The oceanic zone of convergence on the eastern edge of the Pacific warm pool: A synthesis of results and implications for El Niño‐Southern Oscillation and biogeochemical phenomena

ENSO stability in coupled climate models and its association with mean state

“…Similar findings were derived from different time periods of SSS (e.g., Delcroix and Picaut 1998;Picaut et al 2001;Singh et al 2011 and references therein). These SSS indices vary consistently with the existing indices of El Niño, including the atmospheric Southern Oscillation index (SOI) and the oceanic Niño-3, Niño-3.4, and Niño-4 SST indices (e.g., Rasmusson and Carpenter 1982;Trenberth 1997).…”

“…Though not well defined in sea surface temperature (SST), the eastern edge of the western Pacific warm pool is characterized by a sharp sea surface salinity (SSS) front, which separates the fresh western Pacific water from relatively salty central Pacific water. The SSS gradient associated with this SSS front varies from year to year and can sometimes reach as large as 1 psu in 1°longitude (e.g., Kuroda and McPhaden 1993;Donguy 1994;Eldin et al 1997;Delcroix 1998;Picaut et al 2001;Delcroix and McPhaden 2002;Maes et al 2004).…”

Seasonal to decadal variations of sea surface pCO2 and sea‐air CO2 flux in the equatorial oceans over 1984–2013: A basin‐scale comparison of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

“…The equatorial Pacific is characterized by two distinct regions: the upwelling region in the central and eastern Pacific and the warm pool to the west, which are separated by a front [Le Borgne et al, 2002;Picaut et al, 2001], whereas the equatorial Atlantic is fairly narrow in its zonal extent with a distinct seasonal upwelling in the east and warmer SSTs in the west but with a fairly weak zonal contrast [e.g., Signorini et al, 1999]. Our model simulations show some degree of similarity in the surface DIC in both the equatorial Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, e.g., higher DIC concentration to the south than to the north due to the clear asymmetry in upwelling which is much more pronounced to the south.…”

ENSO indices from sea surface salinity observed by Aquarius and Argo

“…Though not well defined in sea surface temperature (SST), the eastern edge of the western Pacific warm pool is characterized by a sharp sea surface salinity (SSS) front, which separates the fresh western Pacific water from relatively salty central Pacific water. The SSS gradient associated with this SSS front varies from year to year and can sometimes reach as large as 1 psu in 1°longitude (e.g., Kuroda and McPhaden 1993;Donguy 1994;Eldin et al 1997;Delcroix 1998;Picaut et al 2001;Delcroix and McPhaden 2002;Maes et al 2004).…”