The Role of Ocean in the Response of Tropical Climatology to Global Warming: The West–East SST Contrast

Abstract

A theory of tropical climatology is used to study the role of ocean in the response of tropical climatology to global warming. Special emphasis is given to the response of the west?east SST contrast along the equator. The transient response of tropical sea surface temperature to a global warming is shown to have two distinctive stages: a fast surface adjustment stage of years and a slow thermocline adjustment stage of decades. Under a global warming heat flux that does not vary much in space, the initial response is always an enhanced west?east SST contrast. The final equilibrium response, however, depends on the effective latitudinal differential heating. The west?east SST contrast increases for an enhanced latitudinal differential heating, and vise versa.