Processes involved in the second-year warming of the 2015 El Nio event as derived from an intermediate ocean model

作     者：ZHANG RongHua GAO Chuan 

作者机构：Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences Qingdao 266071 China Laboratory for Ocean and Climate Dynamics Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology Qingdao 266237 China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China 

出 版 物：《Science China Earth Sciences》 (中国科学（地球科学英文版）)

年 卷 期：2017年第60卷第9期

页      面：1601-1613页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 070601[理学-气象学] 0706[理学-大气科学] 

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41690122, 41690120, 41490644, 41490640 & 41475101) AoShan Talents Program Supported by Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Grant No. 2015ASTP) the Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Project the Western Pacific Ocean System(Grant Nos. XDA11010105 & XDA11020306) the National Natural Science Foundation of China-Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Science Research Centers (Grant No. U1406401) the National Natural Science Foundation of China Innovative Group Grant (Grant No. 41421005) Taishan Scholarship and Qingdao Innovative Program (Grant No. 2014GJJS0101) China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Qingdao Postdoctoral Application Research Project 

主　　题：2015 El Nio event Intermediate ocean model Process analyses SST budget 

摘      要：The tropical Pacific experienced a sustained warm sea surface condition that started in 2014 and a very strong El Nio event in 2015. One striking feature of this event was the horseshoe-like pattern of positive subsurface thermal anomalies that was sustained in the western-central equatorial Pacific throughout 2014–2015. Observational data and an intermediate ocean model are used to describe the sea surface temperature(SST) evolution during 2014–2015. Emphasis is placed on the processes involved in the 2015 El Nio event and their relationships with SST anomalies, including remote effects associated with the propagation and reflection of oceanic equatorial waves(as indicated in sea level(SL) signals) at the boundaries and local effects of the positive subsurface thermal anomalies. It is demonstrated that the positive subsurface thermal anomaly pattern that was sustained throughout 2014–2015 played an important role in maintaining warm SST anomalies in the equatorial Pacific. Further analyses of the SST budget revealed the dominant processes contributing to SST anomalies during 2014–2015. These analyses provide an improved understanding of the extent to which processes associated with the 2015 El Nio event are consistent with current El Nio and Southern Oscillation theories.