Intraseasonal variability of sea surface temperature over the tropical western Pacific

Abstract

The sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical western Pacific displays a marked intraseasonal (30-60 days) variability and fluctuates, exhibiting a coupling with tropical convective activity on the same time scale with a phase difference of 10-20 days. The SSTs are above normal to the east of the eastward-propagating 30-60 day mode disturbances. An air-sea feedback system appears to be rather significant for the 30-60 day oscillation. It was also found that the air-sea coupling, with a phase difference on the 30-60 day time scale, was weak over the tropical western Pacific during the northern summer of 1981, the year preceding the ENSO event of 1982/83.