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Article: Westerly Wind Bursts: ENSO's Tail Rather than the Dog?
- Article from:
- Journal of Climate
- Article date:
- December 15, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Meteorological Society Dec 15, 2005. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT
Westerly wind bursts (WWBs) in the equatorial Pacific occur during the development of most El Niño events and are believed to be a major factor in ENSO's dynamics. Because of their short time scale, WWBs are normally considered part of a stochastic forcing of ENSO, completely external to the interannual ENSO variability. Recent observational studies, however, suggest that the occurrence and characteristics of WWBs may depend to some extent on the state of ENSO components, implying that WWBs, which force ENSO, are modulated by ENSO itself.
Satellite and in situ observations are used here to show that WWBs are significantly more likely to occur when the warm pool is extended ...