风应力对SST气候场和年际变率作用的诊断及数值研究

相关方法分析Nino3区SSTA和风应力的关系，发现前期风应力距平场与Nino3区SSTA有很好的相关关系，这种相关性超前8个月时就有所显现。影响Nino3区SSTA的主要风应力区域的位置随风应力超前的时间缩短均向中太平洋扩展。数值试验方法研究不同区域的风应力对热带太平洋SST作用的结果表明，强相关区域的风应力对形成和维持热带太平洋SST的气候场的作用不明显，而对SST的年际变率有重要贡献；相反，强相关区域以外的风应力对形成和维持热带太平洋SST的气候场起重要作用，但是对SST的年际变率所起的作用很不理想。     

A mechanism for decadal changes of ENSO behavior: roles of background wind changes

This study explains why a number of El Nino properties (period, amplitude, structure, and propagation) have changed in a coherent manner since the late 1970s and why these changes had almost concurred with the Pacific decadal climate shift. Evidence is presented to show that from the pre-shift (1961-1975) to the post-shift (1981-1995) epoch, significant changes in the tropical Pacific are found in the surface winds and temperature, whereas changes in the thermocline are uncertain. Numerical experiments with the Cane and Zebiak model demonstrate that the decadal changes in the surface winds qualitatively reproduce the observed coherent changes in El Nino properties. The fundamental factor that altered the model's El Nino is the decadal changes of the background equatorial winds and associated upwelling. The annual cycle is also necessary for the mean state to modulate El Nino. From the pre- to post-shift epoch, the changes in the background winds and upwelling modify the structure of the coupled mode (eastward displacement of the equatorial westerly anomalies) by reallocating anomalous atmospheric heating and SST gradient along the equator. This structural change amplifies the ENSO cycle and prolongs the oscillation period by enhancing the coupled instability and delaying transitions from a warm to a cold state or vice versa. The changes in the mean currents and upwelling reduce the effect of the zonal temperature advection while enhance that of the vertical advection; thus, the prevailing westward propagation is replaced by eastward propagation or standing oscillation. Our results suggest a critical role of the atmospheric bridge that rapidly conveys the influences of extratropical decadal variations to the tropics, and the possibility that the Pacific climate shift might have affected El Nino properties in the late 1970s by changing the background tropical winds and the associated equatorial upwelling.     

NUMERICAL STUDY ON THE ROLE OF VORTICAL AND DIVERGENT COMPONENTS OF WIND STRESS IN ENSO CYCLE*

The 1960-1991 monthly mean FSU (Florida State University)wind stress data are decomposed into a vortical and a divergent component with each of which to force the model ocean in the context of a two-layer tropical Pacific model.Evidence suggests that for the seasonal variation the ocean forcing does not produce a realistic cold tongue using either of the components and the tongue will not be effectively improved in its intensity and pattern even if the components are doubled or halved:the utilization of climatic mean wind stress(no decomposition is done of the wind stress)that contains its seasonal variation will lead to a realistic SST distribution on which is imposed,separately,the interannual anomalies of each of the components so as to get the SSTA pattern:under the action of the interannual anomaly of the vortical(divergent)component there arises qnite intense SSTA oscillation marked by noticeable ENSO periods(feeble SSTA with higher oscillation frequency for obscure ENSO periods),thereby illustrating that the roles of the two components differ from each other in the genesis of SST variation on a seasonal and an interannual basis such that a realistic cold tongue pattern follows under the joint effects on the model ocean of the two components of wind stress while rational E1 Nino/La Nina phenomena result under the forcing of an anomalous wind stress vortical component.Moreover,the divergent component is innegligible in generating a mean climatic condition of the ocean sector but of less importance compared to the vortical component in ENSO development.     

NUMERICAL STUDY ON THE ROLE OF VORTICAL AND DIVERGENT COMPONENTS OF WIND STRESS IN ENSO CYCLE

The 1960-1991 monthly mean FSU (Florida State University)wind stress data aredecomposed into a vortical and a divergent component with each of which to force the model oceanin the context of a two-layer tropical Pacific model.Evidence suggests that for the seasonalvariation the ocean forcing does not produce a realistic cold tongue using either of the componentsand the tongue will not be effectively improved in its intensity and pattern even if the componentsare doubled or halved:the utilization of climatic mean wind stress(no decomposition is done of thewind stress)that contains its seasonal variation will lead to a realistic SST distribution on which isimposed,separately,the interannual anomalies of each of the components so as to get the SSTApattern:under the action of the interannual anomaly of the vortical(divergent)component therearises qnite intense SSTA oscillation marked by noticeable ENSO periods(feeble SSTA withhigher oscillation frequency for obscure ENSO periods),thereby illustrating that the roles of thetwo components differ from each other in the genesis of SST variation on a seasonal and aninterannual basis such that a realistic cold tongue pattern follows under the joint effects on themodel ocean of the two components of wind stress while rational E1 Nino/La Nina phenomenaresult under the forcing of an anomalous wind stress vortical component.Moreover,the divergentcomponent is innegligible in generating a mean climatic condition of the ocean sector but of lessimportance compared to the vortical component in ENSO development.     

热带太平洋年代际平均气候态变化与ENSO循环

文中用观测的热带太平洋海表温度资料、风应力资料和OLR资料，通过多时间尺度分析，将与ENSO有关的变化分为3个主要的分量，一是2～7a的ENSO循环尺度，二是8～20a的年代际尺度，三是20a以上的平均气候态变化。讨论了热带太平洋这种平均气候态变化的主要特征以及与ENSO循环的关系，并用耦合模式的数值试验来研究平均气候态的变化对ENSO循环的影响。结果表明热带太平洋的平均气候态在20世纪70年代后期发生了一次由冷态向暖态的变化，主要增暖区是沿赤道以及热带东太平洋的，海表温度变化最大中心可以达到0.6℃。伴随着海表温度的变化，赤道西太平洋的西风距平加强，赤道东太平洋的东风距平也加强，在赤道中太平洋形成了一个加强的辐合中心。年代际平均气候冷暖态的变化对ENSO最直接的线性影响是使ElNio位相增加，而形成ENSO冷位相和暖位相的不对称。另一方面较暖的平均气候态可能引起海洋和大气之间的耦合加强，导致ENSO循环振荡有所加强。     

长江梅雨的长期变率与海洋的关系及其可预报性研究

采用最新发布的梅雨国家标准资料,以长江区域梅雨为代表,在分析区域梅雨的多时间尺度变化特征的基础上,从海洋外强迫影响因子角度探讨了梅雨的可预报性来源,进一步综合海洋背景变率和预测模型回报试验讨论梅雨异常的可预报性。结果表明:（1）长江梅雨呈现周期为3-4、6-8、12-16、32、64 a的多时间尺度变化分量和长期减少趋势。其中,3-4 a准周期变化是梅雨异常变化的主要分量。梅雨的干湿位相转变受12-16 a的准周期变化调制,极端涝年易出现在12-16 a准周期变化湿位相和3-4 a变化分量峰值位相叠加的情况。（2）长江梅雨的各准周期变化分量有不同的海洋外强迫背景,是梅雨可预报性的重要来源。与时间尺度较短的年际变化分量相关联的海温关键区主要分布于热带,而与时间尺度较长的年代际或多年代际变化分量相联系的海温关键区则来自中高纬度。3-4 a准周期变化分量的海洋外强迫强信号随季节变化由前冬的ENSO（厄尔尼诺-南方涛动）转为春末夏初的印度洋偶极子（IOD）。6-8和12-16 a年准周期变化分量的海洋强迫关键区主要位于太平洋。准32和准64 a周期振荡则受北太平洋多年代际变化（PDO）和北大西洋多年代际变化（AMO）的共同影响。梅雨的长期变化趋势则与全球变暖背景及以PDO为代表的年代际海洋外强迫因子相联系。（3）尽管梅雨异常与ENSO的正相关关系呈现减弱趋势,但20世纪70年代以后的梅雨异常年际变化分量的可预报性有所增大。（4）将梅雨各变化分量作为预测对象分别建模,进一步构建梅雨异常预测统计模型。采用该模型对近5年梅雨预测进行独立样本检验,有较好的回报效果,验证了梅雨异常年际分量可预报性的稳定性以及基于多时间尺度分离建立梅雨预测模型的优越性。      

Relationship between ENSO and Winter Rainfall over Southeast China and Its Decadal Variability

In this study,the relationship between El Nin o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) and winter rainfall over Southeast China(SC) is demonstrated based on instrumental and reanalysis data.The results show that ENSO and SC winter rainfall(ENSO-SC rainfall) are highly correlated and intimately coupled through an anomalous high pressure over the northwestern Pacific.In mature phase,El Nin o(La Nin a) events can cause more(less) rainfall over SC in winter.Due to the persistence and spring barrier of ENSO,SC winter rainfall has potential predictability of about half a year ahead with ENSO as a predictor.Besides,the ENSO-SC rainfall relationship exhibits decadal variability,closer before the early 1970s(0.47) and after the early 1990s(0.76),but weaker(0.12) between these times.In different periods,atmospheric teleconnection patterns have large differences and the predictability of SC winter rainfall also changes dramatically.For the most recent 20 years,the ENSO-SC rainfall relationship is closest and the prediction of SC winter rainfall anomalies based on ENSO is most creditable.In addition,the causes and mechanisms of the decadal modulation of the relationship between ENSO and SC winter rainfall need to be further studied.     

What Drives the Decadal Variability of Global Tropical Storm Days from 1965 to 2019?

The tropical storm day(TSD)is a combined measure of genesis and lifespan.It reflects tropical cyclone(TC)overall activity,yet its variability has rarely been studied,especially globally.Here we show that the global total TSDs exhibit pronounced interannual(3-6 years)and decadal(10 years)variations over the past five-to-six decades without a significant trend.The leading modes of the interannual and decadal variability of global TSD feature similar patterns in the western Pacific and Atlantic,but different patterns in the Eastern Pacific and the Southern Indian Ocean.The interannual and decadal leading modes are primarily linked to El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)and Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO),respectively.The TSDs-ENSO relationship has been steady during the entire 55-year period,but the TSDs-PDO relationship has experienced a breakdown in the 1980 s.We find that the decadal variation of TSD in the Pacific is associated with the PDO sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies in the tropical eastern Pacific(PDO-E),while that in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean is associated with the PDO SST anomalies in the western Pacific(PDO-W).However,the PDO-E and PDO-W SST anomalies are poorly coupled in the 1980 s,and this"destructive PDO"pattern results in a breakdown of the TSDs-PDO relationship.The results here have an important implication for seasonal to decadal predictions of global TSD.     

An empirical model of decadal ENSO variability

This paper assesses potential predictability of decadal variations in the El Ni?o/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) characteristics by constructing and performing simulations using an empirical nonlinear stochastic model of an ENSO index. The model employs decomposition of global sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies into the modes that maximize the ratio of interdecadal-to-subdecadal SST variance to define low-frequency predictors called the canonical variates (CVs). When the whole available SST time series is so processed, the leading canonical variate (CV-1) is found to be well correlated with the area-averaged SST time series which exhibits a non-uniform warming trend, while the next two (CV-2 and CV-3) describe secular variability arguably associated with a combination of Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) signals. The corresponding ENSO model that uses either all three (CVs 1–3) or only AMO/PDO-related (CVs 2 and 3) predictors captures well the observed autocorrelation function, probability density function, seasonal dependence of ENSO, and, most importantly, the observed interdecadal modulation of ENSO variance. The latter modulation, and its dependence on CVs, is shown to be inconsistent with the null hypothesis of random decadal ENSO variations simulated by multivariate linear inverse models. Cross-validated hindcasts of ENSO variance suggest a potential useful skill at decadal lead times. These findings thus argue that decadal modulations of ENSO variability may be predictable subject to our ability to forecast AMO/PDO-type climate modes; the latter forecasts may need to be based on simulations of dynamical models, rather than on a purely statistical scheme as in the present paper.     

Interannual to decadal summer drought variability over Europe and its relationship to global sea surface temperature

Interannual to decadal variability of European summer drought and its relationship with global sea surface temperature (SST) is investigated using the newly developed self calibrated Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI) and global sea surface temperature (SST) field for the period 1901–2002. A European drought severity index defined as the average of scPDSI over entire Europe shows quasiperiodic variations in the 2.5–5 year band as well as at 12–13 years suggesting a possible potential predictability of averaged drought conditions over Europe. A Canonical Correlation Analysis between summer scPDSI anomalies over Europe and global SST anomalies reveals the existence of three modes of coupled summer drought scPDSI patterns and winter global SST anomalies. The first scPDSI-SST coupled mode represents the long-term trends in the data which manifest in SST as warming over all oceans. The associated long-term trend in scPDSI suggests increasing drought conditions over the central part of Europe. The second mode is related to the inter-annual ENSO and decadal PDO influence on the European climate and the third one captures mainly the drought pattern associated to Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. The lag relationships between winter SST and summer drought conditions established in this study can provide a valuable skill for the prediction of drought conditions over Europe on interannual to decadal time scales.     

广州春季降水的变化及其前兆信号

广州春季降水存在以准2年为主的年际变化和以30年为主的年代际变化,目前处于年代际尺度上的少雨时段。Nino3区的海温异常是广州春季降水最强的前兆信号,它与广州春季降水的显著正相关在前一年的11月份就已出现,并且一直稳定维持到4月份。前冬Nino3区海温异常对广州春季降水的影响是通过影响春季北太平洋副热带高压和低层风场异常实现的。前冬Nino3区海温正异常时,春季副热带高压偏强、位置偏西,华南处于副高边缘垂直运动的上升区,菲律宾以东的低层反气旋环流增加了向华南的水汽输送,从而使得广州春季降水偏多;前冬Nino3区海温负异常时,副热带高压偏弱、位置偏东,华南地区远离副高、处于垂直运动的下沉区,菲律宾以东低层为气旋环流控制,华南地区盛行偏北气流,不利于水汽的向北输送,从而使得广州春季降水偏少,造成春旱。     

广东省6月长连续暴雨过程的气候特征及成因

该文采用合成分析、相关分析等方法研究了影响广东省6月的最长一段暴雨日数的气候特征,并对有无长连续暴雨过程的同期及其前期环流场和海温场进行分析。结果表明:7 d以上的长连续暴雨大都出现在20世纪90年代以后。长连续暴雨过程500 hPa合成平均环流场上, 高纬度地区呈西高东低、低纬度地区呈东高西低分布。中高纬度地区欧洲槽较深,巴尔喀什湖—贝加尔湖为明显的高压脊,说明经向环流较强,冷空气活动频繁。低纬度地区南支槽活跃,副热带高压较强,有利于冷暖交绥于华南沿海,形成长连续暴雨过程。根据长连续暴雨过程的海温合成平均距平图,东太平洋Ni?o4区海温为负距平、Ni?o3区为较弱正距平,黑潮海区为较明显的正距平中心,西风漂流区以较弱的负距平为主。研究还揭示了长连续暴雨过程3—6月海温场发生了较为激烈的演变,Ni?o3,Ni?o4区海温是一个由负变正的增温过程,而无连续暴雨过程3—6月海温场的演变维持为El Ni?o海温分布型。     

The retrospective prediction of ENSO from 1881 to 2000 by a hybrid coupled model: (II) Interdecadal and decadal variations in predictability

In this study, the retrospective predictions of ENSO (El Niño and Southern Oscillation) were performed for the period from 1881 to 2000 using a hybrid coupled model, which is an ocean general circulation model coupled to a linear statistical atmospheric model, and using a newly developed initialization scheme of SST assimilation by Ensemble Kalman Filter. With the retrospective predictions of the past 120 years, some important issues of ENSO predictability (measured by correlation and RMSE skills of NINO3 sea surface temperature anomaly index) were studied including decadal/interdecadal variations in ENSO predictability and the mechanisms responsible for these variations. Emphasis was placed on investigating the relationship between ENSO predictability and various characteristics of ENSO system such as the signal strength, the irregularity of periodicity, the noise and the nonlinearity. It is found that there are significant decadal/interdecadal variations in the prediction skills of ENSO during the past 120 years. The ENSO events were more predictable during the late nineteenth and the late twentieth centuries. The decadal/interdecadal variations of prediction skills are strongly related to the strength of sea-surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) signals, especially to the strength of SSTA signals at the frequencies of 2–4 year periods. The SSTA persistence, dominated by SSTA signals at frequencies over 4-year periods, also has a positive relationship to prediction skills. The high-frequency noise, on the other hand, has a strong inverse relationship to prediction skills, suggesting that it also probably plays an important role in ENSO predictability.     

广西近百年气温和降水序列的多时间尺度分析

对广西近百年平均气温及降水量变化进行了多时间尺度的层次结构研究,并与Nino3区的海温距平进行奇异交叉谱分析。结果表明：平均气温有较强上升趋势并伴有明显的准两年周期振荡;降水则呈下降趋势,主要周期为32 a左右及准两年振荡。1884至1910年代初,广西处于干冷期;1910年代初至1930年前后,处于湿冷期;1930年前后至1950年代后期,处于湿暖期;1950年代后期至1990年代前期,处于干暖期。ENSO事件3~7 a的周期对广西平均气温及降水影响显著,赤道太平洋海温变化对广西气温的影响主要表现在年代际变化上,对降水的影响主要体现在年际变化上。     

Temporal Characteristics of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and ENSO and Their Relationship Analyzed with Method of Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD)

1. IntroductionPacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a long-termENSO-like variability of the North Pacific. It can becharacterized by the first principal component of EOFof the North Pacific SST (Zhu and Yang, 2003; Tren-berth, 1990; Yang and Zhang, 2003). ENSO is thestrongest signal of annular change of global climatesystem (Trenberth, 1997). The spatial pattern of PDOis a wedge similar to El Nino. In the cool (warm)phases of PDO, the central and northwest Pacific is ofwarm (co…     

Modulation of decadal ENSO-like variation by effective solar radiation

Prediction of the Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly in the coming decades is a challenge as the SST anomaly changes over time due to natural and anthropogenic climate forcing. The climate changes in the mid-1970s and late-1990s were related to the decadal Pacific SST variability. The changes in the mid-1970s were associated with the positive phase of decadal El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-like SST variation, and the changes in the late-1990s were related to its negative phase. However, it is not clear whether this decadal SST variability is related to any external forcing. Here, we show that the effective solar radiation (ESR), which includes the net solar radiation and the effects of volcanic eruption, has modulated this decadal ENSO-like oscillation. The eastern Pacific warming (cooling) associated with this decadal ENSO-like oscillation over the past 139 years is significantly related to weak (strong) ESR. The weak ESR with strong volcanic eruption is found to strengthen the El Niño, resulting in an El Niño-like SST anomaly on the decadal time scale. The strong eruptions of the El Chicho’n (1982) and Pinatubo (1991) volcanoes reduced the ESR during the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. The radiation reduction weakened the Walker circulation due to the “ocean thermostat” mechanism that generates eastern Pacific warming associated with a decadal El Niño-like SST anomaly. This mechanism has been confirmed by the millennium run of ECHO-G model, in which the positive eastward gradient of SST over the equatorial Pacific was simulated under the weak ESR forcing on the decadal time scale. We now experience a reversal of the trend in the ESR. The strong solar radiation and lack of strong volcanic eruptions over the past 15 years have resulted in strong ESR, which should enhance the Walker circulation, leading to a La Niña-like SST anomaly.     

我国中部地区夏季干旱的多时间尺度特征及其环流、海温异常

基于CRU逐月降水和NCEP/NCAR再分析等资料,利用集合经验模态分解(Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition,EEMD)方法,分析1948—2016年中国中部地区夏季降水变化的多时间尺度特征及其对应的环流、海温异常,进而解释不同时期影响干旱发生的背景场有何不同。结果表明,中部地区夏季降水以年际变化为主,周期长度为3.8 a和6.9 a,年代际和多年代际变化的方差贡献不足20%。然而,各时间尺度降水变化对不同时期干旱事件的贡献存在较大差异,1960s、1970s,降水年际变化偏弱,相反地,多年代际变化正处于负位相的极小值期;1980s、1990s,多年代际变化位相转正;2000s初,年际变化明显增强。此外,通过分析不同时间尺度降水变化对应的环流、海温背景场,发现热带印度洋海温异常及其引起的西北太平洋副热带高压的变化、大西洋北部海温异常激发的纬向波列以及贝加尔湖地区的阻塞活动、1970s末PDO位相转变伴随的东亚夏季风突变是分别解释降水年际、年代际和多年代际变化的主要原因,进而揭示影响中部地区夏季干旱发生的关键因子及其相对重要性。     

Summer Sahel-ENSO teleconnection and decadal time scale SST variations

The correlation between Sahel rainfall and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the northern summer has been varying for the last fifty years. We propose that the existence of periods of weak or strong relationship could result from an interaction with the global decadal scale sea surface temperature (SST) background. The main modes of SST variability have been extracted through a principal component analysis with Varimax rotation. The correlations between a July-September Sahel rainfall index and these SST modes have been computed on a 20-year running window between 1945 and 1993. The correlations with the interannual ENSO-SST mode are negative, not significant in the 1960s during the transition period from the wet climate phasis to the long-running drought in the Sahel, but then were significant since 1976. During the former period, the correlations between the Sahel rainfall index and the other SST modes (expressing mostly on quasi and multi-decadal scales) are the highest, in particular correlations with the tropical Atlantic “dipole”. Correlations between Sahel and Guinea Coast rainfall are also significantly negative. After 1970, the Sahel-Guinea Coast rainfall correlations are no longer significant, and the ENSO-SST mode becomes the only one significantly correlated with Sahel rainfall, especially due to the impact of warm events. The partial correlations between the ENSO-SST mode and the Sahel rainfall index, when the influence of the other SST modes are eliminated, are significant over all the 20-year running periods between 1945 and 1993, suggesting that this summer teleconnection could be modulated by the decadal scale SST background. The NCEP/NCAR reanalyses reproduce accurately the interannual variability of the atmospheric circulation after 1968. In particular a regional West African Monsoon Index (WAMI), combining wind speed anomalies at 925 and 200?hPa, is highly correlated with the July-September Sahel rainfall index. A warm ENSO event is associated both with an eastward mean sea level pressure gradient between the eastern tropical Pacific and the tropical Atlantic and with a northward pressure gradient along the western coast of West Africa. This pattern leads to enhanced trade winds over the tropical Atlantic and to weaker moisture advection over West Africa, consistent with a weaker monsoon system strength and a weaker Southern Hemisphere Hadley circulation. The NCEP/NCAR reanalyses do not reproduce accurately the decadal variability of the atmospheric circulation over West Africa because of artifical biases. Therefore the impact of the decadal scale pattern of the atmospheric circulation has been investigated with atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) sensitivity experiments, by forcing the ARPEGE-Climat model with different combinations of an El Niño-like SST pattern with the pattern of the main mode of decadal scale SST variability where the hightest weights are located in the Pacific and Indian basins. AGCM outputs show that the decadal scale SST variations weakly affect Sahel rainfall variability but that they do induce an indirect effect on Sahel rainfall by enhancing the impact of the warm ENSO phases after 1980, through an increase in the fill-in of the monsoon trough and a moisture advection deficit over West Africa.     

ENSO对黑潮海区风应力异常影响的初步探讨

利用近50a黑潮海区风应力场与Nino3区海温指数序列进行相关分析后发现,ENSO对黑潮海区经向风应力影响的“关键时段”为秋、冬季至次年初夏时期,对纬向风应力影响的“关键时段”为冬季至次年春季。黑潮海区风应力距平场与赤道中东太平洋SSTA场的扩展SVD分析及相应的合成分析揭示了ENSO期间黑潮海区风应力异常结构的演变：秋季,中国的东海、琉球群岛附近海域首先出现南风应力异常;冬季,吕宋岛以北、台湾以东的海域出现西南风应力异常,其影响范围和强度在次年2月前后达到最强,其后迅速减弱,至5月,风应力异常基本消失。赤道中东太平洋SSTA对黑潮海区经向风应力异常的影响范围较大,强度更显著。     

Multi-year predictability in a coupled general circulation model

Multi-year to decadal variability in a 100-year integration of a BMRC coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (CGCM) is examined. The fractional contribution made by the decadal component generally increases with depth and latitude away from surface waters in the equatorial Indo-Pacific Ocean. The relative importance of decadal variability is enhanced in off-equatorial “wings” in the subtropical eastern Pacific. The model and observations exhibit “ENSO-like” decadal patterns. Analytic results are derived, which show that the patterns can, in theory, occur in the absence of any predictability beyond ENSO time-scales. In practice, however, modification to this stochastic view is needed to account for robust differences between ENSO-like decadal patterns and their interannual counterparts. An analysis of variability in the CGCM, a wind-forced shallow water model, and a simple mixed layer model together with existing and new theoretical results are used to improve upon this stochastic paradigm and to provide a new theory for the origin of decadal ENSO-like patterns like the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation. In this theory, ENSO-driven wind-stress variability forces internal equatorially-trapped Kelvin waves that propagate towards the eastern boundary. Kelvin waves can excite reflected internal westward propagating equatorially-trapped Rossby waves (RWs) and coastally-trapped waves (CTWs). CTWs have no impact on the off-equatorial sub-surface ocean outside the coastal wave guide, whereas the RWs do. If the frequency of the incident wave is too high, then only CTWs are excited. At lower frequencies, both CTWs and RWs can be excited. The lower the frequency, the greater the fraction of energy transmitted to RWs. This lowers the characteristic frequency (reddens the spectrum) of variability off the equator relative to its equatorial counterpart. At low frequencies, dissipation acts as an additional low pass filter that becomes more effective, as latitude increases. At the same time, ENSO-driven off-equatorial surface heating anomalies drive mixed layer temperature responses in both hemispheres. Both the eastern boundary interactions and the accumulation of surface heat fluxes by the surface mixed layer act to low pass filter the ENSO-forcing. The resulting off-equatorial variability is therefore more coherent with low pass filtered (decadal) ENSO indices [e.g. NINO3 sea-surface temperature (SST)] than with unfiltered ENSO indices. Consequently large correlations between variability and NINO3 extend further poleward on decadal time-scales than they do on interannual time-scales. This explains why decadal ENSO-like patterns have a broader meridional structure than their interannual counterparts. This difference in appearance can occur even if ENSO indices do not have any predictability beyond interannual time-scales. The wings around 15–20°S, and sub-surface variability at many other locations are predictable on interannual and multi-year time-scales. This includes westward propagating internal RWs within about 25° of the equator. The slowest of these take up to 4 years to reach the western boundary. This sub-surface predictability has significant oceanographic interest. However, it is linked to only low levels of SST variability. Consequently, extrapolation of delayed action oscillator theory to decadal time-scales might not be justified.