Phase Synchronization of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation with the Annual Cycle
Abstract
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the largest global climate signal on the interannual time scale. ENSO events occur irregularly, yet individual events follow a similar pattern of developing during boreal summer or fall and peaking during boreal winter. This characteristic of ENSO is often referred to as "phase locking" of ENSO with the annual cycle. However, no observational evidence of phase interaction between the two phenomena has thus far been presented. In this study, we analyze sea surface temperature observations and find the first evidence of partial phase synchronization of ENSO with the annual cycle.
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Although not strictly phase-locked to the annual cycle, there is an observed tendency for the warm ENSO phase in the Pacific to develop in Boreal summer or autumn and peak in boreal winter.
“Although not strictly phase-locked to the annual cycle, there is an observed tendency for the warm ENSO phase in the Pacific to develop in Boreal summer or autumn and peak in boreal winter63–65.”
From Tendencies, variability and persistence of sea surface temperature anomalies (2020) · cites this paper as [63]
El Nino tends to be a single-year event, with equatorial Pacific SST anomalies decaying in boreal spring (March to May).
“El Nino tends to be a single-year event, with equatorial Pacific SST anomalies decaying in boreal spring (March to May)55,63,65.”
From Tendencies, variability and persistence of sea surface temperature anomalies (2020) · cites this paper as [63]
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Tendencies, variability and persistence of sea surface temperature anomalies
Bulgin, C. E., Merchant, C. J., & Ferreira, D. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-64785-9 · Cited by 150 · see citing works
- Authors
- Stein, K., Timmermann, A., & Schneider, N.
- Affiliations
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
- Venue
- Physical Review Letters
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Published
- 2011-09-13
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 128501-128501
- ISSN
- 0031-9007 (ISSN-L)
- 1079-7114
- OpenAlex
- W2033671206
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 4.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Physical Review Letters (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
- Keywords
- ENSO, annual cycle, phase synchronization, phase locking, sea surface temperature, interannual climate variability
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