THE DECADAL CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND THE ANOMALOUS ENSO DEVELOPMENTS IN 1990S^*

By using the wavelet transform method,the ENSO (2-7 a) signal and the decadal variability (8-20 a) are filtered out from the long-term SST data sets in order to investigate characteristics of the decadal variability and its impact on the ENSO.It is found that there are two different kinds of decadal SSTA modes-horseshoe and horse saddle patterns in the tropical Pacific.The horseshoe pattern represents that the decadal SSTA variability in the central Pacific is in phase with that in the eastern Pacific.The horse saddle pattern is named that they are out of phase.The former constituted the decadal variability before 1990s and the latter mainly prevailed during 1990s.As the response of atmosphere to the ocean,two decadal wind patterns appear in association with the SST decadal modes.One is characterized by anomalous development of the zonal wind,the other by anomalous development of the meridional wind.These two kinds of modes can also be regarded as different phases of the decadal oscillation.Further studies have shown that the influences of the two kinds of modes on the ENSO are different.The horse saddle mode has a stronger impact on the ENSO than the horseshoe mode.A possible mechanism for the influence of the decadal variability on the ENSO signal is presented.The central part of the thermocline along the equatorial Pacific moves up or down simultaneously with its eastern part while the decadal variability bears the horseshoe pattern.But the two segments of the thermocline in the central and eastern Pacific act oppositely while the decadal variability shows the horse saddle pattern.In this case it has an-influence on the individual ENSO'events by the superposition of the decadal variability.