dc.contributor.author | Nnamchi, Hyacinth C | |
dc.contributor.author | Li, Jianping | |
dc.contributor.author | Kucharski, Fred | |
dc.contributor.author | Kang, In-Sik | |
dc.contributor.author | Keenlyside, Noel | |
dc.contributor.author | Chang, Ping | |
dc.contributor.author | Farneti, Riccardo | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2016-03-18T08:55:49Z | |
dc.date.available | 2016-03-18T08:55:49Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2015-11-26 | |
dc.Published | Nature Communications 2015, 6 | eng |
dc.identifier.issn | 2041-1723 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1956/11699 | |
dc.description.abstract | Prevailing theories on the equatorial Atlantic Niño are based on the dynamical interaction between atmosphere and ocean. However, dynamical coupled ocean-atmosphere models poorly simulate and predict equatorial Atlantic climate variability. Here we use multi-model numerical experiments to show that thermodynamic feedbacks excited by stochastic atmospheric perturbations can generate Atlantic Niño s.d. of ~0.28±0.07 K, explaining ~68±23% of the observed interannual variability. Thus, in state-of-the-art coupled models, Atlantic Niño variability strongly depends on the thermodynamic component (R2=0.92). Coupled dynamics acts to improve the characteristic Niño-like spatial structure but not necessarily the variance. Perturbations of the equatorial Atlantic trade winds (~±1.53 m s−1) can drive changes in surface latent heat flux (~±14.35 W m−2) and thus in surface temperature consistent with a first-order autoregressive process. By challenging the dynamical paradigm of equatorial Atlantic variability, our findings suggest that the current theories on its modelling and predictability must be revised. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | eng | eng |
dc.publisher | Nature Publishing Group (NPG) | en_US |
dc.rights | Attribution CC BY 4.0 | eng |
dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 | eng |
dc.subject | Earth sciences | eng |
dc.subject | Atmospheric science | eng |
dc.subject | Climate science | eng |
dc.subject | Oceanography | eng |
dc.title | Thermodynamic controls of the Atlantic Niño | en_US |
dc.type | Peer reviewed | |
dc.type | Journal article | |
dc.date.updated | 2016-02-04T09:45:23Z | |
dc.description.version | publishedVersion | en_US |
dc.rights.holder | Copyright 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved | en_US |
dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9895 | |
dc.identifier.cristin | 1324609 | |
dc.subject.nsi | VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400 | en_US |