Atmospheric Circulation Cells Associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation

Abstract

Atmospheric circulation cells associated with the El Niño?Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are described and examined using the NCEP?NCAR reanalysis field and the NCEP sea surface temperature (SST) from January 1950 to December 1999. The divergent wind and pressure vertical velocity are employed for the identification of atmospheric circulation cells. The warm phase of ENSO shows positive SST anomalies in the equatorial eastern Pacific and along the east coast of Asia and the west coast of North America, and negative SST anomalies in the off-equatorial western Pacific and in the central North Pacific. Associated with this SST anomaly distribution are variations of atmospheric zonal and meridional circulation cells over the Pacific. The equatorial zonal Walker circulation cell is weakened, consistent with previous schematic diagrams. The anomalous meridional Hadley circulation cell in the eastern Pacific shows the air rising in the Tropics, flowing poleward in the upper troposphere, sinking in the subtropics, and returning back to the Tropics in the lower troposphere. The anomalous Hadley cell in the western Pacific is opposite to that in the eastern Pacific. The divergent wind and vertical velocity also show a midlatitude zonal cell (MZC) over the North Pacific. The mean MZC is characterized by the air rising in the central North Pacific, flowing westward and eastward in the upper troposphere, descending in the east coast of Asia and the west coast of North America, then returning back to the central North Pacific in the lower troposphere. The anomalous MZC during the mature phase of El Niño shows an opposite rotation to the mean MZC, indicating a weakening of the MZC.