RT Journal Article
T1 ENSO influence on the North Atlantic European climate: A non-linear and non-stationary approach
A1 López Parages, Jorge
A1 Rodríguez de Fonseca, Belén
A1 Dommenget, Dietmar
A1 Frauen, Claudia
K1 Meteorología - Investigación
AB ENSO impact on the North Atlantic European sector (NAE) is still under discussion. Recent studies have found a non stationary feature of this teleconnection, suggesting an effective modu- lating role of the ocean mean state. Nevertheless, physical explanations about the underlying mechanisms have been little studied in the available literature. In addition, ENSO events show different SST spatial patterns, phases, and amplitudes, which can also influence on the related remote impacts. In view of all this, in the present study a set of partially coupled experiments have been performed with a global atmospheric general circulation model in which different SST ENSO patterns are superimposed over distinct Pacific and Atlantic SST mean states. These SST background conditions are constructed according to the observational difference between periods with a distinct impact of ENSO on the leading Euro-Mediterranean rainfall mode in late winter-early spring. Our results point to two distinct mechanisms associated with ENSO that can be modulated by the SST mean state: (1) the thermally driven direct cir- culation (Walker and Hadley cells) connecting the Atlantic and Pacific basins, and (2) the Rossby wave propagation from the tropical Pacific to the North Atlantic. The former elucidates that the positive NAO-like pattern usually related to La Niña events could be only valid for selected dec- ades. The latter explains a reinforced signature of Eastern Pacific Niños on the Euro-Mediterranean rainfall when the tropical Pacific is warmer than usual and the North Atlan- tic is colder than usual. This feature is consistent with the changing ENSO impact identified in previous studies and demonstrates how the ENSO teleconnection with the NAE climate at interannual timecales could be modulated by multidecadal changes in the SST. According to our results, the assumption of stationarity which is still common to many studies of ENSO teleconnections clearly has to be questioned.
PB Springer
YR 2015
FD 2015-12-29
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/32741
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/32741
LA eng
NO López-Parages, J., Rodríguez-Fonseca, B., Dommenget, D. et al. ENSO influence on the North Atlantic European climate: a non-linear and non-stationary approach. Clim Dyn 47, 2071–2084 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2951-0
NO This work was supported by the National Spanish projects: TRACS 500 (CGL2009-10285) and MULCLIVAR (CGL2012-38923-C02-01). In particular, JLP thanks the 501 FPI grant (BES-2010-042234) associated with TRACS project. JLP also thanks the Monash 502 Weather and Climate group of Monash University (Melbourne) for scientific discussions and 503 incredible hospitality. The sensitivity experiments described in this paper were performed on 504 Monash University.
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 21 ene 2026