Asymmetric impact of the North and South Pacific on the equator in a coupled climate model

Abstract

Relative contributions of the North and South Pacific to the equatorial ocean are estimated in a coupled climate model. Idealized experiments show that the South Pacific contributes 30-50% more than the North Pacific to the equatorial ocean temperature change, because the warming in the North Pacific can induce an additional cold Rossby wave at around 20°N that tends to block the warm effect from the central North Pacific, while the South Pacific influence can be easily convoyed to the equator through the interior pathway. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.