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Atlantic forcing of Pacific decadal variability

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Abstract

This paper investigates the Atlantic Ocean influence on equatorial Pacific decadal variability. Using an ensemble of simulations, where the ICTPAGCM (“SPEEDY”) is coupled to the NEMO/OPA ocean model in the Indo-Pacific region and forced by observed sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic region, it is shown that the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) has had a substantial influence on the equatorial Pacific decadal variability. According to AMO phases we have identified three periods with strong Atlantic forcing of equatorial Pacific changes, namely (1) 1931–1950 minus 1910–1929, (2) 1970–1989 minus 1931–1950 and (3) 1994–2013 minus 1970–1989. Both observations and the model show easterly surface wind anomalies in the central Pacific, cooling in the central-eastern Pacific and warming in the western Pacific/Indian Ocean region in events (1) and (3) and the opposite signals in event (2). The physical mechanism for these responses is related to a modification of the Walker circulation because a positive (negative) AMO leads to an overall warmer (cooler) tropical Atlantic. The warmer (cooler) tropical Atlantic modifies the Walker circulation, leading to rising (sinking) and upper-level divergence (convergence) motion in the Atlantic region and sinking (rising) motion and upper-level convergence (divergence) in the central Pacific region.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that helped improving the quality of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Earth System Physics Section, Strada Costiera 11, 34151, Trieste, Italy

    Fred Kucharski, Riccardo Farneti & Graziano Giuliani

  2. Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research/Department of Meteorology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Fred Kucharski

  3. Pakistan Meteorological Department, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Farah Ikram

  4. European Centre For Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Shinfield Park, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 9AX, United Kingdom

    Franco Molteni & Kristian Mogensen

  5. Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

    In-Sik Kang & Hyun-Ho No

  6. Uni Research Climate and Bjerknes Centre, Bergen, Norway

    Martin P. King

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  1. Fred Kucharski
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  2. Farah Ikram
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Correspondence to Fred Kucharski.

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Kucharski, F., Ikram, F., Molteni, F. et al. Atlantic forcing of Pacific decadal variability. Clim Dyn 46, 2337–2351 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2705-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2705-z

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