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Where the winds clash: what is really triggering El Niño initiation?

Earth Sciences

Where the winds clash: what is really triggering El Niño initiation?

G. L. E. Borzelli and S. Carniel

Discover groundbreaking insights into the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) dynamics with research conducted by Gian Luca Eusebi Borzelli and Sandro Carniel. Their study reveals the critical role of the Easterly/Westerly Wind Convergence Zone in triggering El Niño events, illustrating how atmospheric conditions directly influence significant climate variability.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is Earth's strongest year-to-year climate variability source. This study shows that internal, downwelling Rossby and Kelvin waves regularly form beneath the Easterly/Westerly Wind Convergence Zone (EWCZ). When the EWCZ is east of 175°E, Kelvin waves reach the eastern Pacific, causing El Niño. The EWCZ's eastward elongation correlates with El Niño severity, suggesting its position is crucial for El Niño initiation. The EWCZ and deep atmospheric convection shift zonally in phase with the Southern Oscillation Index, indicating that the Easterlies and Westerlies clash longitude determines the Pacific's climate state and triggers El Niño initiation.
Publisher
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
Published On
Aug 18, 2023
Authors
Gian Luca Eusebi Borzelli, Sandro Carniel
Tags
El Niño
Southern Oscillation
climate variability
EWCZ
Kelvin waves
Rossby waves
atmospheric convection

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