The researchers found that nonlinear energy processes played a crucial role in shaping the zonal asymmetry observed in ENSO-induced Pacific-North American wave patterns, which challenges traditional linear frameworks.
The researchers found that ENSO triggered a complex interplay of zonally symmetric and asymmetric responses within the atmosphere, ultimately affecting the positioning of Pacific-North American teleconnections. The nonlinear energy advection processes drive contrasting energy advection modes during El Niño and La Niña events, leading to variations in the zonal position of the Pacific-North American pattern.
The team's findings have been successfully reproduced and confirmed in model experiments of varying complexity, verifying the significance of nonlinear energy processes in shaping ENSO-induced teleconnections. This study sheds new light on intricate mechanisms in ENSO-induced teleconnections, and emphasizes the need to consider nonlinear energy processes in climate research.Ya Wang et al, The Role of Nonlinear Energy Advection in Forming Asymmetric Structure of ENSO Teleconnections Over the North Pacific and North America,