Pantropical Response to Global Warming and the Emergence of a La Niña-Like Mean State Trend

Abstract

A recent study by Zhang et al. (2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL084088) proposes “an interbasin ocean thermostat mechanism” to support the hypothesis that enhanced Indian Ocean warming during the past century has reduced the Pacific warming response to increasing greenhouse gases. In this commentary, we review the proposed mechanism in a broader perspective and discuss a potential role of Atlantic Ocean in modulating the future Pacific warming response to emphasize the interactive response of the pantropical atmosphere-ocean to increasing greenhouse gases.