Experimental outputs of 11 Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) are analyzed to assess the atmospheric circulation anomaly over Northern Hemisphere induced by the anomalous rainfall over tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean during boreal winter.The analysis shows that the main features of the interannual variation of tropical rainfall anomalies,especially over the Central Pacific (CP) (5°S-5°N,175°E-135°W) and Indo-western Pacific (IWP) (20°S-20°N,110°-150°E) are well captured in all the CMIP5/AMIP models.For the IWP and western Indian Ocean (WIO) (10°S-10°N,45°-75°E),the anomalous rainfall is weaker in the 11 CMIP5/AMIP models than in the observation.During El Ni(n)o/La Ni(n)a mature phases in boreal winter,consistent with observations,there are geopotential height anomalies known as the Pacific North American (PNA) pattern and Indo-western Pacific and East Asia (IWPEA) pattern in the upper troposphere,and the northwestern Pacific anticyclone (cyclone) (NWPA) in the lower troposphere in the models.Comparison between the models and observations shows that the ability to simulate the PNA and NWPA pattern depends on the ability to simulate the anomalous rainfall over the CP,while the ability to simulate the IWPEA pattern is related to the ability to simulate the rainfall anomaly in the IWP and WIO,as the SST anomaly is same in AMIP experiments.It is found that the tropical rainfall anomaly is important in modeling the impact of the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean on the extratropical atmospheric circulation anomaly.
The mechanisms behind the seasonal deepening of the mixed layer (ML) in the subtropical Southeast Pacific were investigated using the monthly Argo data from 2004 to 2012. The region with a deep ML (more than 175 m) was found in the region of (22°-30°S, 105°-90°W), reaching its maximum depth (-200 m) near (27°-28°S, 100°W) in September. The relative importance of horizontal density advection in determining the maximum ML location is discussed qualitatively. Downward Ekman pumping is key to determining the eastern boundary of the deep ML region. In addition, zonal density advection by the subtropical countercurrent (STCC) in the subtropical Southwest Pacific determines its western boundary, by carrying lighter water to strengthen the stratification and form a "shallow tongue" of ML depth to block the westward extension of the deep ML in the STCC region. The temperature advection by the STCC is the main source for large heat loss from the subtropical Southwest Pacific. Finally, the combined effect of net surface heat flux and meridional density advection by the subtropical gyre determines the northern and southern boundaries of the deep ML region: the ocean heat loss at the surface gradually increases from 22~S to 35~S, while the meridional density advection by the subtropical gyre strengthens the strat- ification south of the maximum ML depth and weakens the stratification to the north. The freshwater flux contribution to deepening the ML during austral winter is limited. The results are useful for understanding the role of ocean dynamics in the ML formation in the subtropical Southeast Pacific.