ENSO‐related rainfall changes over the New Guinea region

摘要: [1] The large-scale nature of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) impacts on rainfall in the western Pacific region is generally well known but some regions, where there are relatively few observations and terrain mountainous, details less obvious. Here we analyze data for New Guinea comprising station observations, reanalysis products, satellite-based estimates order to better understand these details. We find that most gridded products limited due their coarse horizontal resolutions fail resolve topographic effects. However, fine resolution Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission product appears provide reliable linear correlations between NINO34 sea surface temperature index provides an insight into pattern ENSO impacts. The first major finding correlation patterns reveal highland regions impacted differently other surrounding likely because interaction winds topography. Second, association stations Ireland/New Britain tends be nonlinear, sense warm (El Nino)/cool (La Nina) events cause a decrease rainfall—the strong 2010–2011 La Nina event being clear example. Both findings help explain why previous studies have tended not identify simple response ENSO.