Global Atmospheric Circulation Research Articles

Heterogenous westerly shifts linked to Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdowns

The mid-latitude westerly winds are a major component of the global atmospheric circulation and a dominant factor in mid-latitude climate change. Understanding their behaviour and the controls on their variations under different climate background states is essential for assessing climate system feedback. Here we present a midlatitude North Pacific Ocean aeolian dust record from core NP02 through the last glacial cycle, during which extreme and abrupt climatic oscillations occurred. We find low dust contents during Heinrich stadials 2, 4, 5, and 5a that we attribute using proxy-model comparison to westerly transportation path changes associated with Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) reductions, which caused North Atlantic cooling and modified the westerly wave train pattern, particularly over the Tibetan Plateau. The finding that AMOC variations had significant impacts on the westerlies half-way around the world, through ocean-atmosphere interactions, improves understanding of large-scale westerly sensitivity to different climate states.

Early Paleogene precipitation patterns over East Asia: Was there a monsoon after all?

Early Paleogene latitudinal precipitation gradients and patterns along the Pacific coast of Eurasia are studied in time and space using the Coexistence Approach, for the first time applied on an extensive regional palaeobotanical record. The palaeobotanical data used in this reconstruction are compiled from literature resources on 110 reasonably well-dated floras, including terrestrial deposits of 73 sites located in the Far East of Russia, Eastern Siberia, China, and Japan, and covering the early Palaeocene to early Eocene. Our reconstructions of precipitation for the Pacific side of Eurasia in the early Paleogene demonstrate a clear division (especially pronounced in the early Eocene) into two zones at ca. 50° N palaeolatitude on all precipitation parameters. Our results reveal very weak latitudinal precipitation gradients during the early and late Palaeocene. In the early Eocene, the gradient became more clearly pronounced, and a larger “arid” zone can be distinguished in the mid-latitudes. Our data suggest that in the early Paleogene, the global atmospheric circulation consisted of two well-defined cells, Hadley and Ferrell, while the polar cell was either absent or located over the Arctic Ocean and was very weak. Based on our reconstructions, the records could not be interpreted in terms of a monsoonal type of climate. The regional distribution of hygrophilous and xerophilous taxa in our early Eocene record largely coincides with the reconstructed precipitation pattern and generally corresponds to the distribution of coals and/or oil shales and red beds and/or evaporites, respectively.

Global reorganization of atmospheric circulation during Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles

Ice core records from Greenland provide evidence for multiple abrupt cold-warm-cold events recurring at millennial time scales during the last glacial interval. Although climate variations resembling Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) oscillations have been identified in climate archives across the globe, our understanding of the climate and ecosystem impacts of the Greenland warming events in lower latitudes remains incomplete. Here, we investigate the influence of DO-cold-to-warm transitions on the global atmospheric circulation pattern. We comprehensively analyze δ18O changes during DO transitions in a globally distributed dataset of speleothems and set those in context with simulations of a comprehensive high-resolution climate model featuring internal millennial-scale variations of similar magnitude. Across the globe, speleothem δ18O signals and model results indicate consistent large-scale changes in precipitation amount, moisture source, or seasonality of precipitation associated with the DO transitions, in agreement with northward shifts of the Hadley circulation. Furthermore, we identify a decreasing trend in the amplitude of DO transitions with increasing distances from the North Atlantic region. This provides quantitative observational evidence for previous suggestions of the North Atlantic region being the focal point for these archetypes of past abrupt climate changes.

Parabolic dune distribution, morphology and activity during the last 20 000 years: A global overview

AbstractParabolic dunes form and migrate in almost every climate and geographic zones of the world, ranging from the tropical coastlines to the arid continental deserts. Despite their extensive distribution and their importance within the aeolian sediment landscape, the understanding of their morphological development, activity and link with climates remains somewhat limited to local or regional scales. A good understanding of the present climate conditions under which parabolic dunes are formed and/or reactivated would be significantly helpful to constrain past climate models. Similarly, an improved knowledge of parabolic dunes behaviour during past climatic episodes would provide some valuable long‐term data to better predict their future activity. This review first aims at providing a non‐exhaustive global database on parabolic dune morphology and the present wind regimes with which they are associated. To do so, the morphology of 750 dunes distributed worldwide was first analysed using a high‐resolution global digital elevation model, suggesting an intrinsic relationship between the different measured morphoparameters. The analysis of the associated local wind regimes shows that parabolic dunes develop under strong unidirectional winds, which are more conspicuous in coastal than continental environments. Dunes of different ages are globally aligned with present prevailing winds, which suggests a prevalent control of long‐term global atmospheric circulation on dune orientations. Finally, this study explores the link between parabolic dune activity and climates over the past 20 000 years by reviewing ages from the literature and combining them with the ones compiled in the INQUA Dunes Atlas Chronologic Database. Overall, it appears that changes towards drier conditions have triggered dunes migration during both warm and cold periods of the Last Glacial Maximum, Holocene Climate Optimum, Roman Climate Optimum, Medieval Climate Optimum and Little Ice Age. The present day aeolian activity is predominantly linked with deteriorating environmental conditions caused by human disturbances.

The extreme heat wave in China in August 2022 related to extreme northward movement of the eastern center of SAH

This study reveals the causes of extreme high temperatures in China in August 2022 and the role of South Asian high (SAH) anomaly. The 2022 extreme heat events in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Yangtze River basin (YRB) are the strongest since 1979, accompanied by an anticyclonic anomaly in the northeastern part of the SAH. Six displacement indices of the SAH are defined by taking advantage of the stream function R of horizontal circulation in the three-pattern decomposition of the global atmospheric circulation (3P-DGAC) model, which can effectively remove the systematic errors in geopotential high caused by global warming. The results show an extreme northward shift of the eastern center of SAH occur in August 2022, with correlation coefficients 0.85 and 0.69 with the temperature anomaly indices of TP and YRB regions, respectively, for 1979–2022. In addition to the La Niña event, we find evidence that the soil moisture in the Indo-China Peninsula (ICP) region from January to August 2022 is extremely wet, linked to significant impacts on the northward movement of the eastern center of SAH response to land-air interactions. Further, the 3P-DGAC model helps us to reveal that the extreme northward shift of the eastern center of SAH brings extensive circulation adjustments, in which the local meridional circulation anomaly intensifies the high temperature in the YRB, while the local zonal circulation in the middle latitudes is the main cause of the high temperature in the TP. Meanwhile, the northward shift of the eastern center of SAH pushes the East Asian subtropical westerly jet (EAJ) northeastward, and the convergent downdraft to the right of EAJ exit also further aggravates the summer hot extremes in China in 2022.

Martian dunes indicative of wind regime shift in line with end of ice age

Orbital observations suggest that Mars underwent a recent ‘ice age’ (roughly 0.4–2.1 million years ago), during which a latitude-dependent ice-dust mantle (LDM)1,2 was emplaced. A subsequent decrease in obliquity amplitude resulted in the emergence of an ‘interglacial period’1,3 during which the lowermost latitude LDM ice4–6 was etched and removed, returning it to the polar cap. These observations are consistent with polar cap stratigraphy1,7, but lower- to mid-latitude in situ surface observations in support of a glacial–interglacial transition that can be reconciled with mesoscale and global atmospheric circulation models8 is lacking. Here we present a suite of measurements obtained by the Zhurong rover during its traverse across the southern LDM region in Utopia Planitia, Mars. We find evidence for a stratigraphic sequence involving initial barchan dune formation, indicative of north-easterly winds, cementation of dune sediments, followed by their erosion by north-westerly winds, eroding the barchan dunes and producing distinctive longitudinal dunes, with the transition in wind regime consistent with the end of the ice age. The results are compatible with the Martian polar stratigraphic record and will help improve our understanding of the ancient climate history of Mars9.

ОЦЕНКА ВЛИЯНИЯ КЛИМАТИЧЕСКИХ ФАКТОРОВ НА МЕЖГОДОВУЮ ИЗМЕНЧИВОСТЬ ТЕМПЕРАТУРЫ И СОЛЕНОСТИ ВОДЫ В БАРЕНЦЕВОМ МОРЕ

Based on shipboard measurements taken in 1984-2017, the multiyear variations in the surface water temperature and salinity in the Barents Sea during the spring-summer period are investigated. A regression analysis has found increasing trends for both analyzed parameters, indicating warming processes in the Arctic regions. Application of linear and nonlinear models revealed significant influence of the global atmospheric circulation, the hydrological conditions at the Kola Meridian secular section, and the sea ice cover area on the long-term dynamics of surface temperature and salinity in the Barents Sea. The highest measured values were associated with a positive mode of the North Atlantic Oscillation indices, high water temperatures in the coastal flow of the Murmansk Current, and low sea ice concentrations. Results of the study can be used for further monitoring of the Barents Sea oceanography during the period of global climatic changes.

Temporal and Spatial Variations of Potential and Actual Evapotranspiration and the Driving Mechanism over Equatorial Africa Using Satellite and Reanalysis-Based Observation

This study investigated the actual evapotranspiration (AET) and potential evapotranspiration (PET) seasonality, trends, abrupt changes, and driving mechanisms with global sea surface temperature (SST) and atmospheric circulation patterns over Equatorial Africa (EQA) during 1980–2020. The spatiotemporal characteristics of mean ET were computed based on a 40-year average at annual and seasonal scales. The Mann-Kendall statistical test, the Sen slope test, and the Bayesian test were used to analyze trends and detect abrupt changes. The results showed that the mean annual PET (AET) for 1980–2020 was 110 (70) mm. Seasonal mean PET (AET) values were 112 (72) in summer, 110 (85) in autumn, 109 (84) in winter, and 110 (58) in spring. The MK test showed an increasing (decreasing) rate, and the Sen slope identified upward (downward) at a rate of 0.35 (0.05) mm yr−10. The PET and AET abrupt change points were observed to happen in 1995 and 2000. Both dry and wet regions showed observed weak (strong) correlation coefficient values of 0.3 (0.8) between PET/AET and climate factors, but significant spatiotemporal differences existed. Generally, air temperature, soil moisture, and relative humidity best explain ET dynamics rather than precipitation and wind speed. The regional atmospheric circulation patterns are directly linked to ET but vary significantly in space and time. From a policy perspective, these findings may have implications for future water resource management.

A Shallow-water Model Exploration of Atmospheric Circulation on Sub-Neptunes: Effects of Radiative Forcing and Rotation Period

Sub-Neptune-type exoplanets are abundant in our Galaxy yet have no solar system analogs. They exist in a broad range of stellar forcing and rotational regimes that are distinctly different from solar system planets and more commonly studied hot Jupiters. Here we present simulations that explore global atmospheric circulation of sub-Neptunes generated with a two-dimensional shallow-water model, SWAMPE. We explore the circulation regimes of synchronously rotating sub-Neptunes with a focus on the interaction of planetary rotation rate and radiative timescale in a variety of stellar insolations. In highly irradiated, short-timescale regimes, our models exhibit high day–night geopotential contrasts. As the timescales become longer, the geopotential contrasts and longitudinal variability decrease, while temporal variability increases. The transition from day-to-night flow to jet-dominated flow is primarily driven by the radiative timescale. Strong- and medium-forcing regimes exhibit transitions between day-to-night flow and jet-dominated flow at similar points in the parameter space. The weak-forcing regime differs owing to comparatively stronger rotational effects. Planetary rotation period dominates in determining equator-to-pole geopotential contrast. Our simulations exhibit higher time variability when either radiative timescale or rotation period is long.

Floral response to the Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode

The Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE; ca. 234–232 Ma) was characterized by dramatic global temperature and humidity increases, which in many terrestrial settings was accompanied by changes from arid to humid vegetation types. This study reviews current evidence of terrestrial floral composition and distribution during the CPE and analyzes spatial and temporal variation with relation to potential environmental driving mechanisms. Available evidence suggests the CPE was a globally significant event that triggered significant increases in the abundance of ferns and hygrophytes in terrestrial floras and freshwater algae in fluvial and lacustrine settings. These changes ended a long interval of relatively arid terrestrial climatic conditions since the Early Triassic and are linked temporally with eruptions of the oceanic plateau Wrangellia Large Igneous Province (LIP). The massive release of greenhouse gasses including isotopically light CO2 during 3–4 distinct pulses of Wrangellia volcanism appears to have been the main driver of CPE climate change. Each pulse enhanced global atmospheric circulation and the hydrological cycle and resulted in changes from arid to humid conditions that affected floral abundance and composition. Higher terrestrial primary productivity in humid phases facilitated increased burial of terrestrial organic carbon and led to the recommencement of peat accumulation, ending the coal gap that had persisted since the Earliest Triassic times. Enhanced movement of carbon from the atmosphere through the biosphere into the geosphere may have counteracted the warming effects of Wrangellia volcanic greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately led to the return of a steady climate state that terminated the warm and humid conditions of the CPE.

A shallow layer laboratory model of large-scale atmospheric circulation

A new shallow layer laboratory model of global atmospheric circulation is realised and studied by experiments and numerical simulations. A shallow rotating cylindrical fluid layer of 30 mm thickness and 690 mm diameter, with a localised heater at the bottom periphery and localised cooler in the central part of the upper boundary is considered. The rim heater imitates the equator heating and disc cooler – the North pole cooling. The flow transforms from the Hadley-like regime to the baroclinic wave regime through transitional states. The decrease in the thermal Rossby number for the fixed value of Taylor number results in the regularisation of the baroclinic waves. All wave regimes, even with regular wave structures, are characterised by strong non-periodic fluctuations. The observed baroclinic wave structures are a combination of temporarily evolving different baroclinic modes. The important outcome of the shallow layer model is a realisation of the Earth-like meridional three-cell structure. It is shown that the three-cell structure with analogs of polar, Ferrel and Hadley cells exist only in a limited range of parameters. A comparison of the results for the water and silicon oil demonstrated that the physical properties of the fluid can have a strong impact on the baroclinic wave structure.

A Hybrid Atmospheric Model Incorporating Machine Learning Can Capture Dynamical Processes Not Captured by Its Physics‐Based Component

AbstractIt is shown that a recently developed hybrid modeling approach that combines machine learning (ML) with an atmospheric global circulation model (AGCM) can serve as a basis for capturing atmospheric processes not captured by the AGCM. This power of the approach is illustrated by three examples from a decades‐long climate simulation experiment. The first example demonstrates that the hybrid model can produce sudden stratospheric warming, a dynamical process of nature not resolved by the low resolution AGCM component of the hybrid model. The second and third example show that introducing 6‐hr cumulative precipitation and sea surface temperature (SST) as ML‐based prognostic variables improves the precipitation climatology and leads to a realistic ENSO signal in the SST and atmospheric surface pressure.

Impacts of climate change on wind energy potential in Australasia and South-East Asia following the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

Wind energy is poised to play a major role in the energy transition. Fluctuations in global atmospheric circulation are expected as a result of climate change, and wind projections based on the most up-to-date scenarios of climate change, the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), anticipate significant changes in wind energy potential in many regions; so far, these changes have not been studied in Southeastern Asia and Australasia, a region with notable wind energy potential. This work investigates the evolution of wind power density and its temporal variability considering the latest scenarios of climate change, the SSPs. More specifically, two scenarios are considered, SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, corresponding to moderate and high emissions, respectively. As many as 18 global climate models are considered and compared against past-present data, and those that perform best are retained to build a large multi-model ensemble. The results show that projected changes in mean wind power density at the end of the 21st century are of little significance (typically below 5 %); nevertheless, this value can be far surpassed locally. In certain areas (e.g., Vietnam, Borneo) and seasons, remarkable changes in wind power density (exceeding 150 %) are anticipated. Typically, mean values and temporal variability changes are greater in the high-emissions scenario, however, seasonal variability is projected to be more pronounced in the moderate-emissions scenario. These effects of climate change on wind energy potential must be taken into account in the development of wind power in the region, for they will affect the energy production and, therefore, the economic viability of wind farms – not least in those areas where drastic changes are projected.

The impacts of global atmospheric circulations on the water supply in select watersheds in the Indonesian Maritime Continent using SPI

Despite the diverse atmospheric circulations affecting the Indonesian Maritime Continent (IMC), i.e., El Nino Southern Oscillation-ENSO, Indian Ocean Dipole-IOD, Madden Julian Oscillation-MJO, Monsoon, there is a lack of research on their interaction with hydrological events in watersheds. This study fills this gap by providing insights into the dominant atmospheric events and their correlation with the water supply in three characteristic watersheds, i.e., Tondano (north/Pacific Ocean), Jangka (south/Indian Ocean), and Kapuas (equatorial/interior) in IMC. The research used the standardized precipitation index for the 1-monthly (SPI1), 3-monthly (SPI3), and 6-monthly (SPI3) scale generated from 23 years (2000–2022) of monthly historical satellite rainfall data. The analysis compared each location's SPI indices with the monthly Nino 3.4, Dipole Mode Index (DMI), MJO (100E and 120E), Monsoon index, and streamflow data. The result shows that the dominant atmospheric events for the Tondano watershed were ENSO, IOD, and MJO, with correlation values of −0.62, −0.26, and −0.35, respectively. The MJO event was dominant for the Kapuas watershed, with a correlation value of −0.28. ENSO and IOD were dominant for the Jangka watershed, with correlation values of −0.27 and −0.28, respectively. The monsoon correlated less with the SPI3 in all locations, while it modulates the wet and dry period pattern annually. Most intense dry periods in Tondano occur with the activation of El Nino, while the intense wet period occurs even in normal atmospheric conditions. Most intense wet periods in Jangka occur with the activation of La Nina, while the intense dry period occurs even in normal atmospheric conditions. The occurrence of MJO compensates for the intense wet and dry periods in Kapuas. The correlation among SPI3, atmospheric circulation, and streamflow in the diverse watershed characteristics in the IMC watersheds could give strategic information for watershed management and applies to other watersheds with similar atmospheric circulation characteristics.

Numerical modelling of relative contribution of planetary waves to the atmospheric circulation

Abstract. Using the general circulation model of the middle and upper atmosphere (MUAM), a number of numerical scenarios were implemented to study the impact of individual planetary waves (PWs) on the global atmospheric circulation, including zonal wind, temperature, and residual meridional circulation (RMC). The calculations were performed for the winter conditions of the Northern Hemisphere (January–February). We show the contribution to the formation of the dynamic and temperature regimes of the MUAM made by equatorial Kelvin waves propagating to the east, as well as atmospheric normal modes (NMs) with periods from 4 to 16 d. In particular, it is demonstrated that the impact of a 5 d PW and an ultra-fast Kelvin wave (UFKW) can change the speed of circulation flows by up to 6 % in the areas of their amplitude maxima. At the same time, this effect can be significantly enhanced in certain periods of time. The presented research results are important for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of large-scale atmospheric interactions. Despite the obviousness and simplicity of the problem, such work has not been carried out yet.

Bias Correcting Climate Model Simulations Using Unpaired Image-to-Image Translation Networks

Abstract We assess the suitability of unpaired image-to-image translation networks for bias correcting data simulated by global atmospheric circulation models. We use the Unsupervised Image-to-Image Translation (UNIT) neural network architecture to map between data from the HadGEM3-A-N216 model and ERA5 reanalysis data in a geographical area centered on the South Asian monsoon, which has well-documented serious biases in this model. The UNIT network corrects cross-variable correlations and spatial structures but creates bias corrections with less extreme values than the target distribution. By combining the UNIT neural network with the classical technique of quantile mapping (QM), we can produce bias corrections that are better than either alone. The UNIT+QM scheme is shown to correct cross-variable correlations, spatial patterns, and all marginal distributions of single variables. The careful correction of such joint distributions is of high importance for compound extremes research.

ASSESSMENT OF THE DEPENDENCE OF WINTER WHEAT YIELD IN THE CENTRAL BLACK EARTH ECONOMIC REGION ON THE NATURE OF LARGE-SCALE CIRCULATION STRUCTURES OF THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

The relationship between the average values of winter wheat yields in five regions that are part of the Central Black Earth Economic Region and the nature of global atmospheric circulation was analyzed using the typification of elementary circulation mechanisms of the northern hemisphere of the Earth, compiled by B.L. Dzerdzeevsky. The assessment was made for the spring-summer vegetation period of the crop in question, based on data from 1961 to 2020. Also, based on the results obtained, a correlation and regression analysis of the dependence of winter wheat yield on the total repeatability of days with one or another type of global atmospheric circulation for the spring-summer and spring periods of vegetation was carried out. It is noted that the decrease in the yield of winter wheat in relation to the previous year in the regions under consideration is characteristic of the long-term predominance of one type of global atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. The increase is observed when, in total, during the spring-summer and spring parts of the vegetation period, there is a predominance of two different types of atmospheric circulation.

Future Atmospheric Rivers and Impacts on Precipitation: Overview of the ARTMIP Tier 2 High‐Resolution Global Warming Experiment

AbstractAtmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow synoptic scale weather features important for Earth’s hydrological cycle typically transporting water vapor poleward, delivering precipitation important for local climates. Understanding ARs in a warming climate is problematic because the AR response to climate change is tied to how the feature is defined. The Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP) provides insights into this problem by comparing 16 atmospheric river detection tools (ARDTs) to a common data set consisting of high resolution climate change simulations from a global atmospheric general circulation model. ARDTs mostly show increases in frequency and intensity, but the scale of the response is largely dependent on algorithmic criteria. Across ARDTs, bulk characteristics suggest intensity and spatial footprint are inversely correlated, and most focus regions experience increases in precipitation volume coming from extreme ARs. The spread of the AR precipitation response under climate change is large and dependent on ARDT selection.

Loess or lake sediments: Resolving the origin of massive beds in the Lower Jurassic of southern Africa

Throughout Earth's history, dust deposits have been considered sensitive markers of fluctuations in global atmospheric circulation patterns. However, the identification of ancient dust deposits remains problematic, as their massive (structureless) nature impedes an unequivocal classification. In southern Africa, the Lower Jurassic Clarens Formation is dominated by intriguing structureless sandy siltstones that have been interpreted as loess even though classical diagnostic outcrop‐scale loess features are not observed. In this study, we utilized grain characteristics such as size, shape, sorting and fabric to assess the origin of these ubiquitous massive beds, as compared to strata with a known origin in the unit. Based on these grain characteristics, the massive beds can be grouped into six different facies types (Facies 1–6). Facies 1 has very similar grain features to the large‐scale cross‐bedded strata and thus it is interpreted as migrating dune deposits, only apparently massive. The dominant grain size with a large proportion of very fine‐grained sand and the random grain fabric suggests that Facies 2 resulted from sandy dust fall (short‐term suspension), whereas Facies 3 is interpreted as aeolian dust, having features consistent with modern and ancient loess due to its dominant silt grain size and random grain fabric. Features in Facies 4 are undiagnostic and could reflect a range of aeolian processes, although a dominant silt grain size may suggest an overwhelming loess component. Facies 5 and 6 show primary aeolian signatures with the preferred grain orientation being evidence of reworking in an aqueous setting (e.g., lake, stream). These six facies types represent a spectrum of depositional processes that occurred in response to erg migration and climatic changes along this Early Jurassic erg margin. Their facies diversity is evidence for: (1) dry and windy conditions in SW Gondwana during the Sinemurian to Pliensbachian, and (2) reworking of the aeolian sediments in various fluvial and lacustrine settings during the development of one of the largest known sand seas in Earth's history.

Climatic and Vegetation Response Patterns over South Africa during the 2010/2011 and 2015/2016 Strong ENSO Phases

El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a significant climate phenomenon on Earth due to its ability to change the global atmospheric circulation which influences temperature and precipitation across the globe. In this study, we investigate the responses of climatic and vegetation parameters due to two strong ENSO phases, i.e., La Niña (2010/2011) and El Niño (2015/2016) in South Africa. The study aims to understand the influence of strong seasonal ENSO events on climatic and vegetation parameters over South Africa. Remote sensing data from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) was used. The relationship between precipitation, temperature, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were studied using Pearson’s correlation. Comparison between the La Niña, neutral year, and El Niño periods showed two interesting results: (1) higher precipitation from the south coast to the east coast of South Africa, with some low precipitation in the interior during the La Niña and El Niño periods, and (2) a drop in precipitation by ~46.6% was observed in the southwestern parts of South Africa during the La Niña and El Niño events. The study further showed that wind speed and wind direction were not impacted by strong ENSO events during the MAM, JJA and SON seasons, but the DJF season showed varying wind speeds, especially on the west coast, during both ENSO events. Overall, the Pearson’s correlation results clearly showed that the relationship between climatic parameters such as precipitation, temperature, and vegetation parameters such a NDVI is highly correlated while other parameters, such as wind speed and direction, are not. This study has provided new insights into the relationship between temperature, precipitation, and NDVI in South Africa; however, future work will include other climatic and vegetation parameters such as relative humidity and net longwave radiation.