DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Interactions between Kuroshio Extension and Central Tropical Pacific lead to preferred decadal-timescale oscillations in Pacific climate

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports
 [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). Georgia Tech Research Institute. School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

The Kuroshio Extension (KE) exhibits prominent decadal fuctuations that enhance the low-frequency variability of North Pacifc climate. Using available observations, we show evidence that a preferred decadal timescale in the KE emerges from the interaction between KE and the central tropical Pacifc via Meridional Modes. Specifcally, we show that changes in the KE states apply a persistent downstream atmospheric response (e.g. wind stress curl, 0–12 months timescales) that projects on the atmospheric forcing of the Pacifc Meridional Modes (PMM) over 9 months timescales. Subsequently, the PMM energizes the central tropical Pacifc El Niño Southern Oscillation (CP-ENSO) and its atmospheric teleconnections back to the Northern Hemisphere (1–3 months timescale), which in turn excites oceanic Rossby waves in the central/eastern North Pacifc that propagate westward changing the KE (~3 years timescales). Consistent with this hypothesis, the cross-correlation function between the KE and the PMM/CP-ENSO indices exhibits a signifcant sinusoidal shape corresponding to a preferred spectral power at decadal timescales (~10 years). This dynamics pathway (KE→PMM/CP-ENSO→KE) may provide a new mechanistic basis to explain the preferred decadal-timescale of the North Pacifc and enhance decadal predictability of Pacifc climate.

Research Organization:
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-00ER41132; DOE-RGMA
OSTI ID:
1619587
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1624490
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, Issue 1; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 34 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (72)

Shifting patterns in Pacific climate, West Coast salmon survival rates, and increased volatility in ecosystem services journal August 2015
ENSO and meridional modes: A null hypothesis for Pacific climate variability: ENSO AND MM PACIFIC DECADAL VARIABILITY journal November 2015
Influence of the Meridional Shifts of the Kuroshio and the Oyashio Extensions on the Atmospheric Circulation journal February 2011
Decadal Variability of the Kuroshio Extension: Observations and an Eddy-Resolving Model Hindcast journal June 2007
Patterns and Scales of Phytoplankton Variability in Estuarine–Coastal Ecosystems journal July 2009
Patterns and Scales of Phytoplankton Variability in Estuarine–Coastal Ecosystems journal July 2009
Wind-Driven Shifts in the Latitude of the Kuroshio–Oyashio Extension and Generation of SST Anomalies on Decadal Timescales* journal November 2001
Influences of the Kuroshio/Oyashio Extensions on Air–Sea Heat Exchanges and Storm-Track Activity as Revealed in Regional Atmospheric Model Simulations for the 2003/04 Cold Season journal December 2009
Multi-year persistence of the 2014/15 North Pacific marine heatwave journal July 2016
Decadal-scale variability in the Kuroshio marine ecosystem in winter journal September 2003
Changing central Pacific El Niños reduce stability of North American salmon survival rates journal August 2015
Revisiting the Pacific Meridional Mode journal February 2018
Highly Variable El Niño–Southern Oscillation Throughout the Holocene journal January 2013
The Atmospheric Bridge: The Influence of ENSO Teleconnections on Air–Sea Interaction over the Global Oceans journal August 2002
Coherent response of the Indian Monsoon Rainfall to Atlantic Multi-decadal Variability over the last 2000 years journal January 2020
Decadal-scale regime shifts in the large marine ecosystems of the North-east Pacific: a case for historical science journal December 1994
Coupled Decadal Variability in the North Pacific: An Observationally Constrained Idealized Model journal July 2007
Pacific sea surface temperature and the winter of 2014: SST and 2014 Winter journal March 2015
Forcing of Low-Frequency Ocean Variability in the Northeast Pacific journal March 2009
Interannual to Decadal Variability of the Upper-Ocean Heat Content in the Western North Pacific and Its Relationship to Oceanic and Atmospheric Variability journal July 2018
A coupled ocean-atmosphere model of relevance to the ITCZ in the eastern Pacific journal January 1994
Manifestation of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation in the Kuroshio journal January 2009
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Revisited journal June 2016
Atmospheric bridge, oceanic tunnel, and global climatic teleconnections journal January 2007
The Impact of Extratropical Atmospheric Variability on ENSO: Testing the Seasonal Footprinting Mechanism Using Coupled Model Experiments journal June 2010
Robust contribution of decadal anomalies to the frequency of central-Pacific El Niño journal December 2016
Central Pacific El Niño and decadal climate change in the North Pacific Ocean journal October 2010
Decadal-Scale SST and Salinity Variations in the Central Tropical Pacific: Signatures of Natural and Anthropogenic Climate Change journal July 2011
Tracking the Pacific Decadal Precession: Tracking the PDP journal March 2017
Decadal Response of the Kuroshio Extension Jet to Rossby Waves: Observation and Thin-Jet Theory journal February 2013
The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system journal April 2011
A Westward-Intensified Decadal Change in the North Pacific Thermocline and Gyre-Scale Circulation journal December 1998
Role of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio–Oyashio Systems in Large-Scale Atmosphere–Ocean Interaction: A Review journal June 2010
The Seasonal Footprinting Mechanism in the Pacific: Implications for ENSO* journal August 2003
ENSO regimes: Reinterpreting the canonical and Modoki El Niño: REINTERPRETING ENSO MODES journal May 2011
Understanding ENSO Diversity journal June 2015
Seasonal Evolutions of Atmospheric Response to Decadal SST Anomalies in the North Pacific Subarctic Frontal Zone: Observations and a Coupled Model Simulation journal January 2012
Influence of the Decadal Variability of the Kuroshio Extension on the Atmospheric Circulation in the Cold Season journal March 2016
Heat Budget in the Kuroshio Extension Region: 1993–99 journal December 2002
North Pacific Gyre Oscillation Synchronizes Climate Fluctuations in the Eastern and Western Boundary Systems journal October 2009
Decadal-Scale Climate and Ecosystem Interactions in the North Pacific Ocean journal January 2004
Analogous Pacific and Atlantic Meridional Modes of Tropical Atmosphere–Ocean Variability journal November 2004
Meridional Modes and Increasing Pacific Decadal Variability Under Anthropogenic Forcing journal January 2018
A Pacific Interdecadal Climate Oscillation with Impacts on Salmon Production journal June 1997
Interannual Variability of the Kuroshio Extension System and Its Impact on the Wintertime SST Field journal June 2000
Tracking the Pacific Decadal Precession: Tracking the PDP journal March 2017
A double-integration hypothesis to explain ocean ecosystem response to climate forcing journal January 2013
Linkages between the North Pacific Oscillation and central tropical Pacific SSTs at low frequencies journal December 2011
A Coupled Decadal Prediction of the Dynamic State of the Kuroshio Extension System journal February 2014
Kuroshio Extension Variability and Forcing of the Pacific Decadal Oscillations: Responses and Potential Feedback journal December 2003
A coupled ocean-atmosphere model of relevance to the ITCZ in the eastern Pacific journal January 1994
Kuroshio Extension Variability and Forcing of the Pacific Decadal Oscillations: Responses and Potential Feedback journal December 2003
Global analyses of sea surface temperature, sea ice, and night marine air temperature since the late nineteenth century journal January 2003
Nutrient and salinity decadal variations in the central and eastern North Pacific journal January 2009
A Dynamic Ocean–Atmosphere Model of the Tropical Atlantic Decadal Variability journal January 1999
Footprinting: A seasonal connection between the tropics and mid-latitudes journal October 2001
Pacific meridional mode and El Niño-Southern Oscillation: PACIFIC MERIDIONAL MODE AND ENSO journal August 2007
Revisiting the Pacific Meridional Mode journal February 2018
A Mechanism for the Recurrence of Wintertime Midlatitude SST Anomalies journal January 1995
Modification of the Gulf Stream through Strong Air–Sea Interactions in Winter: Observations and Numerical Simulations journal April 1995
Predicting Western North Pacific Ocean Climate journal October 2001
The ECMWF Ocean Analysis System: ORA-S3 journal January 2007
North Pacific Gyre Oscillation links ocean climate and ecosystem change journal January 2008
Highly Variable El Niño–Southern Oscillation Throughout the Holocene journal January 2013
Predictability of SST in a Stochastic Climate Model and Its Application to the Kuroshio Extension Region journal January 2003
Decadal-scale regime shifts in the large marine ecosystems of the North-east Pacific: a case for historical science journal December 1994
SODA3: A New Ocean Climate Reanalysis journal September 2018
The ECMWF Ocean Analysis System: ORA-S3 journal August 2008
A coupled ocean-atmosphere model of relevance to the ITCZ in the eastern Pacific journal August 1994
The Transient Atmospheric Circulation Response to North Atlantic SST and Sea Ice Anomalies journal September 2007
Decadal-scale variability in the Kuroshio marine ecosystem in winter journal September 2003
Linkages between the North Pacific Oscillation and central tropical Pacific SSTs at low frequencies journal December 2011

Cited By (1)

Empirical Evidence Linking the Pacific Decadal Precession to Kuroshio Extension Variability journal December 2019

Figures / Tables (6)