Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
10:28
Investigating the Relationship between Sea Surface Chlorophyll and Major Features of the South China Sea with Satellite Information
Published on: June 13, 2020
The ENSO signal in the stratosphere
Natalia Calvo1, Ricardo García-Herrera, Rolando R Garcia
1National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Division, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA. calvo@ucar.edu
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|December 17, 2008
Summary
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences the stratosphere by upwardly propagating Rossby waves. This phenomenon is observed as warmer temperatures and weaker winds at polar latitudes during Northern Hemisphere winters.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Climate Dynamics
- Stratospheric Physics
Background:
- The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a significant climate pattern originating in the troposphere.
- Its influence extends into the stratosphere, but studying this has been challenging due to limited high-altitude data and complex atmospheric variability.
- Previous research and climate models suggest ENSO signals propagate upward into the stratosphere.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on ENSO's stratospheric effects.
- To illustrate the propagation mechanisms of ENSO signals into the stratosphere using a climate model.
- To analyze how ENSO impacts stratospheric temperatures and winds.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of ENSO's stratospheric impacts.
- Analysis of simulation results from the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM).
- Investigation of large-scale Rossby wave propagation and interaction with zonal mean winds.
Main Results:
- ENSO signals propagate upward to approximately 40 km altitude via large-scale Rossby waves.
- Wave propagation is significantly modulated by zonal mean zonal winds.
- During boreal winters of strong El Niño events, polar stratospheric temperatures are warmer with weaker winds.
Conclusions:
- ENSO's stratospheric effects are driven by upward-propagating Rossby waves influenced by winds.
- The observed stratospheric signal, particularly at polar latitudes during winter, is linked to intensified stratospheric meridional circulation.
- This circulation is forced by anomalous Rossby wave propagation and dissipation during strong ENSO events.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:39Emission Spectra
When solids, liquids, or condensed gases are heated sufficiently, they radiate some of the excess energy as light. Photons produced in this manner have a range of energies, and thereby produce a continuous spectrum in which an unbroken series of wavelengths is present.
01:06Nuclear Overhauser Enhancement (NOE)
Irradiation of a spin-active nucleus causes an increase or decrease in the signal intensity of neighboring nuclei that are not necessarily chemically bonded or involved in J-coupling. This phenomenon, called the nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE), results from through-space interactions between the nuclear spins. The NOE effect decreases with increasing internuclear distance and is generally not observed beyond 4 angstroms. In NOE, dipole-dipole interactions between neighboring spin-active...
01:12Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Mass Spectrometry
Higher molecular weight biomolecules are nonvolatile compounds that may decompose before ionizing or vaporizing during mass analysis with conventional electron impact ionization methods. Accordingly, electrospray ionization (ESI) is the favored method for vaporizing and ionizing biomolecules as it circumvents rapid fragmentation and enables the recording of mass signals for the entire biomolecule.
ESI utilizes electrical energy to transfer ions from the liquid phase of the sample into the...
ESI utilizes electrical energy to transfer ions from the liquid phase of the sample into the...
01:18Variation of Atmospheric Pressure
Change in atmospheric pressure with height is particularly interesting. The decrease in atmospheric pressure with increasing altitude is due to the decreasing gravitational force per unit area as we move away from the surface of the earth.
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
03:40Hess's Law
There are two ways to determine the amount of heat involved in a chemical change: measure it experimentally, or calculate it from other experimentally determined enthalpy changes. Some reactions are difficult, if not impossible, to investigate and make accurate measurements for experimentally. And even when a reaction is not hard to perform or measure, it is convenient to be able to determine the heat involved in a reaction without having to perform an experiment.
01:30Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Interference
In atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), high-temperature atomizers excite a broad range of elements and molecules that generate complex emissions from sources such as oxides, hydroxides, and flame combustion products in the flame or plasma. Several strategies can be employed to minimize spectral interferences caused by overlapping emission lines or bands. These include increasing instrument resolution, choosing alternative emission lines, optimally placing the detector in low-background regions,...