title: Palaeoclimate reconstructions reveal a strong link between El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Tropical Pacific mean state.
abstract: The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is one of the most important components of the global climate system, but its potential response to an anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO2 remains largely unknown. One of the major limitations in ENSO prediction is our poor understanding of the relationship between ENSO variability and long-term changes in Tropical Pacific oceanography. Here we investigate this relationship using palaeorecords derived from the geochemistry of planktonic foraminifera. Our results indicate a strong negative correlation between ENSO variability and zonal gradient of sea-surface temperatures across the Tropical Pacific during the last 22 ky. This strong correlation implies a mechanistic link that tightly couples zonal sea-surface temperature gradient and ENSO variability during large climate changes and provides a unique insight into potential ENSO evolution in the future by suggesting enhanced ENSO variability under a global warming scenario.
authors.affiliation: 1] School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK [2] Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK.
authors.forename: Aleksey Yu
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Sadekov
authors.forename: Raja
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ganeshram
authors.forename: Laetitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pichevin
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berdin
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McClymont
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elderfield
authors.forename: Alexander W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Tudhope
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D059000:El Nino-Southern Oscillation; D005843:Geography; D057232:Global Warming; D009791:Oceanography / Q000379:methods; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010933:Plankton / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater; D013696:Temperature; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014872:Water Movements; D014887:Weather
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide