This paper describes observed changes in surface winds, sea surface temperature (SST) and the volume of water warmer than 20 C (WWV) in the equatorial Paciic Ocean for the period 1980{99. The purpose is to test recent hypotheses about the relationship between variations in WWV and the El Ni~ no/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. Our results connrm inferences based on theory, models, and previou...

We analyze global patterns of reconstructed surface temperature for insights into the behavior of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and related climatic variability during the past three centuries. The global temperature reconstructions are based on calibrations of a large set of globally distributed proxy records, or “multiproxy” data, against the dominant patterns of surface temperature...

The El Ni~ no–La Ni~ na asymmetry is evaluated in 14 coupled models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). The results show that an underestimate of ENSO asymmetry, a common problem noted in CMIP3 models, remains a common problem in CMIP5 coupled models. The weaker ENSO asymmetry in the models primarily results from a weaker SST warm anomaly over the eastern Pacific ...

One of the major uncertainties of 21st century climate change is the potential for shifts to the intensity and frequency of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. Although this phenomenon is known to have dramatic impacts on ecosystems regionally and globally, the biological consequences of climate change-driven shifts in future ENSO events have been unexplored. Here, we investigate the...

Integrations of a fully-coupled climate model with and without flux adjustments in the equatorial oceans are performed under 2 × CO2 conditions to explore in more detail the impact of increased greenhouse gas forcing on the monsoon-ENSO system. When flux adjustments are used to correct some systematic model biases, ENSO behaviour in the modelled future climate features distinct irregular and pe...

This study used trend, correlation, and wavelet analysis to characterize Lake Chad (LC) level fluctuations, river discharge, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and precipitation regimes and their interrelationships. Linear correlation results indicate a negative association between ENSO and LC level, river discharge and precipitation. Trend analysis shows increasing precipitation in the Lake ...

The effects of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) on ENSO dynamics are studied in a coupled climate model by comparing two simulations, one with an open ITF and the other with a closed ITF. Closing the ITF results in an El Niño–like climate state in the Pacific, which is characterized by weakened trade winds, a flatter equatorial thermocline, and weaker equatorial upwelling. A weakened South Equa...

[1] A strong relationship between ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation) and atmospheric short-term variability in the near-surface zonal wind is reported in the present study. On one hand, anomalies in the variance of the short-term atmospheric variability over the western Pacific tend to lead El Nino development. On the other hand, the activity of the fast atmospheric variability over the centra...

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is characterized by changes in sea surface temperature (SST) and atmospheric convection in the tropical Pacific, and modulates global weather and climate1–4. The phase of ENSO influences United States (US) temperature and precipitation and has long been hypothesized to influence severe thunderstorm occurrence over the US5–11. However, limitations12 of the...

Modes of tropical climate variability, such as the El Niño– Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian Ocean Basinwide Mode (IOBM), the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and the Atlantic Equatorial Mode (AEM) (sometimes referred to as the Atlantic Zonal Mode, or Atlantic Niño) interact most readily via the atmosphere. Sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the tropics drive changes in the Walker Ci...