12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
[ACG38-12] Amplified El Niño-induced Global SST Variability in a Warming World
★Invited Papers
Keywords:El Nino, SST variability, Global Warming, Teleconnection
El Niño-Southern Oscillation is a prominent interannual climate variability with global implications that exerts a significant influence on remote regions. In a warmer climate, sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are expected to increase in an El Niño-like pattern, altering the characteristics of El Niño and its associated teleconnections. Understanding how these teleconnections might evolve in a future climate is crucial to understanding future interannual climate patterns. In this study, we show the changes in the relationship between El Niño and global sea surface temperature. Using fully coupled models, we found a significant enhancement of the sea surface temperature response to El Niño globally, which is attributed to the changes in the El Niño-induced surface latent heat flux and climatological air-sea humidity difference. The enlarged El Niño-induced anomalous atmospheric circulation indicates an intensified wind-evaporation relationship. Furthermore, the air-sea humidity difference is much stronger compared to present climate, implying that the evaporation becomes more sensitive to wind speed. Our results suggest that El Niño can have a greater global influence in the future through its teleconnection.