Distinct Evolution of the SST Anomalies in the Far Eastern Pacific between the 1997/98 and 2015/16 Extreme El Niños

The 2015/16 El Niño displayed a distinct feature in the SST anomalies over the far eastern Pacific (FEP) compared to the 1997/98 extreme case. In contrast to the strong warm SST anomalies in the FEP in the 1997/98 event, the FEP warm SST anomalies in the 2015/16 El Niño were modest and accompanied by strong southeasterly wind anomalies in the southeastern Pacific. Exploring possible underlying causes of this distinct difference in the FEP may improve understanding of the diversity of extreme El Niños. Here, we employ observational analyses and numerical model experiments to tackle this issue. Mixed-layer heat budget analysis suggests that compared to the 1997/98 event, the modest FEP SST warming in the 2015/16 event was closely related to strong vertical upwelling, strong westward current, and enhanced surface evaporation, which were caused by the strong southeasterly wind anomalies in the southeastern Pacific. The strong southeasterly wind anomalies were initially triggered by the combined effects of warm SST anomalies in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific (CEP) and cold SST anomalies in the southeastern subtropical Pacific in the antecedent winter, and then sustained by the warm SST anomalies over the northeastern subtropical Pacific and CEP. In contrast, southeasterly wind anomalies in the 1997/98 El Niño were partly restrained by strong anomalously negative sea level pressure and northwesterlies in the northeast flank of the related anomalous cyclone in the subtropical South Pacific. In addition, the strong southeasterly wind and modest SST anomalies in the 2015/16 El Niño may also have been partly related to decadal climate variability.