The strength and duration of an El Niсo event are generally thought to depend on changes in subtropical overturning cells (STCs), in which water subducts into the subtropics, flows to the equator, upwells, and returns poleward along the surface.
Important mechanisms by which heat and salt are transferred meridionally in the ocean, STCs are well studied in the Pacific Ocean north of the equator. Noting the paucity of data in the southern Pacific Ocean, Qu et al. analyze data collected from the recent deployments of the Argo observation system, a worldwide network of small, drifting oceanic probes. Through high-resolution conductivity-temperature-depth profiles, the authors calculate the rate at which water sinks in the southern Pacific Ocean. Further analyses show that the southern STCs contribute more significantly than previously recognized to the formation of water layers in the equatorial Pacific. The authors expect that future study of South Pacific STCs will reveal the degree to which eddies and larger oceanic vortices strengthen or weaken STC cycles, and how such strengthening or weakening influences El Niсo events.-American Geophysical Union
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
