Ningaloo Niño simulated in the CMIP5 models

Abstract

The ability of coupled general circulation models (CGCMs) to simulate a newly-discovered climate mode called Ningaloo Nino/Nina is examined using outputs from 17 CGCMs that participated in the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project, phase 5. It is shown that 8 out of 17 models reproduce sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with Ningaloo Nino/Nina with a pattern correlation coefficient of 0.7 or higher, but the location of peak SST anomalies is very different from the observation in 2 models. Also, fundamental features such as the seasonality and associated anomalous atmospheric circulation and precipitation are fairly well reproduced in most models, but the amplitude varies significantly among the models. The inter-model difference in the amplitude is found to be mainly due to that in the magnitude of remote influences from the El Nino-Southern Oscillation via oceanic and atmospheric teleconnections. On the other hand, the strength of local air-sea interaction does not contribute much to the inter-model difference. This study may pave the way for an improved representation of Ningaloo Nino/Nina in CGCMs.