽  
Z. Liu ◽  
R. Gallimore ◽  
R. Jacob ◽  
D. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
The North ◽  
Pacific Decadal Variability ◽  
The North Pacific ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

scholarly journals Subtropical Forcing of Tropical Pacific Climate and Decadal ENSO Modulation

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 4691-4709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Matei ◽  
Noel Keenlyside ◽  
Mojib Latif ◽  
Johann Jungclaus
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract The relative impact of the subtropical North and South Pacific Oceans on the tropical Pacific climate mean state and variability is estimated using an ocean–atmosphere–sea ice coupled general circulation model. Tailored experiments are performed in which the model is forced by idealized sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the subtropics of both hemispheres. The main results of this study suggest that subtropical South Pacific climate variations play a dominant role in tropical Pacific decadal variability and in the decadal modulation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In response to a 2°C warming in the subtropical South Pacific, the equatorial Pacific SST increases by about 0.6°C, approximately 65% larger than the change in the North Pacific experiment. The subtropics affect equatorial SST mainly through atmosphere–mixed layer interactions in the South Pacific experiments; the response is mostly accomplished within a decade. The “oceanic tunnel” dominates in the North Pacific experiments; the response takes at least 100 yr to be accomplished. Similar sensitivity experiments conducted with the stand-alone atmosphere model showed that both air–sea interactions and ocean dynamics are crucial in shaping the tropical climate response. The statistics of ENSO exhibit significant changes in amplitude and frequency in response to a warming/cooling of the subtropical South Pacific: a 2°C warming (cooling) of subtropical South Pacific SST reduces (increases) the interannual standard deviation by about 30% (20%) and shortens (lengthens) the ENSO period. The simulated changes in the equatorial zonal SST gradient are the main contributor to the modulation of ENSO variability. The simulated intensification (weakening) of the annual cycle in response to an enhanced warming (cooling) in subtropical South Pacific partly explains the shifts in frequency, but may also lead to a weaker (stronger) ENSO. The subtropical North Pacific thermal forcing did not change the statistical properties of ENSO as strongly.

scholarly journals The role of the South Pacific in modulating Tropical Pacific variability

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine T. Y. Chung ◽  
Scott B. Power ◽  
Arnold Sullivan ◽  
François Delage
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
El Nino ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
La Niña ◽  
The South ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Sst Anomalies

AbstractTropical Pacific variability (TPV) heavily influences global climate, but much is still unknown about its drivers. We examine the impact of South Pacific variability on the modes of TPV: the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). We conduct idealised coupled experiments in which we suppress temperature and salinity variability at all oceanic levels in the South Pacific. This reduces decadal variability in the equatorial Pacific by ~30% and distorts the spatial pattern of the IPO. There is little change to overall interannual variability, however there is a decrease in the magnitude of the largest 5% of both El Niño and La Niña sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies. Possible reasons for this include: (i) reduced decadal variability means that interannual SST variability is superposed onto a ‘flatter’ background signal, (ii) suppressing South Pacific variability leads to the alteration of coupled processes linking the South and equatorial Pacific. A small but significant mean state change arising from the imposed suppression may also contribute to the weakened extreme ENSO SST anomalies. The magnitude of both extreme El Niño and La Niña SST anomalies are reduced, and the associated spatial patterns of change of upper ocean heat content and wind stress anomalies are markedly different for both types of events.

scholarly journals Air-sea CO<sub>2</sub> flux in the Pacific Ocean for the period 1990–2009

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 12155-12216 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ishii ◽  
R. A. Feely ◽  
K. B. Rodgers ◽  
G.-H. Park ◽  
R. Wanninkhof ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
The North Pacific ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract. Air-sea CO2 fluxes over the Pacific Ocean are known to be characterized by coherent large-scale structures that reflect not only ocean subduction and upwelling patterns, but also the combined effects of wind-driven gas exchange and biology. On the largest scales, a large net CO2 influx into the extra-tropics is associated with a robust seasonal cycle, and a large net CO2 efflux from the tropics is associated with substantial inter-annual variability. In this work, we have synthesized estimates of the net air-sea CO2 flux from a variety of products drawing upon a variety of approaches in three sub-basins of the Pacific Ocean, i.e., the North Pacific extra-tropics (18° N–66° N), the tropical Pacific (18° S–18° N), and the South Pacific extra-tropics (44.5° S–18° S). These approaches include those based on the measurements of CO2 partial pressure in surface seawater (pCO2sw), inversions of ocean interior CO2 data, forward ocean biogeochemistry models embedded in the ocean general circulation models (OBGCMs), a model with assimilation of pCO2sw data, and inversions of atmospheric CO2 measurements. Long-term means, inter-annual variations and mean seasonal variations of the regionally-integrated fluxes were compared in each of the sub-basins over the last two decades, spanning the period from 1990 through 2009. A simple average of the long-term mean fluxes obtained with surface water pCO2 diagnostics and those obtained with ocean interior CO2 inversions are –0.47 ± 0.13 Pg C yr–1 in the North Pacific extra-tropics, +0.44 ± 0.14 Pg C yr–1 in the tropical Pacific, and –0.37 ± 0.08 Pg C yr–1 in the South Pacific extra-tropics, where positive fluxes are into the atmosphere. This suggests that approximately half of the CO2 taken up over the North and South Pacific extra-tropics is released back to the atmosphere from the tropical Pacific. These estimates of the regional fluxes are also supported by the estimates from OBGCMs after adding the riverine CO2 flux, i.e., –0.49 ± 0.02 Pg C yr–1 in the North Pacific extra-tropics, +0.41 ± 0.05 Pg C yr–1 in the tropical Pacific, and –0.39 ± 0.11 Pg C yr–1 in the South Pacific extra-tropics. The estimates from the atmospheric CO2 inversions show large variations amongst different inversion systems, but their median fluxes are consistent with the estimates from climatological pCO2sw data and pCO2sw diagnostics. In the South Pacific extra-tropics, where CO2 variations in the surface and ocean interior are severely under-sampled, the difference in the air-sea CO2 flux estimates between the diagnostic models and ocean interior CO2 inversions is larger (0.18 Pg C yr–1). The range of estimates from forward OBGCMs is also large (−0.19 to −0.72 Pg C yr–1). Regarding inter-annual variability of air-sea CO2 fluxes, positive and negative anomalies are evident in the tropical Pacific during the cold and warm events of the El Niño Southern Oscillation in the estimates from pCO2sw diagnostic models and from OBGCMs. They are consistent in phase with the Southern Oscillation Index, but the peak-to-peak amplitudes tend to be higher in OBGCMs (0.40 ± 0.09 Pg C yr–1) than in the diagnostic models (0.27 ± 0.07 Pg C yr–1).

Tropical Pacific Decadal Variability and ENSO Precursor in CMIP5 Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 1023-1045
Author(s):  
Yingying Zhao ◽  
Emanuele Di Lorenzo ◽  
Daoxun Sun ◽  
Samantha Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Decadal Variability ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Cmip5 Models ◽  
The North ◽  
Enso Teleconnections ◽  
Pacific Decadal Variability ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
North And South

AbstractObservational analyses suggest that a significant fraction of the tropical Pacific decadal variability (TPDV) (~60%–70%) is energized by the combined action of extratropical precursors of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) originating from the North and South Pacific. Specifically, the growth and decay of the basin-scale TPDV pattern (time scale = ~1.5–2 years) is linked to the following sequence: ENSO precursors (extratropics, growth phase) → ENSO (tropics, peak phase) → ENSO successors (extratropics, decay phase) resulting from ENSO teleconnections. This sequence of teleconnections is an important physical basis for Pacific climate predictability. Here we examine the TPDV and its connection to extratropical dynamics in 20 models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). We find that most models (~80%) can simulate the observed spatial pattern (R > 0.6) and frequency characteristics of the TPDV. In 12 models, more than 65% of the basinwide Pacific decadal variability (PDV) originates from TPDV, which is comparable with observations (~70%). However, despite reproducing the basic spatial and temporal statistics, models underestimate the influence of the North and South Pacific ENSO precursors to the TPDV, and most of the models’ TPDV originates in the tropics. Only 35%–40% of the models reproduce the observed extratropical ENSO precursor patterns (R > 0.5). Models with a better representation of the ENSO precursors show 1) better basin-scale signatures of TPDV and 2) stronger ENSO teleconnections from/to the tropics that are consistent with observations. These results suggest that better representation of ENSO precursor dynamics in CMIP may lead to improved Pacific decadal variability dynamics and predictability.

The Contribution of Boreal Spring South Pacific Atmospheric Variability to El Niño Occurrence

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (19) ◽  
pp. 8301-8313
Author(s):  
Qingye Min ◽  
Renhe Zhang
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
Atmospheric Variability ◽  
Boreal Spring ◽  
El Niño Events ◽  
El Nino Events ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

AbstractDespite the fact that great efforts have been made to improve the prediction of El Niño events, it remains challenging because of limited understanding of El Niño and its precursors. This research focuses on the influence of South Pacific atmospheric variability on the development of the sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the tropical Pacific. It is found that as early as in the boreal spring of El Niño years, the sea level pressure anomaly (SLPA) shows a configuration characterized by two significant negative anomaly centers in the north and a positive anomaly center in the south between the subtropics and high latitudes in South Pacific. Such an anomalous SLPA pattern becomes stronger in the following late boreal spring and summer associated with the strengthening of westerly anomalies in the tropical Pacific, weakening the southeasterly trade winds and promoting the warming of tropical eastern Pacific, which is conducive to the development of El Niño events. It is demonstrated that the SLPA pattern in boreal spring revealed in this study is closely associated with boreal summer South Pacific Oscillation (SPO) and South Pacific meridional mode (SPMM). As a precursor in boreal spring, the prediction skill of the South Pacific SLPA in boreal spring for the SSTA in the eastern equatorial Pacific is better than that of the SPMM. This study is helpful to deepen our understanding of the contribution of South Pacific extratropical atmospheric variability to El Niño occurrence.

scholarly journals Causal dependences between the coupled ocean-atmosphere dynamics over the Tropical Pacific, the North Pacific and the North Atlantic

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Vannitsem ◽  
Pierre Ekelmans
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
The North ◽  
Ocean Atmosphere ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Pacific ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract. The causal dependences between the dynamics of three different coupled ocean-atmosphere basins, The North Atlantic, the North Pacific and the Tropical Pacific region, NINO3.4, have been explored using data from three reanalyses datasets, namely the ORA-20C, the ORAS4 and the ERA-20C. The approach is based on the Convergent Cross Mapping (CCM) developed by Sugihara et al. (2012) that allows for evaluating the dependences between observables beyond the classical teleconnection patterns based on correlations. The use of CCM on these data mostly reveals that (i) the Tropical Pacific (NINO3.4 region) only influences the dynamics of the North Atlantic region through its annual climatological cycle; (ii) the atmosphere over the North Pacific is dynamically forcing the North Atlantic on a monthly basis; (iii) on longer time scales (interannual), the dynamics of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic are influencing each other through the ocean dynamics, suggesting a connection through the thermohaline circulation. These findings shed a new light on the coupling between these three different important regions of the globe. In particular they call for a deep reassessment of the way teleconnections are interpreted, and for a more rigorous way to evaluate causality and dependences between the different components of the climate system.

scholarly journals Air–sea CO<sub>2</sub> flux in the Pacific Ocean for the period 1990–2009

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 709-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ishii ◽  
R. A. Feely ◽  
K. B. Rodgers ◽  
G.-H. Park ◽  
R. Wanninkhof ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Flux ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Diagnostic Models ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
The North Pacific ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract. Air–sea CO2 fluxes over the Pacific Ocean are known to be characterized by coherent large-scale structures that reflect not only ocean subduction and upwelling patterns, but also the combined effects of wind-driven gas exchange and biology. On the largest scales, a large net CO2 influx into the extratropics is associated with a robust seasonal cycle, and a large net CO2 efflux from the tropics is associated with substantial interannual variability. In this work, we have synthesized estimates of the net air–sea CO2 flux from a variety of products, drawing upon a variety of approaches in three sub-basins of the Pacific Ocean, i.e., the North Pacific extratropics (18–66° N), the tropical Pacific (18° S–18° N), and the South Pacific extratropics (44.5–18° S). These approaches include those based on the measurements of CO2 partial pressure in surface seawater (pCO2sw), inversions of ocean-interior CO2 data, forward ocean biogeochemistry models embedded in the ocean general circulation models (OBGCMs), a model with assimilation of pCO2sw data, and inversions of atmospheric CO2 measurements. Long-term means, interannual variations and mean seasonal variations of the regionally integrated fluxes were compared in each of the sub-basins over the last two decades, spanning the period from 1990 through 2009. A simple average of the long-term mean fluxes obtained with surface water pCO2 diagnostics and those obtained with ocean-interior CO2 inversions are −0.47 ± 0.13 Pg C yr−1 in the North Pacific extratropics, +0.44 ± 0.14 Pg C yr−1 in the tropical Pacific, and −0.37 ± 0.08 Pg C yr−1 in the South Pacific extratropics, where positive fluxes are into the atmosphere. This suggests that approximately half of the CO2 taken up over the North and South Pacific extratropics is released back to the atmosphere from the tropical Pacific. These estimates of the regional fluxes are also supported by the estimates from OBGCMs after adding the riverine CO2 flux, i.e., −0.49 ± 0.02 Pg C yr−1 in the North Pacific extratropics, +0.41 ± 0.05 Pg C yr−1 in the tropical Pacific, and −0.39 ± 0.11 Pg C yr−1 in the South Pacific extratropics. The estimates from the atmospheric CO2 inversions show large variations amongst different inversion systems, but their median fluxes are consistent with the estimates from climatological pCO2sw data and pCO2sw diagnostics. In the South Pacific extratropics, where CO2 variations in the surface and ocean interior are severely undersampled, the difference in the air–sea CO2 flux estimates between the diagnostic models and ocean-interior CO2 inversions is larger (0.18 Pg C yr−1). The range of estimates from forward OBGCMs is also large (−0.19 to −0.72 Pg C yr−1). Regarding interannual variability of air–sea CO2 fluxes, positive and negative anomalies are evident in the tropical Pacific during the cold and warm events of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation in the estimates from pCO2sw diagnostic models and from OBGCMs. They are consistent in phase with the Southern Oscillation Index, but the peak-to-peak amplitudes tend to be higher in OBGCMs (0.40 ± 0.09 Pg C yr−1) than in the diagnostic models (0.27 ± 0.07 Pg C yr−1).

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