A near‐annual coupled ocean‐atmosphere mode in the equatorial Pacific ocean

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Abstract
A near‐annual coupled ocean‐atmosphere mode in the equatorial Pacific is studied using the NCEP ocean assimilation data set. This fast mode of tropical Pacific climate variability is superimposed on the slow 3–5 year El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. Anomalous zonal advection plays a crucial role in generating this fast mode. It is suggested that this fast mode can be understood in terms of a coupled Pacific basin mode. It is responsible for the occurrence of some minor El Niño and La Niña events and has implications for the prediction of ENSO events.