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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 30, NO. 3, 1120, doi:10.1029/2002GL016356, 2003

Strong El Niño events and nonlinear dynamical heating

Fei-Fei Jin

SOEST, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


Soon-Il An

SOEST, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


Axel Timmermann

Institute for Marine Research, Kiel University, Germany


Jingxia Zhao

SOEST, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


Abstract

We present evidence showing that the nonlinear dynamic heating (NDH) in the tropical Pacific ocean heat budget is essential in the generation of intense El Niño events as well as the observed asymmetry between El Niño (warm) and La Niña (cold) events. The increase in NDH associated with the enhanced El Niño activity had an influence on the recent tropical Pacific warming trend and it might provide a positive feedback mechanism for climate change in the tropical Pacific.

Published 6 February 2003.

Index Terms: 4522 Oceanography: Physical: El Nino; 4215 Oceanography: General: Climate and interannual variability (3309); 3339 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Ocean/atmosphere interactions (0312, 4504); 1620 Global Change: Climate dynamics (3309); 3374 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Tropical meteorology.

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Citation: Jin, F., S. An, A. Timmermann, and J. Zhao (2003), Strong El Niño events and nonlinear dynamical heating, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(3), 1120, doi:10.1029/2002GL016356.