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Western tropical Pacific multidecadal variability forced by the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation

Author

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  • Cheng Sun

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology and College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University)

  • Fred Kucharski

    (Earth System Physics Section, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Strada Costiera, 11
    Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research, King Abdulaziz University)

  • Jianping Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology and College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University
    Laboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology)

  • Fei-Fei Jin

    (University of Hawaii–Manoa)

  • In-Sik Kang

    (Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research, King Abdulaziz University
    School of Earth Environment Sciences, Seoul National University)

  • Ruiqiang Ding

    (State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Observational analysis suggests that the western tropical Pacific (WTP) sea surface temperature (SST) shows predominant variability over multidecadal time scales, which is unlikely to be explained by the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation. Here we show that this variability is largely explained by the remote Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO). A suite of Atlantic Pacemaker experiments successfully reproduces the WTP multidecadal variability and the AMO–WTP SST connection. The AMO warm SST anomaly generates an atmospheric teleconnection to the North Pacific, which weakens the Aleutian low and subtropical North Pacific westerlies. The wind changes induce a subtropical North Pacific SST warming through wind–evaporation–SST effect, and in response to this warming, the surface winds converge towards the subtropical North Pacific from the tropics, leading to anomalous cyclonic circulation and low pressure over the WTP region. The warm SST anomaly further develops due to the SST–sea level pressure–cloud–longwave radiation positive feedback. Our findings suggest that the Atlantic Ocean acts as a key pacemaker for the western Pacific decadal climate variability.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheng Sun & Fred Kucharski & Jianping Li & Fei-Fei Jin & In-Sik Kang & Ruiqiang Ding, 2017. "Western tropical Pacific multidecadal variability forced by the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms15998
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15998
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