Revisiting the Contrasting Response of Polar Stratosphere to the Eastern and Central Pacific El Niños
El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) invokes the release of a large amount of heat and moisture into the tropical atmosphere, inducing circulation anomalies. The circulation response to ENSO propagates both horizontally poleward and vertically into the stratosphere. Here, we investigate the remote re...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/682 |
| _version_ | 1797501649110958080 |
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| author | Maria Kolennikova Daria Gushchina |
| author_facet | Maria Kolennikova Daria Gushchina |
| author_sort | Maria Kolennikova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) invokes the release of a large amount of heat and moisture into the tropical atmosphere, inducing circulation anomalies. The circulation response to ENSO propagates both horizontally poleward and vertically into the stratosphere. Here, we investigate the remote response of the polar stratosphere to ENSO using reanalysis data, along with composite and regression analysis. In particular, we focus on inter-event variability resulting from two ENSO types (the Eastern Pacific (EP) and the Central Pacific (CP) El Niño) and the inter-hemispheric difference in the ENSO responses. Consistent with previous results, we show that ENSO is associated with a weakening in the stratospheric polar vortex but emphasize that the polar stratosphere response strongly depends on the ENSO types, differs between the hemispheres, and changes from the lower to middle stratosphere. The main inter-hemispheric asymmetry manifests in response to the EP El Niño, which is not significant in the Southern Hemisphere, while CP events are associated with pronounced weakening in the polar vortex in both hemispheres. The weakening in the stratospheric polar vortex arguably results from the intensification in the wave flux from the troposphere into the stratosphere and is accompanied by increased heat transport. The latter causes stratospheric warming in the Artic and Antarctic and slows zonal currents. The response of the lower stratosphere circulation to ENSO is approximately the opposite to that of the middle stratosphere. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:21:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-86ff6a12325a4b2d9c59778f249b118d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:21:34Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-86ff6a12325a4b2d9c59778f249b118d2023-11-23T10:01:11ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-04-0113568210.3390/atmos13050682Revisiting the Contrasting Response of Polar Stratosphere to the Eastern and Central Pacific El NiñosMaria Kolennikova0Daria Gushchina1Faculty of Geography, Moscow State University (MSU), Moscow 119991, RussiaFaculty of Geography, Moscow State University (MSU), Moscow 119991, RussiaEl Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) invokes the release of a large amount of heat and moisture into the tropical atmosphere, inducing circulation anomalies. The circulation response to ENSO propagates both horizontally poleward and vertically into the stratosphere. Here, we investigate the remote response of the polar stratosphere to ENSO using reanalysis data, along with composite and regression analysis. In particular, we focus on inter-event variability resulting from two ENSO types (the Eastern Pacific (EP) and the Central Pacific (CP) El Niño) and the inter-hemispheric difference in the ENSO responses. Consistent with previous results, we show that ENSO is associated with a weakening in the stratospheric polar vortex but emphasize that the polar stratosphere response strongly depends on the ENSO types, differs between the hemispheres, and changes from the lower to middle stratosphere. The main inter-hemispheric asymmetry manifests in response to the EP El Niño, which is not significant in the Southern Hemisphere, while CP events are associated with pronounced weakening in the polar vortex in both hemispheres. The weakening in the stratospheric polar vortex arguably results from the intensification in the wave flux from the troposphere into the stratosphere and is accompanied by increased heat transport. The latter causes stratospheric warming in the Artic and Antarctic and slows zonal currents. The response of the lower stratosphere circulation to ENSO is approximately the opposite to that of the middle stratosphere.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/682ENSOstratosphere circulationtropics-high latitude teleconnection |
| spellingShingle | Maria Kolennikova Daria Gushchina Revisiting the Contrasting Response of Polar Stratosphere to the Eastern and Central Pacific El Niños Atmosphere ENSO stratosphere circulation tropics-high latitude teleconnection |
| title | Revisiting the Contrasting Response of Polar Stratosphere to the Eastern and Central Pacific El Niños |
| title_full | Revisiting the Contrasting Response of Polar Stratosphere to the Eastern and Central Pacific El Niños |
| title_fullStr | Revisiting the Contrasting Response of Polar Stratosphere to the Eastern and Central Pacific El Niños |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revisiting the Contrasting Response of Polar Stratosphere to the Eastern and Central Pacific El Niños |
| title_short | Revisiting the Contrasting Response of Polar Stratosphere to the Eastern and Central Pacific El Niños |
| title_sort | revisiting the contrasting response of polar stratosphere to the eastern and central pacific el ninos |
| topic | ENSO stratosphere circulation tropics-high latitude teleconnection |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/682 |
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