28 February 2007
ENSO and Sea Surface Temperatures
Neutral conditions prevail in the tropical Pacific
Negative SST anomalies have developed along the South American coast
The El Niño event in the tropical Pacific has ended as most El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indicators return to neutral conditions.
The NINO3 SST anomaly was zero in April, and NINO4 has eased back to +0.6°C. The three month (February – April) means are about +0.3°C and +0.9°C for NINO3 and NINO4, respectively. Equatorial subsurface temperature anomalies remain weak, apart from a region of negative anomalies below 100 m depth. Strong easterlies prevailed across the equatorial Pacific in April.
The area of suppressed convection in the eastern Pacific continued to move westwards, past the dateline along the equator.
Most of the ENSO global climate models indicate neutral conditions throughout the southern hemisphere winter and into spring.
Sea surface temperature anomalies (°C) for April 2003
Mean sea surface temperatures (°C) for April 2003
