Theoretical and Applied Climatology

, Volume 97, Issue 1–2, pp 17–27 | Cite as

Impact of El Niño onset timing on the Indian Ocean: Pacific coupling and subsequent El Niño evolution

  • K. P. Sooraj
  • Jong-Seong Kug
  • Tim Li
  • In-Sik Kang
Special Issue
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

A relation between the timing of the El Niño onset and its subsequent evolution is examined by emphasizing its association with the Indian Ocean (IO) SST variation. Two types of El Niño events based on the timing of their onset are classified and their characteristics are examined and compared. In general, spring onset (SP) events grow greater in magnitude and their evolutions have a faster transition. On the contrary, summer onset (SU) events are relatively weaker in magnitude and have a slower transition. Moreover, in contrast to the SU events, the SP events have a strong tendency for accompanying an IO dipole and basin-wide type of warming pattern in the El Niño developing and mature phases, respectively. It is demonstrated here that the distinctive evolutions in transition phase of the two events are resulted from the difference in IO SST. The warm IO SST in the SP El Niño event, lead an anomalous easterlies over the western Pacific, which forces a fast termination of El Niño events.

Keywords

Indian Ocean Western North Pacific Eastern Indian Ocean Simple Ocean Data Assimilation Western Pacific 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under Grant CATER_2007‐4206 and the second stage of the Brain Korea 21 Project. Tim Li was supported by NSFC Grants 40628006 and 40675054 and ONR grants N000140710145, and N000140810256 and by the International Pacific Research Center that is partially sponsored by the Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).

References

  1. Allan R, Coauthors (2001) Is there an Indian Ocean dipole, and is it independent of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation? CLIVAR Exch 6:18–22Google Scholar
  2. An S-I (2004) A dynamical linkage between the monopole and dipole modes in the tropical Indian Ocean. Theor Appl Climatol 78:195–201CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Annamalai H, Xie SP, McCreary JP, Murtugudde R (2005) Impact of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature on developing El Niño. J Climate 18:302–319CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Bjerknes J (1969) Atmospheric teleconnections from the equatorial Pacific. Mon Wea Rev 97:163–172CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Blanke R, Neelin JD, Gutzler D (1997) Estimating the effect of stochastic wind stress forcing on ENSO irregularity. J Climate 10:1473–1486CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Carton JA, Chepurin GA, Cao X, Giese BS (2000a) A simple ocean data assimilation analysis of the global upper ocean 1950–1995, Part I: methodology. J Phys Oceanogr 30:294–309CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Carton JA, Chepurin GA, Cao X, Giese BS (2000b) A simple ocean data assimilation analysis of the global upper ocean 1950–1995 Part II: results. J Phys Oceanogr 30:311–326CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Dommenget D, Semenov V, Latif M (2006) Impacts of the tropical Indian and Atlantic Oceans on ENSO. Geophys Res Lett 33:L11701. doi: 10.1029/2006GL025871 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Enfield DB, Cid LS (1991) Low-frequency changes in El Niño-Southern Oscillation. J Climate 4:1137–1146CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Fu C, Diaz HF, Fletcher JO (1986) Characteristics of the response of sea surface temperature in the central Pacific associated with warm episodes of the Southern Oscillation. Mon Wea Rev 114:1716–1738CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Gill AE (1980) Some simple solutions for heat-induced tropical circulation. QJ R M S 106:447–462CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Horii T, Hanawa K (2004) A relationship between timing of El Niño onset and subsequent evolution. Geophys Res Lett 31:L06304. doi: 10.1029/2003GL019239 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Huang B, Shukla J (2007) Mechanisms for the interannual variability in the tropical Indian Ocean. Part II: regional processes. J Climate 20:2937–2960CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Jin F, Neelin D, Ghil M (1994) El Niño on the devil’s staircase: annual subharmonic step to chaos. Science 264:70–72CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Kajikawa Y, Yasunari T, Kawamura R (2003) The role of the local Hadley circulation over the western Pacific on the zonally asymmetric anomalies over the Indian Ocean. J Meteor Soc Japan 81–2:259–276CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Kalney E, Co-authors (1996) The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bull Am Meterol Soc 77:437–471CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Kang I-S, Kug J-S, An S-I, Jin F-F (2004) A near-annual Pacific Ocean basin mode. J Climate 17:2478–2488CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Klein SA, Soden BJ, Lau NG (1999) Remote sea surface temperature variation during ENSO: evidence for a tropical atmosphere bridge. J Climate 12:917–932CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Kug J-S, Kang I-S (2006) Interactive feedback between ENSO and the Indian Ocean. J Climate 19:1784–1801CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Kug J-S, An S-I, Jin F-F, Kang I-S (2005) Preconditions for El Niño and La Niña onsets and their relation to the Indian Ocean. Geophys Res Lett 32:L05706. doi: 10.1029/2004GL021674 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Kug J-S, Kirtman BP, Kang I-S (2006a) Interactive feedback between ENSO and the Indian Ocean in an interactive coupled model. J Climate 19:6371–6381CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Kug J-S, Li T, An S-I, Kang I-S, Luo J-J, Masson S, Yamagata T (2006b) Role of the ENSO-Indian Ocean coupling on ENSO variability in a coupled GCM. Geophys Res Lett 33:L09710. doi: 10.1029/2005GL024916 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Kug J-S, Jin F-F, Sooraj KP, Kang I-S (2008) Evidence of the state-dependent atmospheric noise associated with ENSO. Geophys Res Lett. doi: 10.1029/2007GL032450
  24. Lau N-C, Nath MJ (2003) Atmosphere-ocean variations in the Indo-Pacific sector during ENSO episodes. J Climate 16:3–20CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Lau N-C, Nath MJ (2004) Coupled GCM simulation of atmosphere-ocean variability associated with zonally asymmetric SST changes in the tropical Indian Ocean. J Climate 17:245–265CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Li T, Zhang Y, Lu E, Wang D (2002) Relative role of dynamic and thermodynamic processes in the development of the Indian Ocean dipole: an OGCM diagnosis. Geophys Res Lett 29:2110. doi: 10.1029/2002GL05789 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Li T, Wang B, Chang C-P, Zhang Y (2003) A theory for the Indian Ocean dipole-zonal mode. J Atmos Sci 60:2119–2135CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. McPhaden MJ (1999) Genesis and evolution of the 1997–1998 El Niño. Science 283:950–954CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Misra V (2004) The teleconnection between the western Indian and the western Pacific Oceans. Mon Wea Rev 132:445–455CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Neelin JD, Jin F-F, Syu HH (2000) Variations in ENSO phase locking. J Climate 13:2570–2590CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Ohba M, Ueda H (2007) An impact of SST anomalies in the Indian Ocean in acceleration of the El Niño to La Niña transition. J Meteor Soc Jpn 85:335–348CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Rasumusson EM, Carpenter TH (1982) Variations in tropical sea-surface temperature and surface wind fields associated with the Southern Oscillation El Niño. Mon Wea Rev 110:354–384CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Reason CJC, Allan RJ, Lindesay JA, Ansell TJ (2000) ENSO and climate signals across the Indian Ocean basin in the global contest: part I, Interannual composite patterns. Int J Climatol 20:1285–1327CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Saji NH, Goswami BN, Vinayachandran PN, Yamagata T (1999) A dipole mode in the tropical Indian Ocean. Nature 401:360–363Google Scholar
  35. Shinoda T, Alexander MA, Hendon HH (2004) Remote response of the Indian Ocean to interannual SST variations in the tropical Pacific. J Climate 17:362–372CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Smith TM, Reynolds RW (2004) Improved extended reconstruction of SST (1854–1997). J Climate 17:2466–2477CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Tziperman E, Cane MA, Zebiak SE, Xue Y, Blumenthal B (1998) Locking of El Niño peak time to the end of the calendar year in the delayed oscillator picture of ENSO. J Climate 11:2191–2199CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Venzke S, Latif M, Villwock A (2000) The coupled GCM ECHO-2. Part II: Indian Ocean response to ENSO. J Climate 13:1371–1383CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Wang B (1995) Interdecadal changes in El Niño onset in the last four decades. J Climate 8:267–258CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Wang B, Xie X (1996) Low-frequency equatorial waves in vertically shear flow. Part I: stable waves. J Atmos Sci 53:449–467CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Wang B, Fan Z (1999) Choice of South Asian Summer Monsoon Indices. Bull Am Meteorol Sci 80:629–638CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Wang B, Wu R, Li T (2003) Atmosphere–warm ocean interaction and its impact on Asian-Australian Monsoon variability. J Climate 16:1195–1211CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Watanabe M, Jin F-F (2002) Role of Indian Ocean warming in the development of the Philippine Sea anticyclone during ENSO. Geophys Res Lett 29:1478. doi: 10.1029/2001GL014318 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Webster PJ, Moore AM, Loschnigg JP, Leben RR (1999) The great Indian Ocean warming of 1997–98: evidence of coupled oceanic-atmospheric instabilities. Nature 401:356–360CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Wu R, Kirtman BP (2004) Understanding the impacts of the Indian Ocean on ENSO variability in a coupled GCM. J Climate 17:4019–4031CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  46. Xie X, Wang B (1996) Low-frequency equatorial waves in vertically sheared zonal flows.) Part II: unstable waves. J Atmos Sci 53:3589–3605CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  47. Xie S-P, Annamalai H, Schott F, McCreary JP Jr (2002) Structure and mechanisms of South Indian Ocean climate variability. J Climate 15:864–874CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Xu JJ, Chan JCL (2001) The role of the Asian-Australian monsoon system in the onset time of El Niño events. J Climate 14:418–433CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Yu J-Y, Mechoso CR, McWilliams JC, Arakawa A (2002) Impacts of the Indian Ocean on the ENSO cycle. Geophys Res Lett 29:1204. doi: 10.1029/2001GL014098 CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  • K. P. Sooraj
    • 1
  • Jong-Seong Kug
    • 2
  • Tim Li
    • 3
  • In-Sik Kang
    • 4
  1. 1.Climate Environment System Research CenterSeoul National UniversitySeoulKorea
  2. 2.School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and TechnologyUniversity of HawaiiHonoluluUSA
  3. 3.International Pacific Research Center, SOESTUniversity of HawaiiHonoluluUSA
  4. 4.School of Earth and Environment SciencesSeoul National UniversitySeoulKorea

Personalised recommendations