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Abstract Atlantic Niños dominate the equatorial Atlantic variability during boreal summer (June–August). The coupled ocean‐atmosphere processes associated with Atlantic Niños have been extensively documented. However, the role of atmospheric convectively coupled Kelvin waves (CCKWs), which are uncorrelated to those previously identified processes, in triggering Atlantic Niños has been unclear. Here we identify CCKWs using Wheeler‐Kiladis filtering based on 10°S–10°N averaged daily outgoing longwave radiation. CCKWs propagate eastward from South America and induce surface zonal wind anomalies over the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Strong anomalous CCKWs during spring (March–May) and their associated surface westerly wind anomalies can trigger downwelling oceanic Kelvin waves that change the east–west slope of the thermocline, consequently leading to Atlantic Niño. A causal effect network reveals that interannual sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the Atlantic Niño Index area and CCKWs, both in spring, are uncorrelated, but both appear to influence SST anomalies over the Atlantic Niño Index area in summer. The CCKWs are also uncorrelated to other coupled ocean‐atmosphere sources, such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Atlantic Meridional Mode. Among a total of 15 Atlantic Niño/Niña events identified for the period of 1980–2017, two‐thirds of the events are linked to CCKWs. In particular, three Atlantic Niña events (1982, 1994, and 2005) are mainly triggered by CCKWs, under unfavorable SST preconditions. Thus, CCKWs in spring, due to atmospheric internal variability, provide another mechanism for triggering Atlantic Niños and probably weaken their predictability.
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Seasonality in the relationship between equatorial-mean heat content and interannual eastern equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature variability
Abstract Interannual sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the tropical Atlantic Ocean lead to anomalous atmospheric circulation and precipitation patterns with important ecological and socioeconomic consequences for the semiarid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and northeast Brazil. This interannual SST variability is characterized by three modes: an Atlantic meridional mode featuring an anomalous cross-equatorial SST gradient that peaks in boreal spring; an Atlantic zonal mode (Atlantic Niño mode) with SST anomalies in the eastern equatorial Atlantic cold tongue region that peaks in boreal summer; and a second zonal mode of variability with eastern equatorial SST anomalies peaking in boreal winter. Here we investigate the extent to which there is any seasonality in the relationship between equatorial warm water recharge and the development of eastern equatorial Atlantic SST anomalies. Seasonally stratified cross-correlation analysis between eastern equatorial Atlantic SST anomalies and equatorial heat content anomalies (evaluated using warm water volume and sea surface height) indicate that while equatorial heat content changes do occasionally play a role in the development of boreal summer Atlantic zonal mode events, they contribute more consistently to Atlantic Niño II, boreal winter events. Event and composite analysis of ocean adjustment with a shallow water model suggest that the warm water volume anomalies originate mainly from the off-equatorial northwestern Atlantic, in agreement with previous studies linking them to anomalous wind stress curl associated with the Atlantic meridional mode.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1756658
- PAR ID:
- 10368149
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Climate Dynamics
- Volume:
- 59
- Issue:
- 1-2
- ISSN:
- 0930-7575
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 61-75
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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