ENSO diversity explains interannual variability of the pattern effect
Author(s)
Guillaume-Castel, Robin
Ceppi, Paulo
Dorrington, Joshua
Meyssignac, Benoit
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The spatial pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) affects the global radiative budget through the “pattern effect.” While previous studies highlighted the role of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in unforced pattern effect, a systematic assessment of the dominant modes of SST variability for the top of atmosphere energy budget has been lacking. Using Partial Least Squares Regression, we identify Eastern Pacific and Modoki ENSO as the two leading modes most relevant to the pattern effect at interannual timescales. These ENSO variants exhibit distinct radiative signatures due to subtle shifts in the location of SST anomalies relative to the climatological warm pool. Furthermore, analysis of individual ENSO events indicates that each event has a unique radiative signature depending on its evolving spatial structure. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for ENSO diversity to accurately understand how modes of SST variability influence the global energy budget.
Date Issued
2025-10-28
Date Acceptance
2025-09-22
Citation
Geophysical Research Letters, 2025, 52 (20)
ISSN
0094-8276
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
Geophysical Research Letters
Volume
52
Issue
20
Copyright Statement
© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Subjects
CLIMATE SENSITIVITY
DEPENDENCE
El Nino southern oscillation
Geology
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
GLOBAL CLOUD
global energy budget
GREENS-FUNCTION APPROACH
interannual variability
PACIFIC
pattern effect
Physical Sciences
RADIATIVE FEEDBACKS
Science & Technology
sea surface temperature
SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURE
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e2025GL116952
Date Publish Online
2025-10-16