Multiple causes of interannual sea surface temperature variability in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean
Multiple causes of interannual sea surface temperature variability in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean
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DOI：
10.1038/ngeo1660
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发表时间：
2012-12
影响因子：
18.3
通讯作者：
I. Richter;S. Behera;Y. Masumoto;B. Taguchi;H. Sasaki;T. Yamagata
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
I. Richter;S. Behera;Y. Masumoto;B. Taguchi;H. Sasaki;T. Yamagata
东赤道大西洋受海表温度年际波动的影响，对周围大陆的气候影响。大西洋温度变化的动力机制被认为与赤道太平洋的厄尔尼诺/南方涛动（ENSO）相似，海气耦合导致西部海盆的表面风、东部海盆的海面温度和赤道海洋热含量之间的正反馈。在这里，我们使用一套观测数据，气候再分析产品和大气环流模式模拟重新评估驱动年际变化的因素。我们发现，一些温暖的事件不能用以前确定的赤道风应力强迫和ENSO样动力学解释。相反，这些事件是由一种机制驱动的，在这种机制中，赤道以北的表面风强迫引起温暖的海洋温度异常，随后向赤道平流。我们发现，表面风模式与长期存在的亚热带海面温度异常，并建议它们反映了赤道和亚热带大西洋变化之间的联系。
The eastern equatorial Atlantic Ocean is subject to interannual fluctuations of sea surface temperatures, with climatic impacts on the surrounding continents,,. The dynamic mechanism underlying Atlantic temperature variability is thought to be similar to that of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the equatorial Pacific,, where air–sea coupling leads to a positive feedback between surface winds in the western basin, sea surface temperature in the eastern basin, and equatorial oceanic heat content. Here we use a suite of observational data, climate reanalysis products, and general circulation model simulations to reassess the factors driving the interannual variability. We show that some of the warm events can not be explained by previously identified equatorial wind stress forcing and ENSO-like dynamics. Instead, these events are driven by a mechanism in which surface wind forcing just north of the equator induces warm ocean temperature anomalies that are subsequently advected toward the equator. We find the surface wind patterns are associated with long-lived subtropical sea surface temperature anomalies and suggest they therefore reflect a link between equatorial and subtropical Atlantic variability.