Meteorological Aspects of El Niño

In the eastern tropical Pacific where the phenomenon of El Nino is best developed, the atmospheric circulation undergoes a marked annual cycle. Analysis of data from a recently compiled atlas elucidates the role of the annual cycle in modifying the great 1972-1973 El Nino and confirms that, off Sout...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly weather review 1981-01, Vol.109 (9), p.1827-1835
Main Authors: Ramage, C S, Hori, A M
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In the eastern tropical Pacific where the phenomenon of El Nino is best developed, the atmospheric circulation undergoes a marked annual cycle. Analysis of data from a recently compiled atlas elucidates the role of the annual cycle in modifying the great 1972-1973 El Nino and confirms that, off South America, upwelling and sea surface temperature are not directly linked. Meridional profiles derived from the atlas reveal that oceanic heat loss to the air is a function of wind speed rather than sea surface temperature and that rainfall can be accounted for in terms of the horizontal convergence of moisture. Distribution of tropical cyclones is not significantly related to El Nino, and predicting El Nino has proved more difficult than had been expected.
ISSN:0027-0644
1520-0493
DOI:10.1175/1520-0493(1981)109<1827:MAOEN>2.0.CO;2