Impact of El Niño–Southern Oscillation on Global Vegetation

Abstract

El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), as the strongest source of interannual variability in the tropics, has far-reaching impacts on global climate through teleconnections. As a key factor modulating the vegetation changes, the impact of ENSO has been studied over the past two decades using satellite observations. The paper aims to review results from the past 10–20 years and put together into a consistent picture of ENSO global impacts on vegetation. While ENSO affects vegetation worldwide, its impact varies regionally. Different ENSO flavors, Central Pacific and Eastern Pacific events, can have distinct impacts in the same regions. The underlying mechanisms involve ENSO-driven changes in precipitation and temperature, modulated by the background climate states, with varying response from vegetations of different types. However, the interactions between vegetation and ENSO remain largely unexplored, highlighting a critical gap for future research.