Distinct Central and Eastern Pacific El Niño Influence on Antarctic Surface Mass Balance

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: J. M. A. Macha, A. N. Mackintosh, F. S. McCormack, B. J. Henley, H. V. McGregor, C. T. vanDalum, A. Purich
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2024
• Subjects: Antarctic surface mass balance; ENSO types; El Niño types; climate variability; tropical teleconnection; Antarctic climate; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; QC801-809; Amundsen Sea; Antarc*; Antarctic; Dronning Maud Land; Ross Sea
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109423; https://doaj.org/article/4fe4f3be144e48a692a361227a26f8e8

Abstract The El Niño‐Southern Oscillation causes anomalous atmospheric circulation, temperature and precipitation across southern polar latitudes, but the influence of Central and Eastern Pacific El Niño events on Antarctic surface mass balance and snow accumulation has not yet been assessed. Here, we use reanalysis and reanalysis‐forced regional climate model output and find that Central Pacific El Niño results in significantly increased snow accumulation in the western Ross Sea sector and significantly decreased snow accumulation in the Amundsen Sea sector. Eastern Pacific El Niño is associated with similar but weaker patterns, with some regional exceptions. In some areas, like Dronning Maud Land, or the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, the effect of El Niño on snow accumulation changes from increased to reduced accumulation depending on the type of El Niño. Our results show that projecting El Niño types is important for constraining future changes in Antarctic surface mass balance.