EL NINO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION SIGNALS IN THE GLOBAL TROPICAL OCEAN

Fu Congbin; Dong Dongfeng; Ralph Slutz; Joseph Fletcher

doi:10.1007/BF02657344

Impact Factor: 5.8

Volume 5 Issue 1

Jan. 1988

Article Contents

Article > ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES > 1988 > 5(1): 35-46

EL NINO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION SIGNALS IN THE GLOBAL TROPICAL OCEAN

1.
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Academia Sinica, Beijing,Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Academia Sinica, Beijing,Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences(CIRES),Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences(CIRES)

doi: 10.1007/BF02657344

Abstract
References
Related papers
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Abstract:
The monthly mean sea surface temperature data of 6 areas are used to study the El Nino/Southern Oscillation signals in the global tropical ocean. These areas are in the 5oN-5oS latitude zone at 1) eastern Pacific (110o-l40oW), 2) western Atlantic (30o-50oW), 3) eastern Atlantic (10oW-10oE), 4) western Indian Ocean (30o-50oE), 5) central Indian Ocean (70o-90oE) and 6) far western Pacific (120o-140oE), and the data cover the 120-month period of December 1968 to November 1978.A power spectrum analysts shows that the characteristic time of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (about 3-4 years) appears not only in the eastern Pacific but also in other areas of the tropics except for the western Pa-cific, where the spectrum is of white noise. The amplitude of oscillation in the eastern Pacific is about 4 times larger than the others, making the El Nino/Southern Oscillation signal the strongest in this area. According to a cross-spectrum analysis, there is no time lag between the variation in the central Indian Ocean and that in the eastern Pacific. These two areas oscillate simultaneously and comprise the main feature of the El Nino/ Southern Oscillation. Other tropical areas are related with time lags, as shown by correlation and coherence calculations.It should be noted that the sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific oscillates in phase with that in the Indian Ocean, while the pressure oscillations in these two areas are out of phase with each other, according to the Southern Oscillation definition. It is suggested that the Southern Oscillation cannot be explained simply by the sea surface temperature anomalies.Variations in the far western equatorial Pacific do not have the time scale of the El Nino/Southern Oscilla-tion, perhaps because it is a buffer zone between the monsoon system and the trade wind system.
References

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Manuscript History

Manuscript received: 10 January 1988

Manuscript revised: 10 January 1988

通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

1.
沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

EL NINO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION SIGNALS IN THE GLOBAL TROPICAL OCEAN

1. Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Academia Sinica, Beijing,Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Academia Sinica, Beijing,Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences(CIRES),Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences(CIRES)

Manuscript received: 1988-01-10
Manuscript revised: 1988-01-10

Abstract: The monthly mean sea surface temperature data of 6 areas are used to study the El Nino/Southern Oscillation signals in the global tropical ocean. These areas are in the 5oN-5oS latitude zone at 1) eastern Pacific (110o-l40oW), 2) western Atlantic (30o-50oW), 3) eastern Atlantic (10oW-10oE), 4) western Indian Ocean (30o-50oE), 5) central Indian Ocean (70o-90oE) and 6) far western Pacific (120o-140oE), and the data cover the 120-month period of December 1968 to November 1978.A power spectrum analysts shows that the characteristic time of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (about 3-4 years) appears not only in the eastern Pacific but also in other areas of the tropics except for the western Pa-cific, where the spectrum is of white noise. The amplitude of oscillation in the eastern Pacific is about 4 times larger than the others, making the El Nino/Southern Oscillation signal the strongest in this area. According to a cross-spectrum analysis, there is no time lag between the variation in the central Indian Ocean and that in the eastern Pacific. These two areas oscillate simultaneously and comprise the main feature of the El Nino/ Southern Oscillation. Other tropical areas are related with time lags, as shown by correlation and coherence calculations.It should be noted that the sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific oscillates in phase with that in the Indian Ocean, while the pressure oscillations in these two areas are out of phase with each other, according to the Southern Oscillation definition. It is suggested that the Southern Oscillation cannot be explained simply by the sea surface temperature anomalies.Variations in the far western equatorial Pacific do not have the time scale of the El Nino/Southern Oscilla-tion, perhaps because it is a buffer zone between the monsoon system and the trade wind system.