Teleconnection Patterns of Different El Nino Types Revealed by Climate Network Curvature

The diversity of El Nino events is commonly described by two distinct flavors, the Eastern Pacific (EP) and Central Pacific (CP) type. While the remote impacts, that is, teleconnections, of EP and CP events have been studied for different regions individually, a global picture of their structure is still lacking. Here, we use Forman-Ricci curvature applied on climate networks constructed from surface air temperature data to distinguish regional links from teleconnections. Our results confirm that both El Nino types influence the teleconnection patterns, however, with different spatial manifestations. Our analysis suggests that EP El Ninos alter the general circulation which changes the teleconnection structure to primarily tropical teleconnections. In contrast, the teleconnection pattern of CP El Ninos show only subtle changes to normal conditions. Moreover, this work identifies the dynamics of the Eastern Pacific as a proxy for the remote impact of both El Nino types.

Automated summary

This study uses surface air temperature data to construct climate networks of El Nino events and applies Forman-Ricci curvature to distinguish regional links from teleconnections. The results show that both EP and CP types of El Nino influence teleconnection patterns, but with different spatial manifestations. EP El Ninos alter the general circulation and result in primarily tropical teleconnections, while CP El Ninos show only subtle changes to normal conditions.