ENSO and Teleconnections Observed Using MISR Cloud Height Anomalies

Abstract

Cloud-top height is an important climate variable due to its greenhouse effect, as well as being a useful indicator of circulation patterns. We use effective height anomalies from stereo retrievals at a horizontal resolution of 1.1 km after subtracting regional and seasonal mean values. After 18 years, any trend in the global average height anomaly remains hidden by the stronger influence of intermittent El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. However, interesting teleconnections and oscillatory patterns in regional cloud heights are starting to emerge. Different teleconnection patterns are now evident during the El Niño and La Niña phases giving rise to high values of the correlation coefficient between many global regions and the Central Pacific, which shows the greatest connection to ENSO. Cloud heights over the Central Pacific and Maritime Continent oscillate out of phase with each other and have nearly synchronous zero anomalies with a mean separation of about 1.8 years. These are lagged by one month from similar zero values in the Southern Oscillation Index. Surface zonal wind anomalies for these two regions also oscillate out of phase with each other, and are highly correlated with the height anomalies, leading them by one month.

Keywords

• MISR
• cloud heights
• teleconnections
• ENSO