Enhanced Atlantic freshwater export during El Niño

Schmittner, Andreas; Appenzeller, Christof; Stocker, Thomas F. (2000). Enhanced Atlantic freshwater export during El Niño. Geophysical Research Letters, 27(8), pp. 1163-1166. American Geophysical Union 10.1029/1999GL011048

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Using two reanalysis data sets, the influence of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the surface freshwater balance of the Atlantic ocean is examined. We present evidence that the transport of water vapour out of the tropical Atlantic is enhanced during warm ENSO phases, while it is reduced during cold phases. These tropical changes alter the freshwater budget of the entire Atlantic drainage basin. The difference in freshwater export between La Niña and El Niño years is on the order of 0.1 Sv (1Sv=106 m³s−1) for the entire Atlantic. Results from an idealized coupled ocean-atmosphere model suggest that this amplitude is of significance for the strength of the North Atlantic thermohaline ocean circulation, if the persistence of the anomaly is on the order of decades.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > Climate and Environmental Physics

UniBE Contributor:

Stocker, Thomas

Subjects:

500 Science > 530 Physics

ISSN:

0094-8276

Publisher:

American Geophysical Union

Language:

English

Submitter:

BORIS Import 2

Date Deposited:

06 Sep 2021 18:24

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:52

Publisher DOI:

10.1029/1999GL011048

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/158797

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/158797

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