Abrupt shift of El Nino periodicity under CO₂ mitigation.

ABSTRACT: Removing CO₂ from the atmosphere is emerging as a viable strategy to mitigate global warming, yet the responses of the climate system to CO₂ reduction remain uncertain. One of the most uncertain aspects of El Niño behavior is the change in periodicity in response to CO₂ forcing [O. Alizadeh, Earth-Sci. Rev. 235, 104246 (2022)]. In this study, we show that climate models consistently project an abrupt shortening of El Niño periodicity once CO₂ reductions commence in ramp-up and ramp-down CO₂ experiments. Besides the contribution of slow mean state changes, this phenomenon is shown to be driven by a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) [J.-S. Kug, et al., Nat. Clim. Chang. 12, 47

SUBMITTER: Iwakiri T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12207446 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature