On the Ningaloo Niño/Niña

Abstract

Using both observational and reanalysis data, evolution processes of a regional climate phenomenon off Western Australia named recently “Ningaloo Nino (Nina)” are studied in detail. It is also shown that the Ningaloo Nino (Nina) has significant impacts on the precipitation over Australia. The Ningaloo Nino (Nina), which is associated with positive (negative) sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies and atmospheric anomalies off the western coast of Australia, peaks during austral summer and is classified into two types based on the difference in the evolution process. The first type called a locally amplified mode develops through an intrinsic unstable air–sea interaction off the western coast of Australia; an anomalous cyclone (anticyclone) generated by positive (negative) SST anomalies forces northerly (southerly) alongshore wind anomalies, which induce coastal downwelling (upwelling) anomalies, and enhance the positive (negative) SST anomalies further. The second type called a non-locally amplified mode is associated with coastally trapped waves originating in either the western tropical Pacific, mostly related to El Nino/Southern Oscillation, or the northern coast of Australia. Positive (negative) SST anomalies in both modes are associated with an anomalous low (high) off the western coast of Australia. The sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies in the locally amplified mode are regionally confined with a cell-like pattern and produce a sharp offshore pressure gradient along the western coast of Australia, whereas those in the non-locally amplified mode tend to show a zonally elongated pattern. The difference is found to be related to conditions of the continental SLP modulated by the Australian summer monsoon and/or the Southern Annular Mode.