Remote influence of North Atlantic SST on the equatorial westerly wind anomalies in the western Pacific for initiating an El Nino event: an Atmospheric General Circulation Model Study

This article uses an atmospheric general circulation model to show that the cooler North Atlantic sea surface temperature anomalies in summer can produce a Rossby wave-like teleconnection pattern strengthening the Siberian High in winter and next spring. The stronger Siberian High enhances the continent northerlies over East Asia and the associated cyclonic circulation over the western North Pacific, which provides a tropical westerly background for occurrence of the westerly wind bursts. The stronger northerlies over East Asia can also induce frequent cold surges, which tend to produce the equatorial westerly wind anomalies in the western Pacific for initiating an El Nino event. Copyright. (C) 2013 Royal Meteorological Society