ENSO response to greenhouse forcing
Edited book (chapter)
Chapter Title | ENSO response to greenhouse forcing |
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Book Chapter Category | Edited book (chapter) |
ERA Publisher ID | 2349 |
Book Title | El Nino Southern Oscillation in a changing climate |
Authors | Cai, Wenju (Author), Santoso, Agus (Author), Wang, Guojian (Author), Wu, Lixin (Author), Collins, Mat (Author), Lengaigne, Matthieu (Author), Power, Scott (Author) and Timmermann, Axel (Author) |
Editors | McPhaden, Michael J., Santoso, Agus and Cai, Wenju |
Page Range | 289-307 |
Series | Geophysical Monograph Series |
Chapter Number | 13 |
Number of Pages | 18 |
Year | 2021 |
Publisher | John Wiley & Sons |
Place of Publication | United States |
ISBN | 9781119548126 |
9781119548164 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119548164.ch13 |
Web Address (URL) | https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119548164.ch13 |
Abstract | How ENSO responds to an increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has remained an elusive issue for decades. Climate models produce widely diverging results based on the traditional sea surface temperature (SST) metrics of ENSO. Some models project stronger ENSO SST variability, some weaker, some show no clear change. Steering away from these static measures, but more carefully examining the underlying processes and the associated key physical characteristics of ENSO, a clearer picture begins to emerge. Due to the nonlinear response of the atmosphere to SSTs, climate models project an increase in ENSO-driven precipitation. Such a response tends to be robust across models linked to the relatively strong intermodel agreement in projected changes of the Pacific mean climate, marked by equatorially enhanced warming and weakened Walker Circulation. These mean-state changes facilitate increased frequency of extreme El Nino events in models that are able to simulate nonlinear properties of ENSO closer to observations. In this ensemble of selected models, the frequency of extreme La Nina events is also projected to increase, as facilitated by faster warming of the Maritime Continent than the surrounding ocean waters. A projected increase in upper-ocean stratification further favors increased variability and occurrences of Eastern Pacific El Nino. Uncertainties, however, remain due to persistent model biases, highlighting the need to further improve climate models, as well as sustain reliable observations to constrain model projections. Nonetheless, these projections underscore a possible heightened impact of ENSO-driven changes in a warming climate. |
Keywords | ENSO; greenhouse gases |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 370201. Climate change processes |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia |
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia | |
Ocean University of China, China | |
University of Exeter, United Kingdom | |
Sorbonne University, France | |
Australian Bureau of Meteorology | |
Institute for Basic Science, Korea | |
Journal Title | El Nino Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q66w4/enso-response-to-greenhouse-forcing
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