热带中太平洋暖池冷舌交汇区既是冷暖水交汇的区域,也是高盐低盐水交汇之地,形成了以强烈的海表盐度锋、较浅的混合层和较厚的障碍层为显著特征的温盐结构。该区域还是不同类型厄尔尼诺(El Ni?o)发生发展的关键区域,也是气候模式模拟偏差比较集中的区域。为了研究该区域盐度过程及其时空变异,及其在多大程度上影响热带太平洋上层海洋热力动力结构和ENSO的发展变异这一重要科学问题,国家自然科学基金重点项目“暖池冷舌交汇区盐度变异机制及气候效应研究”于2017年7月正式立项。该项目拟解决的关键科学问题包括:①融合多源数据刻画交汇区盐度的三维结构及变异规律;②阐明影响盐度锋和障碍层不同时间尺度变异的主要过程及作用机理;③阐明交汇区盐度变异,特别是障碍层和盐度锋变异,是如何以及在多大程度上影响ENSO循环及其变异的。通过该项目的实施,有望在热带海洋动力学理论和ENSO动力学理论方面取得突破,为提高ENSO预报水平提供新的思路和依据。

This study focused on the warm pool-cold tongue confluence region (WCCR) in the central tropical Pacific Ocean where the warm and fresh water from the warm pool encounters with cold and saline water from the cold tongue. The WCCR is characterized by strong surface salinity front, shallow mixed layer and thick barrier layer. The WCCR is the key area for the development of different types of El Ni?o, and also the area with significant systematic bias in climate models. In order to reveal what role the structure and variability of salinity will play in the ocean dynamic and thermal conditions, and the cycle of the ENSO, a key project was approved by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in July, 2017. The key scientific issues that will be addressed in the project are as follows: ①to depict the three-dimensional structure and variability of salinity in the WCCR; ②to reveal the mechanism for the variability of salinity front and barrier layer; and ③to illustrate the main processes that control the impact of salinity on the upper-ocean variation in the tropical Pacific and the cycle of the ENSO. The present study will improve our understanding of the tropical ocean dynamics and ENSO dynamics, and will enhance the prediction skill of the ENSO.