Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 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
6.4K
Enhanced biennial variability in the Pacific due to Atlantic capacitor effect
Lei Wang1,2, Jin-Yi Yu1, Houk Paek1
1Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
Nature Communications
|March 21, 2017
Summary
The Atlantic Ocean acts as a pacemaker for Pacific climate patterns like El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This Atlantic capacitor effect drives biennial climate variability, potentially increasing severe weather events.
Area of Science:
- Climate Science
- Oceanography
- Atmospheric Science
Background:
- El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific subtropical highs (PSHs) significantly impact global social and ecological systems.
- Understanding the drivers of biennial climate variability in the Pacific is crucial for predicting natural hazard events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and explain the Atlantic capacitor effect mechanism.
- To demonstrate the Atlantic's role as a pacemaker for biennial variability in Pacific climate phenomena, including ENSO and PSHs.
Main Methods:
- The study presents a conceptual mechanism involving atmospheric and oceanic teleconnections.
- It analyzes the interplay between North Tropical Atlantic (NTA) sea surface temperature (SST) and Pacific climate variability.
Main Results:
- An 'Atlantic capacitor effect' is proposed, where the Atlantic Ocean influences biennial climate cycles in the Pacific.
- This mechanism involves a 'charging' phase (ENSO influencing NTA SST) and a 'discharging' phase (NTA SST influencing subsequent ENSO).
- Since the early 1990s, a warmer Atlantic has enhanced this biennial variability, potentially increasing severe natural hazard occurrences.
Conclusions:
- The Atlantic Ocean plays a key role in pacing biennial climate variability in the Pacific.
- Enhanced Atlantic influence, driven by climate change and natural oscillations, may lead to more frequent severe weather events in the Pacific region.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:22Intensity Of Electromagnetic Waves
6.0K
The energy transport per unit area per unit time, or the Poynting vector, gives the energy flux of an electromagnetic wave at any specific time. For a plane electromagnetic wave with E0 and B0 as the peak electric and magnetic fields and traveling along the x-axis, the time-varying energy flux can be given by the following equation:
6.0K
01:50Global Climate Change
29.2K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
29.2K
01:16What is Climate?
21.1K
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
21.1K
01:28Magnetostatic Boundary Conditions
1.7K
An electric field suffers a discontinuity at a surface charge. Similarly, a magnetic field is discontinuous at a surface current. The perpendicular component of a magnetic field is continuous across the interface of two magnetic mediums. In contrast, its parallel component, perpendicular to the current, is discontinuous by the amount equal to the product of the vacuum permeability and the surface current. Like the scalar potential in electrostatics, the vector potential is also continuous...
1.7K
01:10Energy Stored in Capacitors
1.2K
A parallel plate capacitor, when connected to a battery, develops a potential difference across its plates. This potential difference is key to the operation of the capacitor, as it determines how much electrical energy the capacitor can store.
By integrating the equation that relates voltage and current in a capacitor, one can derive an equation for the voltage across the capacitor at any given time. This equation is crucial in understanding and predicting the behavior of capacitors in...
By integrating the equation that relates voltage and current in a capacitor, one can derive an equation for the voltage across the capacitor at any given time. This equation is crucial in understanding and predicting the behavior of capacitors in...
1.2K
01:18Boundary Layer Characteristics
727
When a fluid encounters a solid surface, a boundary layer forms due to the interaction between the fluid's motion and the stationary surface. This phenomenon is characterized by a thin region adjacent to the surface where viscous forces dominate, influencing the fluid's velocity profile. The development of the boundary layer begins at the leading edge of the surface and evolves as the fluid moves downstream.As the fluid flows over the surface, friction between the fluid and the wall slows down...
727