Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Evaporative cooling of the western equatorial Pacific Ocean by anomalous winds

Nature volume 323, pages 523–526 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

Global climate anomalies during El Niñe/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episodes are controlled by anomalous patterns of sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean1–3. Many studies during the past decade have indicated that warming of the eastern Pacific is caused by advection and downwelling associated with anomalous eastward currents1–6. Cooling of the western Pacific is probably not caused by an analogous process because zonal temperature gradients are small west of the dateline. We have searched for an explanation of the cooling because relatively small temperature changes in the west can be important in influencing the atmospheric general circulation3,7,8. Here we compare oceanic heat storage observed by expendable bathythermographs during 1979–83 with local processes in the heat budget, including various surface fluxes and mixing. The results show that cooling during 1982–83 was caused by evaporation due to anomalous meridional wind. The anomalous wind field in the region had been noted earlier by Harrison9.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gill, A. E. & Rasmusson, E. M. Nature 306, 229–234 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Cane, M. G. Science 222, 1189–1194 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Nicholls, N. Nature 307, 576–577 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wyrtki, K. J. geophys. Res. 90, 7129–7132 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Busalacchi, A. J., Takeuchi, K. & O'Brien, J. J. J. geophys. Res. 88, 7551–7562 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Harrison, D. E. & Schopf, P. S. Mon. Weath. Rev. 112, 923–933 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Palmer, T. N. & Mansfield, D. A. Nature 310, 483–485 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Simmons, A. J. Q. J. R. met. Soc. 108, 503–534 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Harrison, D. E. Science 224, 1099–1102 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Meyers, G. & Donguy, J. R. Nature 312, 258–260 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. McPhaden, M. J. J. mar. Res. 40, 403–419 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Stevenson, J. W. & Niiler, P. P. J. phys. Oceanogr. 13, 1894–1907 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Reed, R. K. J. geophys. Res. 88, 9627–9638 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Meyers, G. J. phys. Oceanogr. 12, 1161–1168 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Lorenz, E. N. Empirical Orthogonal Functions and Statistical Weather Prediction (Science Rep. No. 1, Statistical Forcasting Project, MIT Department of Meteorology, Cambridge, 1956).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Legler, D. M. & O'Brien, J. J. Atlas of Tropical Pacific Wind-Stress Climatology 1971-80 (Department of Meteorology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Leetma, A. & Wittee, J. (eds) El Niño Atlas 1982-83 (Nova University Oceanographic Center Dania, 7L 33004, 1984).

  18. Arkin, P. A., Kopman, J. D. & Reynolds, R. W. 1982-1983 El Niño/Southern Oscillation Event Quick Look Atlas (NOAA National Weather Service, Washington DC, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Hasselmann, K. Tellus 28, 473–485 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Nicholls, H. Mon. Weath. Rev. 112, 424–432 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Philander, S. G. H. & Seigel, A. D. Proc. 16th int. Liege Colloq. on Ocean Hydrodynamics (ed. Nihoul, J.) (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1985).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO Division of Oceanography, Castray Espanade, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia

    G. Meyers

  2. ORSTOM Groupe SURTROPAC, BP A5, Noumea, New Caledonia

    J. R. Donguy

  3. NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Seattle, Washington, 98115, USA

    R. K. Reed

Authors
  1. G. Meyers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. R. Donguy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. K. Reed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Meyers, G., Donguy, J. & Reed, R. Evaporative cooling of the western equatorial Pacific Ocean by anomalous winds. Nature 323, 523–526 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/323523a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/323523a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing