Date:
Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 12:00pm
Location:
Haller Hall 102 Geology Museum 102)
Professor Emeritus, Department of Atmospheric Sciences
University of Washington
University of Washington
The Atmospheric signature of ENSO
The signature of ENSO provides textbook examples of some of the processes that shape the atmospheric general circulation. Research of Sir Gilbert Walker a century ago and Jacob Bjerknes 50 years ago were instrumental drawing attention to this remarkable phenomenon. With the benefit of state-of-the art global reanalysis datasets, we are in a position define and diagnose it with an unprecedented level of confidence and clarity. I will touch on two examples:(1) the axisymmetric signature, marked by fluctuations in atmospheric angular momentum and tropical tropospheric temperature, and (2) the anomalous planetary wave signature that develops in response to SST anomalies in the tropical Pacific. In both cases I will describe the features of interest,offer a dynamical interpretation, and attempt to generalize the results to achieve a broader understanding of the atmospheric general circulation.