THE TROPICS

While a progressive warming of equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies was clearly evident during 2014, the atmospheric circulation during 2014 ref lected ENSO-neutral conditions, and the lack of a clear atmospheric response to the above-average SSTs is why the onset of El Niño w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBulletin of the American Meteorological Society Vol. 96; no. 7; p. S91
Main Author Diamond, H J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Boston American Meteorological Society 01.07.2015
Subjects
Atmosphere
Meteorology
Ocean currents
Wind
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Summary:While a progressive warming of equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies was clearly evident during 2014, the atmospheric circulation during 2014 ref lected ENSO-neutral conditions, and the lack of a clear atmospheric response to the above-average SSTs is why the onset of El Niño was not declared in 2014. The most persistent and significant low-level (850-hPa) wind anomalies occurred over the eastern tropical Pacific, where a combination of anomalous southerly and westerly winds during MAM through SON reflected enhanced cross-equatorial flow and weaker easterly trade winds that were centered north of the equator (Fig. 4.4b-d).
ISSN:0003-0007
1520-0477