Abstract
Abstract The relationships between the patterns of monthly sea surface temperature (SST) variations and those of precipitation in the tropical Pacific Ocean region are examined. The rainfall data utilized are derived from satellite observations of outgoing longwave radiation. A composite empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of the SST and precipitation indicates a dominant mode of variation linking SST variations in the eastern equatorial region with those of MNWI about 30° westward. One-point correlation analyses show that this general relationship is present for all points in the eastern and central ocean, but that no significant SST-rainfall correlations are evident for SST points wen of about the dateline. The one-point correlation analyses also suggest that during time periods outside of El Nin's, the rainfall response to SST changes is largely confined to the areas of climatological precipitation maxima, suggesting only a minor alteration in the large-scale circulation. On the other hand, du...
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