Unstable Air-Sea Interactions in the Tropics

Abstract

During El Niño Southern Oscillation events modest anomalies amplify spatially and temporally until the entire tropical Pacific Ocean and the global atmospheric circulation are affected. Unstable interactions between the ocean and atmosphere could cause this amplification when the release of latent heat by the ocean affects the atmosphere in such a manner that the altered surface winds induce the further release of latent heat. Coupled shallow water models are used to simulate this instability which is modulated by the seasonal movements of the atmospheric convergence zones.