Interdecadal Enhancement in the Relationship between the Western North Pacific Summer Monsoon and Sea Surface Temperature in the Tropical Central-Western Pacific after the Early 1990s

This study reveals the strengthened interdecadal relationship between the western North Pacific summer monsoon (WNPSM) and tropical central-western Pacific sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in summer after the early 1990s. In the first period (1979–91, P1), the WNPSM-related precipitation anomaly and horizontal wind anomaly present themselves as an analogous Pacific-Japan (PJ)-like pattern, generally considered to be related to the Niño-3 index in the preceding winter. During the subsequent period (1994–2019, P2), the WNPSM-related precipitation anomaly presents a zonal dipole pattern, correlated significantly with the concurrent SSTA in the Niño-4 and tropical western Pacific regions. The negative (positive) SSTA in the tropical western Pacific and positive (negative) SSTA in the Niño-4 region, could work together to influence the WNPSM, noting that the two types of anomalous SSTA configurations enhance (weaken) the WNPSM by the positive (negative) phase PJ-like wave and Gill response, respectively, with an anomalous cyclone (anticyclone) located in the WNPSM, which shows obvious symmetry about the anomalous circulation. Specifically, the SSTA in Niño-4 impacts the WNPSM by an atmospheric Gill response, with a stronger (weaker) WNPSM along with a positive (negative) SSTA in the Niño-4 region. Furthermore, the SSTA in the tropical western Pacific exerts an influence on the WNPSM by a PJ-like wave, with a stronger (weaker) WNPSM along with a negative (positive) SSTA in the tropical western Pacific. In general, SSTAs in the tropical western Pacific and Niño-4 areas could work together to exert influence on the WNPSM, with the effect most likely to occur in the El Niño (La Niña) developing year in P2. However, the SSTAs in the tropical western Pacific worked alone to exert an influence on the WNPSM mainly in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017, and the SSTAs in the Niño-4 region worked alone to exert an influence on the WNPSM mainly in Central Pacific (CP) La Niña developing years. The sensitivity experiments also can reproduce the PJ-like wave/Gill response associated with SSTA in the tropical western Pacific/Niño-4 regions. Therefore, the respective and synergistic impacts from the Niño-4 region and the tropical western Pacific on the WNPSM have been revealed, which helps us to acquire a better understanding of the interdecadal variations of the WNPSM and its associated climate influences.