Dynamic Ocean-Atmosphere Coupling: A Thermostat for the Tropics
- 24 May 1996
- journal article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 272 (5265) , 1148-1150
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.272.5265.1148
Abstract
The ocean currents connecting the western tropical Pacific Ocean with the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are driven by surface winds. The surface winds are in turn driven by the sea-surface temperature (SST) differences between these two regions. This dynamic coupling between the atmosphere and ocean may limit the SST in the tropical Pacific Ocean to below 305 kelvin even in the absence of cloud feedbacks.Keywords
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