Changing ENSO and Cross-basin Interactions in a warming climate

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most consequential climate phenomenon on the planet. Although originating in the equatorial Pacific, ENSO can affect weather, ecosystems, and societies around the globe. Climate modes of variability that occur on a broad range of timescales both within and outside the tropical Pacific, for example, the Indian Ocean Dipole and the Atlantic Niño, among other modes of variability, can interact with ENSO and provide sources of predictability. Correctly modelling and understanding the dynamics, predictability, and impacts of ENSO and its interactions with other basins both within and outside the tropical Pacific, and anticipating their future changes are thus of vital importance.

Despite great progress made so far, many aspects of the underpinning dynamics and impacts of ENSO and cross-basin interactions remain elusive. Of particular importance is ENSO complexity, in which El Niño and La Niña are not a simple mirror image to each other but, instead, exhibit considerable asymmetries in amplitude, duration, transition and spatial pattern. The nonlinear nature of ENSO further complicates its interactions with other climate modes of variability in the extratropical Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Better understanding the mechanisms behind ENSO and inter-basin interactions in a changing climate is therefore essential to reduce the uncertainties in seasonal forecasts, near-term and long-term projections of climate on regional and global scales. This Research Topic aims to address how the dynamics and impacts of ENSO and its interactions with other climate variability have already changed and how they may change in the future under ongoing greenhouse warming.

In this Research Topic, we seek contributions of Original Research Articles and Review Articles regarding numerous aspects of ENSO and cross-basin interactions under present and future greenhouse warming, including, but not limited to: nonlinear dynamics and impacts of ENSO; pan-tropical climate interactions; tropical-extratropical interactions; decadal modulation and paleo variability; past changes and future projections of tropical mean states and modes of climate variability. Studies aimed at understanding nonlinear ENSO dynamics, impacts and changes, as well as improving model simulations of ENSO, the tropical mean state and cross-basin interactions are especially welcomed.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Inter-basin Interaction, Tropical-extratropical Interaction, Nonlinear dynamics, Greenhouse warming

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.