Unprecedented 2015/2016 Indo-Pacific Heat Transfer Speeds Up Tropical Pacific Heat Recharge

Author(s)
Michael Mayer, Magdalena Balmaseda, Leopold Haimberger
Abstract

El Niño events are characterized by anomalously warm tropical Pacific surface waters and concurrent ocean heat discharge, a precursor of subsequent cold La Niña conditions. Here we show that El Niño 2015/2016 departed from this norm: despite extreme peak surface temperatures, tropical Pacific (30°N–30°S) upper ocean heat content increased by 9.6 ± 1.7 ZJ (1 ZJ = 10

21 J), in stark contrast to the previous strong El Niño in 1997/1998 (−11.5 ± 2.9 ZJ). Unprecedented reduction of Indonesian Throughflow volume and heat transport played a key role in the anomalous 2015/2016 event. We argue that this anomaly is linked with the previously documented intensified warming and associated rising sea levels in the Indian Ocean during the last decade. Additionally, increased absorption of solar radiation acted to dampen Pacific ocean heat content discharge. These results explain the weak and short-lived La Niña conditions in 2016/2017 and indicate the need for realistic representation of Indo-Pacific energy transfers for skillful seasonal-to-decadal predictions.

Organisation(s)
Department of Meteorology and Geophysics
External organisation(s)
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Volume
45
Pages
3274-3284
No. of pages
11
ISSN
0094-8276
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/2018GL077106
Publication date
04-2018
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
105204 Climatology, 105306 Oceanography
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Geophysics, Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/unprecedented-20152016-indopacific-heat-transfer-speeds-up-tropical-pacific-heat-recharge(fb38351b-b87f-4bdd-b1e8-0f2adb8f915b).html