Monthly Modulations of ENSO Teleconnections: Implications for Potential Predictability in North America

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-71
Author(s):  
William E. Chapman ◽  
Aneesh C. Subramanian ◽  
Shang-Ping Xie ◽  
Michael D. Sierks ◽  
F. Martin Ralph ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Potential Predictability ◽  
Enso Teleconnections ◽  
Upper Level

AbstractUsing a high-resolution atmospheric general circulation model simulation of unprecedented ensemble size, we examine potential predictability of monthly anomalies under El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forcing and back-ground internal variability. This study reveals the pronounced month-to-month evolution of both the ENSO forcing signal and internal variability. Internal variance in upper-level geopotential height decreases (∼ 10%) over the North Pacific during El Niño as the westerly jet extends eastward, allowing forced signals to account for a greater fraction of the total variability, and leading to increased potential predictability. We identify February and March of El Niño years as the most predictable months using a signal-to-noise analysis. In contrast, December, a month typically included in teleconnection studies, shows little-to-no potential predictability. We show that the seasonal evolution of SST forcing and variability leads to significant signal-to-noise relationships that can be directly linked to both upper-level and surface variable predictability for a given month. The stark changes in forced response, internal variability, and thus signal-to-noise across an ENSO season indicate that subseasonal fields should be used to diagnose potential predictability over North America associated with ENSO teleconnections. Using surface air temperature and precipitation as examples, this study provides motivation to pursue ‘windows of forecast opportunity’, in which statistical skill can be developed, tested, and leveraged to determine times and regions in which this skill may be elevated.

scholarly journals Robust Wind and Precipitation Responses to the Mount Pinatubo Eruption, as Simulated in the CMIP5 Models

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (13) ◽  
pp. 4763-4778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Barnes ◽  
Susan Solomon ◽  
Lorenzo M. Polvani
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Cmip5 Models ◽  
Mount Pinatubo ◽  
Annular Mode

Abstract The volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 is the largest terrestrial eruption since the beginning of the satellite era. Here, the monthly evolution of atmospheric temperature, zonal winds, and precipitation following the eruption in 14 CMIP5 models is analyzed and strong and robust stratospheric and tropospheric circulation responses are demonstrated in both hemispheres, with tropospheric anomalies maximizing in November 1991. The simulated Southern Hemisphere circulation response projects strongly onto the positive phase of the southern annular mode (SAM), while the Northern Hemisphere exhibits robust North Atlantic and North Pacific responses that differ significantly from that of the typical northern annular mode (NAM) pattern. In contrast, observations show a negative SAM following the eruption, and internal variability must be considered along with forced responses. Indeed, evidence is presented that the observed El Niño climate state during and after this eruption may oppose the eruption-forced positive SAM response, based on the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) state and SAM response across the models. The results demonstrate that Pinatubo-like eruptions should be expected to force circulation anomalies across the globe and highlight that great care must be taken in diagnosing the forced response as it may not fall into typical seasonal averages or be guaranteed to project onto typical climate modes.

scholarly journals Indo-Western Pacific Climate Variability: ENSO Forcing and Internal Dynamics in a Tropical Pacific Pacemaker Simulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (24) ◽  
pp. 10123-10139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuan-Yang Wang ◽  
Shang-Ping Xie ◽  
Yu Kosaka
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
El Niño ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Ocean Atmosphere ◽  
Sst Anomalies

El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) peaks in boreal winter but its impact on Indo-western Pacific climate persists for another two seasons. Key ocean–atmosphere interaction processes for the ENSO effect are investigated using the Pacific Ocean–Global Atmosphere (POGA) experiment with a coupled general circulation model, where tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies are restored to follow observations while the atmosphere and oceans are fully coupled elsewhere. The POGA shows skills in simulating the ENSO-forced warming of the tropical Indian Ocean and an anomalous anticyclonic circulation pattern over the northwestern tropical Pacific in the post–El Niño spring and summer. The 10-member POGA ensemble allows decomposing Indo-western Pacific variability into the ENSO forced and ENSO-unrelated (internal) components. Internal variability is comparable to the ENSO forcing in magnitude and independent of ENSO amplitude and phase. Random internal variability causes apparent decadal modulations of ENSO correlations over the Indo-western Pacific, which are high during epochs of high ENSO variance. This is broadly consistent with instrumental observations over the past 130 years as documented in recent studies. Internal variability features a sea level pressure pattern that extends into the north Indian Ocean and is associated with coherent SST anomalies from the Arabian Sea to the western Pacific, suggestive of ocean–atmosphere coupling.

No consistent ENSO response to volcanic forcing over the last millennium

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 367 (6485) ◽  
pp. 1477-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia G. Dee ◽  
Kim M. Cobb ◽  
Julien Emile-Geay ◽  
Toby R. Ault ◽  
R. Lawrence Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Explosive Volcanism ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Superposed Epoch Analysis ◽  
Volcanic Forcing

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) shapes global climate patterns yet its sensitivity to external climate forcing remains uncertain. Modeling studies suggest that ENSO is sensitive to sulfate aerosol forcing associated with explosive volcanism but observational support for this effect remains ambiguous. Here, we used absolutely dated fossil corals from the central tropical Pacific to gauge ENSO’s response to large volcanic eruptions of the last millennium. Superposed epoch analysis reveals a weak tendency for an El Niño–like response in the year after an eruption, but this response is not statistically significant, nor does it appear after the outsized 1257 Samalas eruption. Our results suggest that those models showing a strong ENSO response to volcanic forcing may overestimate the size of the forced response relative to natural ENSO variability.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Anomalous Winter and Spring Tornado Frequency by Phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, the Global Wind Oscillation, and the Madden-Julian Oscillation

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd W. Moore ◽  
Jennifer M. St. Clair ◽  
Tiffany A. DeBoer
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
La Niña ◽  
El Niño Southern Oscillation ◽  
El Nino Southern Oscillation ◽  
Madden Julian Oscillation ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Favorable Conditions

Winter and spring tornado activity tends to be heightened during the La Niña phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation and suppressed during the El Niño phase. Despite these tendencies, some La Niña seasons have fewer tornadoes than expected and some El Niño seasons have more than expected. To gain insight into such anomalous seasons, the two La Niña winters and springs with the fewest tornadoes and the two El Niño winters and springs with the most tornadoes between 1979 and 2016 are identified and analyzed in this study. The relationships between daily tornado count and the Global Wind Oscillation and Madden-Julian Oscillation in these anomalous seasons are also explored. Lastly, seasonal and daily composites of upper-level flow, low-level flow and humidity, and atmospheric instability are generated to describe the environmental conditions in the anomalous seasons. The results of this study highlight the potential for large numbers of tornadoes to occur in a season if favorable conditions emerge in association with individual synoptic-scale events, even during phases of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, Global Wind Oscillation, and Madden-Julian Oscillation that seem to be unfavorable for tornadoes. They also highlight the potential for anomalously few tornadoes in a season even when the oscillations are in favorable phases.

scholarly journals The Influence of Large-Scale Climate Variability on Winter Maximum Daily Precipitation over North America

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 2902-2915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuebin Zhang ◽  
Jiafeng Wang ◽  
Francis W. Zwiers ◽  
Pavel Ya Groisman
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Extreme Precipitation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
The North

Abstract The generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution is fitted to winter season daily maximum precipitation over North America, with indices representing El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) as predictors. It was found that ENSO and PDO have spatially consistent and statistically significant influences on extreme precipitation, while the influence of NAO is regional and is not field significant. The spatial pattern of extreme precipitation response to large-scale climate variability is similar to that of total precipitation but somewhat weaker in terms of statistical significance. An El Niño condition or high phase of PDO corresponds to a substantially increased likelihood of extreme precipitation over a vast region of southern North America but a decreased likelihood of extreme precipitation in the north, especially in the Great Plains and Canadian prairies and the Great Lakes/Ohio River valley.

scholarly journals Winter 2015/16 Atmospheric and Precipitation Anomalies over North America: El Niño Response and the Role of Noise

2018 ◽  
Vol 146 (3) ◽  
pp. 909-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyue Chen ◽  
Arun Kumar
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Precipitation Response ◽  
Sst Forcing ◽  
Precipitation Anomalies ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The U.S

Abstract The possible causes for the observed winter 2015/16 precipitation anomalies, which were opposite to the mean El Niño signal over the U.S. Southwest, are analyzed based on the ensemble of forecasts from the NCEP Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2). The analysis focuses on the role of anomalous sea surface temperature (SST) forcing and the contributions of atmospheric internal variability. The model-predicted ensemble mean forecast for December–January–February 2015/16 (DJF 2015/16) North American atmospheric anomalies compared favorably with the El Niño composite, although some difference existed. The predicted pattern was also like that in the previous strong El Niño events of 1982/83 and 1997/98. Therefore, the model largely predicted the teleconnection and precipitation response pattern in DJF 2015/16 like the mean El Niño signal. The observed negative precipitation anomalies over the U.S. Southwest in DJF 2015/16 were not consistent either with the observed or with the model-predicted El Niño composite. Analysis of the member-to-member variability in the ensemble of forecast anomalies allowed quantification of the contribution of atmospheric internal variability in shaping seasonal mean anomalies. There were considerable variations in the outcome of DJF 2015/16 precipitation over North America from one forecast to another even though the predicted SSTs were nearly identical. The observed DJF 2015/16 precipitation anomalies were well within the envelope of possible forecast outcomes. Therefore, the atmospheric internal variability could have played a considerable role in determining the observed DJF 2015/16 negative precipitation anomalies over the U.S. Southwest, and its role is discussed in the context of differences in response.

Highly Variable El Niño–Southern Oscillation Throughout the Holocene

Science ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 339 (6115) ◽  
pp. 67-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim M. Cobb ◽  
Niko Westphal ◽  
Hussein R. Sayani ◽  
Jordan T. Watson ◽  
Emanuele Di Lorenzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
El Niño Southern Oscillation ◽  
El Nino Southern Oscillation ◽  
Line Islands ◽  
Insolation Forcing ◽  
Fossil Coral

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drives large changes in global climate patterns from year to year, yet its sensitivity to continued anthropogenic greenhouse forcing is uncertain. We analyzed fossil coral reconstructions of ENSO spanning the past 7000 years from the Northern Line Islands, located in the center of action for ENSO. The corals document highly variable ENSO activity, with no evidence for a systematic trend in ENSO variance, which is contrary to some models that exhibit a response to insolation forcing over this same period. Twentieth-century ENSO variance is significantly higher than average fossil coral ENSO variance but is not unprecedented. Our results suggest that forced changes in ENSO, whether natural or anthropogenic, may be difficult to detect against a background of large internal variability.

scholarly journals Climatology and Variability of Warm and Cold Fronts over North America from 1979 to 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (15) ◽  
pp. 6531-6554
Author(s):  
Ryan Lagerquist ◽  
John T. Allen ◽  
Amy McGovern
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Cold Fronts ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Cyclone Tracks

AbstractThis paper describes the development and analysis of an objective climatology of warm and cold fronts over North America from 1979 to 2018. Fronts are detected by a convolutional neural network (CNN), trained to emulate fronts drawn by human meteorologists. Predictors for the CNN are surface and 850-hPa fields of temperature, specific humidity, and vector wind from the ERA5 reanalysis. Gridded probabilities from the CNN are converted to 2D frontal regions, which are used to create the climatology. Overall, warm and cold fronts are most common in the Pacific and Atlantic cyclone tracks and the lee of the Rockies. In contrast with prior research, we find that the activity of warm and cold fronts is significantly modulated by the phase and intensity of El Niño–Southern Oscillation. The influence of El Niño is significant for winter warm fronts, winter cold fronts, and spring cold fronts, with activity decreasing over the continental United States and shifting northward with the Pacific and Atlantic cyclone tracks. Long-term trends are generally not significant, although we find a poleward shift in frontal activity during the winter and spring, consistent with prior research. We also identify a number of regional patterns, such as a significant long-term increase in warm fronts in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, which are characterized almost entirely by moisture gradients rather than temperature gradients.

scholarly journals The Predictability of Interdecadal Changes in ENSO Activity and ENSO Teleconnections

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (19) ◽  
pp. 4755-4771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Power ◽  
Malcolm Haylock ◽  
Rob Colman ◽  
Xiangdong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Enso Teleconnections ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Sst Anomaly ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Interdecadal Changes

Abstract El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in a century-long integration of a Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre (BMRC) coupled general circulation model (CGCM) drives rainfall and temperature changes over Australia that are generally consistent with documented observational changes: dry/hot conditions occur more frequently during El Niño years and wet/mild conditions occur more frequently during La Niña years. The relationship between ENSO [as measured by Niño-4 or the Southern Oscillation index (SOI), say] and all-Australia rainfall and temperature is found to be nonlinear in the observations and in the CGCM during June–December: a large La Niña sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly is closely linked to a large Australian response (i.e., Australia usually becomes much wetter), whereas the magnitude of an El Niño SST anomaly is a poorer guide to how dry Australia will actually become. Australia tends to dry out during El Niño events, but the degree of drying is not as tightly linked to the magnitude of the El Niño SST anomaly. Nonlinear or asymmetric teleconnections are also evident in the western United States/northern Mexico. The implications of asymmetric teleconnections for prediction services are discussed. The relationship between ENSO and Australian climate in both the model and the observations is strong in some decades, but weak in others. A series of decadal-long perturbation experiments are used to show that if these interdecadal changes are predictable, then the level of predictability is low. The model’s Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO), which represents interdecadal ENSO-like SST variability, is statistically linked to interdecadal changes in ENSO’s impact on Australia during June–December when ENSO’s impact on Australia is generally greatest. A simple stochastic model that incorporates the nonlinearity above is used to show that the IPO [or the closely related Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)] can appear to modulate ENSO teleconnections even if the IPO–PDO largely reflect unpredictable random changes in, for example, the relative frequency of El Niño and La Niña events in a given interdecadal period. Note, however, that predictability in ENSO-related variability on decadal time scales might be either underestimated by the CGCM, or be too small to be detected by the modest number of perturbation experiments conducted. If there is a small amount of predictability in ENSO indices on decadal time scales, and there may be, then the nonlinearity described above provides a mechanism via which ENSO teleconnections could be modulated on decadal time scales in a partially predictable fashion.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document