February 17, 2021: online ENSO Conference

Wednesday 17th Feb 2021 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm (MEZ)

El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon and arises from a complex interplay of positive and negative atmospheric and oceanic feedbacks. Recent studies have shown that the correct simulation of the atmosphere plays a quite important role for a realistic representation of ENSO in climate models. Especially the non-linearity and seasonality of the atmospheric feedbacks operating in ENSO are important for a realistic simulation of many ENSO properties. Further, realistic ENSO atmospheric feedbacks seem to be important for a proper simulation of ENSO changes under global warming. In many climate models the atmosphere is in a La Niña-like mean state due to an equatorial cold SST bias in the Pacific Ocean. This biased mean state results in an error compensation between the underestimated positive wind-SST and negative net heat flux-SST feedback in many climate models. In the most biased models, the short wave-SST feedback is erroneously a positive feedback, causing a hybrid of wind-driven and heat flux-driven ENSO dynamics, while in observations ENSO is purely wind-driven.

In this conference we have a special focus on the role of the atmosphere in ENSO. This conference is on the occasion of the kick-off of the ENSO project of Dr. Tobias Bayr on “The role of the atmospheric feedbacks in ENSO simulation and projection”.

Deadline for the submission of abstracts is the Wed 27^th Jan 2021. Abstracts can be submitted via mail to Tobias Bayr.

The schedule of the conference can be found here.