Influence of the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation on SST Fronts Along the West Coasts of North and South America

Abstract

Along the west coasts of North, Central, and South America, sea surface temperature (SST) fronts are important for circulation dynamics and promoting biological activity. Prevailing equatorward winds during summer results in offshore Ekman transport and upwelling along the coast, where fronts often form between cold, upwelled water and warmer offshore waters. The interannual variability in winds, coastal upwelling, sea level anomalies, and SST in these regions have been linked to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), however SST fronts have received less attention. Here, we investigate the interannual variability of SST fronts off North, Central, and South America using satellite SST data spanning 1982-2018. Anomalies of fronts within 0-300km offshore indicate interannual variability that coincides with ENSO events in most regions. Frontal activity generally decreases during El Niño events and increases during La Niña events. The decrease in fronts off Peru and Chile during El Niño coincides with the seasonal peak in frontal activity, while off the United States the decrease occurs when frontal activity is at a seasonal minimum. We also utilized satellite measurements of wind stress and sea level anomaly to investigate how ENSO oceanic and atmospheric forcing mechanisms affect frontal activity. Decreases in frontal activity during El Niño events are largely due to oceanic forcing (i.e., coastal Kelvin waves) off Central and South America and to both oceanic forcing and atmospheric teleconnections off the United States. This study furthers our understanding of the influence of ENSO on coastal upwelling regions in the eastern Pacific Ocean.