Spatial and temporal variability of sea surface temperature anomalies in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (2000-2020): implications for ENSO monitoring

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Abstract

 Sea temperature anomaly events play a fundamental role in the environmental variability within the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). However, the magnitude and spatial extent of these events should be acknowledged, as they are not uniform across all areas. A comprehensive understanding of this variability is necessary for regional analyses. The present study used sea surface temperatures (SST; 2000-2020) from the Global Ocean Ensemble Physics Reanalysis database to represent the spatial distribution of SST anomalies within the EPO during four intense El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Additionally, time series of anomalies based on the Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperatures database were obtained for uniformly selected quadrants along the EPO, as well as for its main currents and water masses. The findings revealed significant differences between prominent ENSO events and certain EPO areas: the central EPO showed a higher frequency, whereas others, such as the Costa Rica Dome, showed a lower frequency, particularly during La Niña events. Furthermore, the present study identified disparities when comparing the outcomes reported by the main El Niño regions widely used for ENSO identification. For instance, while La Niña 2000/01 and El Niño 2002/03 were identified by the Oceanic El Niño Index and the El Niño 3 and El Niño 4 indices, these events were not observed in all the EPO. Likewise, certain events showing clear warm-anomaly trends, such as those in 2017/18, were classified by the indices as cold periods. In contrast, strong events such as La Niña 2010/11 and El Niño 2014/16 were consistently identified in all selected areas in the EPO, in coincidence with the indices

Buenfil-Ávila, A., Ortega-García, S., Jakes-Cota, U., Moncayo-Estrada, R., Reygondeau, G., & Villalobos, H. (2025). Spatial and temporal variability of sea surface temperature anomalies in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (2000-2020): implications for ENSO monitoring. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, 54(1). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3856/vol54-issue1-fulltext-3363

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