Observations of Ocean-Atmospheric Coupling in the Tropical Instability Waves During LA NIÑA

The strong response of the atmospheric troposphere to the oceanic tropical instability waves (TIWs) results in a signature of wavelike in the free-tropospheric temperatures T_850-300. A positive lag exists between the atmospheric temperature and the SST anomaly, the phasic lags change with the TIWs position and the atmospheric adjustment speed. Over warm water, the mixed boundary layer is unstable, air temperature is higher and the turbulence and convection enhances the exchange of momentum from winds aloft to the surface, and higher surface wind flux result.