Diversity of La Niña onset
Abstract Three La Niña onset types were identified by the K-means cluster analysis of equatorial sea surface temperature anomaly evolutions during the past 111 years (1910–2020). The first type is characterized by a slow basin-wide transition from a neutral year to La Niña, driven by tropical North...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01141-6 |
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| author | Xiao Pan Tim Li |
| author_facet | Xiao Pan Tim Li |
| author_sort | Xiao Pan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Three La Niña onset types were identified by the K-means cluster analysis of equatorial sea surface temperature anomaly evolutions during the past 111 years (1910–2020). The first type is characterized by a slow basin-wide transition from a neutral year to La Niña, driven by tropical North Atlantic (TNA) warming, which induced anomalous easterlies in the equatorial western Pacific through atmospheric Kelvin wave responses. The easterly anomalies initiate a cooling by triggering upwelling oceanic Kelvin waves, shoaling the thermocline, and strengthening the westward zonal currents. The second and third types are a transition from a central Pacific (CP) and a super eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño to La Niña. The former is attributed to the CP El $${\rm{Ni}}\tilde{{\rm{n}}}{\rm{o}}$$ Ni n ̃ o induced anomalous easterlies in EP that strengthened local surface latent heat flux and anomalous upwelling, whereas the latter is attributed to a substantially shoaling of ocean thermocline associated with the discharge of the preceding super El $${\rm{Ni}}\tilde{{\rm{n}}}{\rm{o}}$$ Ni n ̃ o . These characteristics differentiate diversified types of La Niña onset. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2397-3722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-b8ca87bc520b4f2e9d09503fa0aeae8e2025-08-20T03:45:51ZengNature Portfolionpj Climate and Atmospheric Science2397-37222025-07-018111010.1038/s41612-025-01141-6Diversity of La Niña onsetXiao Pan0Tim Li1Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean University of ChinaDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at ManoaAbstract Three La Niña onset types were identified by the K-means cluster analysis of equatorial sea surface temperature anomaly evolutions during the past 111 years (1910–2020). The first type is characterized by a slow basin-wide transition from a neutral year to La Niña, driven by tropical North Atlantic (TNA) warming, which induced anomalous easterlies in the equatorial western Pacific through atmospheric Kelvin wave responses. The easterly anomalies initiate a cooling by triggering upwelling oceanic Kelvin waves, shoaling the thermocline, and strengthening the westward zonal currents. The second and third types are a transition from a central Pacific (CP) and a super eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño to La Niña. The former is attributed to the CP El $${\rm{Ni}}\tilde{{\rm{n}}}{\rm{o}}$$ Ni n ̃ o induced anomalous easterlies in EP that strengthened local surface latent heat flux and anomalous upwelling, whereas the latter is attributed to a substantially shoaling of ocean thermocline associated with the discharge of the preceding super El $${\rm{Ni}}\tilde{{\rm{n}}}{\rm{o}}$$ Ni n ̃ o . These characteristics differentiate diversified types of La Niña onset.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01141-6 |
| spellingShingle | Xiao Pan Tim Li Diversity of La Niña onset npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| title | Diversity of La Niña onset |
| title_full | Diversity of La Niña onset |
| title_fullStr | Diversity of La Niña onset |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diversity of La Niña onset |
| title_short | Diversity of La Niña onset |
| title_sort | diversity of la nina onset |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01141-6 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiaopan diversityoflaninaonset AT timli diversityoflaninaonset |