Abstract
Abstract Changes in the tropical oceans caused by a shift of 6 months in the date of perihelion are examined using a coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model (GCM). The changes in the annual cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) near the equator are described, and the mechanism for the changes is diagnosed. The GCM results are diagnosed using the ocean component model forced by the time mean fluxes from the coupled integration. This diagnosis shows that the changes in the annual cycle of near-equatorial SST are caused by different mechanisms in different regions. An extensive analysis of the changes in the eastern Pacific is given because of the importance of this region in modulating the global climate through teleconnections associated with ENSO. In the eastern Pacific, the change in the annual cycle of SST is found to be primarily due to zonal wind stress differences. The zonal wind stress differences are caused for the most part by changes in the precipitation distribution. The changes in t...
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