耦合模式FGOALS_s 模拟的亚澳季风年际变率及ENSO

本文评估了中国科学院大气物理研究所大气科学和地球流体力学数值模拟国家重点实验室 (LASG/IAP) 新一代耦合气候模式FGOALS_s对亚澳季风和ENSO的模拟。结果表明, FGOALS_s可以模拟出亚澳季风的主要气候态特征。FGOALS_s模拟的ENSO事件振幅为观测值的70%, 同时它合理再现了ENSO周期的非规则性。FGOALS_s可以定性模拟出ENSO的主要空间特征。当赤道东太平洋SST升高时, 印度洋和西太平洋海表面气压升高, 而东太平洋海表面气压降低。FGOALS_s的主要缺陷在于模拟的ENSO峰值多出现在春季和夏季。与ENSO振幅偏小相反, FGOALS_s模拟的亚澳季风年际变率振幅大于观测。但是观测中亚澳季风年际变率与ENSO暖位相的显著负相关关系, 在模式中没有得到合理再现, 原因部分可归之于耦合模式在ENSO锁相模拟上的缺陷。由于模式模拟的ENSO峰值出现在北半球春季和夏季, Walker环流异常下沉支移动到西北太平洋, 其激发出的异常反气旋位置较之观测要偏东, 导致印度季风降水和El Niño的负相关关系不显著; 在北半球冬季, 由于模式中的赤道东太平洋SST暖异常较弱, 亚澳季风响应也偏弱。此外, 由于赤道东太平洋SST异常向西伸展, 观测中位于澳洲季风区的辐散中心向西偏移, 最终导致模式中澳洲季风降水与ENSO的负相关同样不显著。     

赤道太平洋次表层海温模态在ENSO循环中的作用

利用美国马里兰大学海洋同化月平均再分析资料(SODA),分离出赤道太平洋次表层海温异常(SOTA)的年际变率和年代际变率,利用经验正交分解(EOF)方法分别得到SOTA年际变率和年代际变率的第一模态和第二模态,重点分析了第二模态在ENSO循环中的作用。结果表明,赤道太平洋年际变率和年代际变率的第一模态为偶极子分布,此分布型是ENSO循环冷暖位相在次表层的同时表现。第二模态以次表层范围较广的海温异常趋势一致分布为显著特征,该模态是ENSO循环演变过程的重要环节。第二模态时间系数与Ni?o-3.4指数具有较好的超前相关性,可作为ENSO事件的预测前兆信号,合成和个例分析验证了这一次表层信号的预测指示作用。      

Evaluation of the zonal wind stress response to SST in the CMIP5 AMIP simulations

纬向风应力在厄尔尼诺-南方涛动(ENSO)事件演变过程中起到了至关重要的作用,但是迄今为止对赤道太平洋区域纬向风应力年际变率的模拟能力及其模拟偏差的全面比较和分析尚不多见。本文对第五次国际耦合模式比较计划(CMIP5)中大气模式纬向风应力的模拟能力进行了全面评估,发现模式集合平均模拟的El Ni?o与La Ni?a时期的纬向风应力异常均比观测结果弱,其中El Ni?o时期的误差更为显著;进一步分析发现,El Ni?o时期的模拟误差可能主要与AMIP模式模拟的东印度洋较弱的降水负异常有关:通过Gill模态响应,东印度洋降水偏差在中西太平洋引起东风异常,这在一定程度上抵消了El Ni?o事件引发的西风异常,最终导致El Ni?o时期AMIP模拟的纬向风应力对SST正异常的响应偏弱。     

全球海洋大气耦合环流模式中的ENSO特征对气候背景态改变的敏感性

文中利用一个高分辨率全球海-气耦合环流模式设计两组长期积分试验,揭示了在不同气候背景态下热带太平洋年际变化特征及模式ENSO循环控制机理的差异。通过分析海表温度、上层海洋热容量和低层风场异常的年际变化特征及其和赤道中东太平洋海表温度异常的关系,揭示了基于不同气候背景场的ENSO循环的不同演变过程。结果表明:ENSO年际变率特征(包括振幅、频率等)对气候背景态相当敏感,在不同的背景场下ENSO循环的控制模态可以明显不同。试验表明,当热带太平洋东冷西暖的背景热力梯度接近多年气候平均时,模式ENSO循环表现为所谓的“时滞振子”模态控制,而随着东西向背景热力梯度显著减小,ENSO循环则可以表现为驻波模态控制。研究结果为认识年代际背景变化影响年际ENSO循环的机理提供了一种启示。     

夏季亚洲-太平洋涛动的耦合模式模拟

亚洲-太平洋涛动是夏季欧亚大陆东部(15°—50°N,60°—120°E)与北太平洋上空(15°—50°N,180°—120°W)温度场反相变化的现象。亚洲-太平洋涛动指数由对流层上层(500—200 hPa)温度定义,反映了亚洲-太平洋纬向热力差异。基于一个全球海-气耦合模式FGOALS_gl的20世纪气候模拟试验结果,讨论了其对20世纪亚洲-太平洋涛动指数变化的模拟能力。结果表明,较之ERA-40再分析资料(1960—1999年),模式很好地刻画出上层温度场的平均态和主导模态的空间型。从趋势上看,模式对北太平洋上空温度的年代际变化和趋势模拟较好,但未能模拟出亚洲东部陆地上空的降温趋势。从频谱分析结果看,模拟的亚洲-太平洋涛动指数2—3,a的年际变率与再分析资料相当,5-7 a周期的变率较弱。模式能够较好地模拟出与亚洲-太平洋涛动指数相关的亚洲季风区气候异常。在20世纪模拟中,外强迫因子会改变耦合系统的年际变率,在自然因子强迫下亚洲-太平洋涛动指数的功率谱向低频方向增强,人为强迫因子的作用则相反。自然强迫因子和人为强迫因子在不同时期对亚洲-太平洋涛动年际和年代际变率的作用不同。在年际变率中人为强迫因子能够控制亚洲-太平洋涛动的变率使其不致过大;在年代际变率中人为强迫因子会增强自然强迫下亚洲-太平洋涛动的变率。模式上层温度的主导模态受ENSO调制,可能影响亚洲-太平洋涛动的年际变率。因此,模式对ENSO模拟能力的缺陷是制约模式对流层上层温度及亚洲-太平洋涛动指数变率的重要因素。     

热通量和风应力影响北太平洋SST年际和年代际变率的数值模拟

利用一个大洋环流模式LICOM, 通过1958～2001年风应力 (ERA40) 和热通量驱动下的两组模拟试验, 检验了二者在北太平洋年际和年代际变率形成中的作用。结果表明, 尽管在年际尺度上热带太平洋变率主要受风应力影响, 但合理考虑热通量异常的强迫作用能够显著改进模式对El Niño的模拟效果, 包括对El Niño周期非规则性的成功模拟; 北太平洋SST的年际和年代际异常主要受热通量异常的影响, 合理考虑热通量强迫的年代际变化能够改善模式对北太平洋年代际变率的模拟效果。在北太平洋海盆的不同区域, 导致SST变率异常的因子不同: 在加利福尼亚沿岸, 冬季平均海温的变率异常主要由热通量的异常决定; 在北太平洋中部, 温度趋势异常主要受热通量和水平平流的作用影响; 在黑潮及其延伸体区域, 对温度趋势异常起主导作用的是热通量和海洋非线性作用, 与此同时, 水平平流和扩散的作用亦不容忽视。     

赤道太平洋区域风应力与海表温度年际异常的奇异值分解

用向量场奇异值分解方法分析了赤道太平洋区域风应力场与海表温度场年际异常的相关联系。结果表明,最主要的一对奇异向量与ENSO循环关系密切,其主要特征为赤道中、东太平洋风应力向赤道的异常辐合（辐散）与该区的SST异常升高（降低）准同步变化。对70和80年代的4次 El Ni?o事件中标准化风应力异常场的分析表明,它们均表现出赤道中、东太平洋的辐合。这一结果可能比用信风张弛描述ENSO循环中的环流异常更合理和更具代表性。     

全球增暖对ENSO影响的数值模拟研究

利用日本东京大学气候系统研究所、日本环境研究所和日本地球环境研究中心联合开发的海气耦合模式MIROC3.2，研究了全球变暖对ENSO年际变率的影响。该模式较好地模拟了ENSO循环的不同阶段表层和次表层海水温度变化，海表温度最大振幅出现在120°W以东，与观测一致，表明模式可以较好反映热带地区大气、海洋的动力、热力特征。研究还比较了控制试验和CO2浓度年增长1%的瞬时试验，结果表明，在全球变暖的大环境下ENSO事件发生频率没有显著变化，但ENSO事件强度增大，年际变率变大；热带太平洋呈现整体增暖趋势，表层温度尤其是热带中太平洋地区温度升高显著。敏感性分析表明，年际ENSO变率的振幅增大的主要贡献来自于海洋。海水增温导致热带太平洋海温垂直梯度增大，在热带西太平洋海温垂直温度梯度变化最为明显；次表层海温对单位大气风应力变化的响应大于表层海温响应。当这种响应与热带太平洋赤道地区径向温度梯度变化的共同作用导致温室效应下ENSO振幅增大。     

北大西洋年际变率的海气耦合模式模拟II：热带太平洋强迫

利用一个全球海气耦合模式(BCM),结合观测资料,讨论了热带太平洋强迫对北大西洋年际气候变率的影响。研究表明,BCM能够相对合理地模拟赤道太平洋的年际变率模态及相应的海温距平型和大气遥相关型,尽管其准3年的振荡周期过于规则。来自数值模式和观测上的证据都表明,北大西洋冬季海温的主导性变率模态,即自北而南出现的“- -”的海温距平型,受到来自热带太平洋强迫的显著影响,其正位相与赤道中东太平洋冷事件相对应。换言之,赤道太平洋暖事件的发生,在太平洋-北美沿岸激发出PNA遥相关型,进而通过在北大西洋产生类似NAO负位相的气压距平型,削弱本来与NAO正位相直接联系的三核型海温距平。北大西洋三核型海温距平对热带太平洋强迫的响应,要滞后2—3个月的时间。     

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。     

Linear trends in sea surface temperature of the tropical Pacific Ocean and implications for the El Niño-Southern Oscillation

A principal component decomposition of monthly sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the tropical Pacific Ocean demonstrates that nearly all of the linear trends during 1950–2010 are found in two leading patterns. The first SST pattern is strongly related to the canonical El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) pattern. The second pattern shares characteristics with the first pattern and its existence solely depends on the presence of linear trends across the tropical Pacific Ocean. The decomposition also uncovers a third pattern, often referred to as ENSO Modoki, but the linear trend is small and dataset dependent over the full 61-year record and is insignificant within each season. ENSO Modoki is also reflected in the equatorial zonal SST gradient between the Niño-4 region, located in the west-central Pacific, and the Niño-3 region in the eastern Pacific. It is only in this zonal SST gradient that a marginally significant trend arises early in the Northern Hemisphere spring (March–May) during El Niño and La Niña and also in the late summer (July–September) during El Niño. Yet these SST trends in the zonal gradient do not unequivocally represent an ENSO Modoki-like dipole because they are exclusively associated with significant positive SST trends in either the eastern or western Pacific, with no corresponding significant negative trends. Insignificant trends in the zonal SST gradient are evident during the boreal wintertime months when ENSO events typically mature. Given the presence of positive SST trends across much of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, using fixed SST anomaly thresholds to define ENSO events likely needs to be reconsidered.     

Summer monsoon circulation and precipitation over the tropical Indian Ocean during ENSO in the NCEP climate forecast system

This study investigates the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnections to tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) and their relationship with the Indian summer monsoon in the coupled general circulation model climate forecast system (CFS). The model shows good skill in simulating the impact of El Niño over the Indian Oceanic rim during its decay phase (the summer following peak phase of El Niño). Summer surface circulation patterns during the developing phase of El Niño are more influenced by local Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies in the model unlike in observations. Eastern TIO cooling similar to that of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a dominant model feature in summer. This anomalous SST pattern therefore is attributed to the tendency of the model to simulate more frequent IOD events. On the other hand, in the model baroclinic response to the diabatic heating anomalies induced by the El Niño related warm SSTs is weak, resulting in reduced zonal extension of the Rossby wave response. This is mostly due to weak eastern Pacific summer time SST anomalies in the model during the developing phase of El Niño as compared to observations. Both eastern TIO cooling and weak SST warming in El Niño region combined together undermine the ENSO teleconnections to the TIO and south Asia regions. The model is able to capture the spatial patterns of SST, circulation and precipitation well during the decay phase of El Niño over the Indo-western Pacific including the typical spring asymmetric mode and summer basin-wide warming in TIO. The model simulated El Niño decay one or two seasons later, resulting long persistent warm SST and circulation anomalies mainly over the southwest TIO. In response to the late decay of El Niño, Ekman pumping shows two maxima over the southern TIO. In conjunction with this unrealistic Ekman pumping, westward propagating Rossby waves display two peaks, which play key role in the long-persistence of the TIO warming in the model (for more than a season after summer). This study strongly supports the need of simulating the correct onset and decay phases of El Niño/La Niña for capturing the realistic ENSO teleconnections. These results have strong implications for the forecasting of Indian summer monsoon as this model is currently being adopted as an operational model in India.     

Does sea surface temperature outside the tropical Pacific contribute to enhanced ENSO predictability?

In this paper we seek to identify inter-annual sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) patterns outside the tropical Pacific that may influence El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) through atmospheric teleconnections. We assume that a linear ENSO hindcast based on tropical Pacific warm water volume and Niño3.4 SSTA indices captures tropical Pacific intrinsic predictability inherent to recharge oscillator dynamics. This simple hindcast model displays statistically significant skill at the 95 % confidence level at leads of up to seven seasons ahead of the ENSO peak. Our results reveal that ENSO-independent equatorial wind stress anomalies only significantly improve the skill of that linear hindcast at the 95 % level in boreal spring and summer before the ENSO peak and in boreal fall, five seasons ahead of the ENSO peak. At those seasons, the robust large-scale SST patterns that provide a statistically significant enhancement of ENSO predictability are related to the Atlantic meridional mode and south Pacific subtropical dipole mode in spring, the Indian Ocean Dipole and the south Atlantic subtropical dipole mode in fall. While the first two regions display significant simultaneous correlations with western equatorial Pacific wind stress in three reanalyses (ERA-I, NCEP and NCEP2), the Indian Ocean Dipole and south Atlantic subtropical dipole mode correlation with Pacific winds is less robust amongst re-analyses. We discuss our results in view of other studies that suggest a remote influence of various regions on ENSO. Although modest, the sensitivity of our results to the dataset and to details of the analysis method illustrates that finding regions that influence ENSO from the statistical analysis of observations is a difficult task.     

The relative importance of ENSO and tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature anomalies for seasonal precipitation over South America: a numerical study

The role of tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies during ENSO episodes over northeast Brazil (Nordeste) is investigated using the CPTEC/COLA Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM). Four sets of integrations are performed using SST in El Niño and La Niña (ENSO) episodes, changing the SST of the Atlantic Ocean. A positive dipole (SST higher than normal in the tropical North Atlantic and below normal in the tropical South Atlantic) and a negative dipole (opposite conditions), are set as the boundary conditions of SST in the Atlantic Ocean. The four experiments are performed using El Niño or La Niña SST in all oceans, except in the tropical Atlantic where the two phases of the SST dipole are applied. Five initial conditions were integrated in each case in order to obtain four ensemble results. The positive SST dipole over the tropical Atlantic Ocean and El Niño conditions over the Pacific Ocean resulted in dry conditions over the Nordeste. When the negative dipole and El Niño conditions over the Pacific Ocean were applied, the results showed precipitation above normal over the north of Nordeste. When La Niña conditions over Pacific Ocean were tested together with a negative dipole, positive precipitation anomalies occurred over the whole Nordeste. Using the positive dipole over the tropical Atlantic, the precipitation over Nordeste was below average. During La Niña episodes, the Atlantic Ocean conditions have a larger effect on the precipitation of Nordeste than the Pacific Ocean. In El Niño conditions, only the north region of Nordeste is affected by the Atlantic SST. Other tropical areas of South America show a change only in the intensity of anomalies. Central and southeast regions of South America are affected by the Atlantic conditions only during La Niña conditions, whereas during El Niño these regions are influenced only by conditions in the Pacific Ocean.     

La Niña diversity and Northwest Indian Ocean Rim teleconnections

The differences in tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) expressions of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events of the same phase have been linked with different global atmospheric circulation patterns. This study examines the dynamical forcing of precipitation during October–December (OND) and March–May (MAM) over East Africa and during December–March (DJFM) over Central-Southwest Asia for 1950–2010 associated with four tropical Pacific SST patterns characteristic of La Niña events, the cold phase of ENSO. The self-organizing map method along with a statistical distinguishability test was used to isolate La Niña events, and seasonal precipitation forcing was investigated in terms of the tropical overturning circulation and thermodynamic and moisture budgets. Recent La Niña events with strong opposing SST anomalies between the central and western Pacific Ocean (phases 3 and 4), force the strongest global circulation modifications and drought over the Northwest Indian Ocean Rim. Over East Africa during MAM and OND, subsidence is forced by an enhanced tropical overturning circulation and precipitation reductions are exacerbated by increases in moisture flux divergence. Over Central-Southwest Asia during DJFM, the thermodynamic forcing of subsidence is primarily responsible for precipitation reductions, with moisture flux divergence acting as a secondary mechanism to reduce precipitation. Eastern Pacific La Niña events in the absence of west Pacific SST anomalies (phases 1 and 2), are associated with weaker global teleconnections, particularly over the Indian Ocean Rim. The weak regional teleconnections result in statistically insignificant precipitation modifications over East Africa and Central-Southwest Asia.     

Pacific decadal oscillation and variability of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Recent studies have furnished evidence for interdecadal variability in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The importance of this phenomenon in causing persistent anomalies over different regions of the globe has drawn considerable attention in view of its relevance in climate assessment. Here, we examine multi-source climate records in order to identify possible signatures of this longer time scale variability on the Indian summer monsoon. The findings indicate a coherent inverse relationship between the inter-decadal fluctuations of Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) and the Indian monsoon rainfall during the last century. A warm (cold) phase of the Pacific interdecadal variability is characterized by a decrease (increase) in the monsoon rainfall and a corresponding increase (decrease) in the surface air temperature over the Indian subcontinent. This interdecadal relationship can also be confirmed from the teleconnection patterns evident from long-period sea level pressure (SLP) dataset. The SLP anomalies over South and Southeast Asia and the equatorial west Pacific are dynamically consistent in showing an out-of-phase pattern with the SLP anomalies over the tropical central-eastern Pacific. The remote influence of the Pacific interdecadal variability on the monsoon is shown to be associated with prominent signals in the tropical and southern Indian Ocean indicative of coherent inter-basin variability on decadal time scales. If indeed, the atmosphere–ocean coupling associated with the Pacific interdecadal variability is independent from that of the interannual El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), then the climate response should depend on the evolutionary characteristics of both the time scales. It is seen from our analysis that the Indian monsoon is more vulnerable to drought situations, when El Niño events occur during warm phases of the Pacific interdecadal variability. Conversely, wet monsoons are more likely to prevail, when La Niña events coincide during cold phases of the Pacific interdecadal variability.     

秋季西北太平洋热带气旋累积能量的年际变化及其预报

秋季是西北太平洋热带气旋平均强度最强的季节,热带气旋累积能量（accumulated cyclone energy, ACE）是热带气旋平均强度的表征指标,基于1979—2015年日本气象厅最佳路径热带气旋数据集,以及美国冰雪中心海冰数据和哈得来环流中心海温数据,利用回归分析和多元逐步回归等方法,对秋季西北太平洋ACE指数进行了分析和预报。研究表明：秋季西北太平洋ACE指数具有显著的年际变化特征,与厄尔尼诺-南方涛动（ENSO）有关,最大和最小值分别出现在1991年的厄尔尼诺年和1999年的拉尼娜年,在厄尔尼诺发展年的秋季ACE一般较强,而在拉尼娜衰减年的秋季热带气旋强度则较弱;ACE指数变化受来自北极海冰变化强迫中纬度异常波列的影响及其受到厄尔尼诺海温模态的调制;由于海冰在波弗特海的异常增多,强迫对流层高层夏季出现类似北半球环球遥相关型异常波列,波列正压下传,使得夏秋季西北太平洋副热带高压东退北移;副热带高压活动的变化和太平洋海温的异常分布影响了局地的环流,热带气旋生成源地弱的垂直风切变区域偏东和涡度显著增大有利于热带气旋在暖海洋上发展强盛。最后进行建模预报,预报效果为0.69。若单独使用海温或海冰作为唯一要素来预报,预报效果将大大降低。     

Is the Indian Ocean SST variability a homogeneous diffusion process?

Whereas the predominance of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) mode in the tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) variability is well established, no such consensus seems to have been reached by climate scientists regarding the Indian Ocean. While a number of researchers think that the Indian Ocean SST variability is dominated by an active dipolar-type mode of variability, similar to ENSO, others suggest that the variability is mostly passive and behaves like an autocorrelated noise. For example, it is suggested recently that the Indian Ocean SST variability is consistent with the null hypothesis of a homogeneous diffusion process. However, the existence of the basin-wide warming trend represents a deviation from a homogeneous diffusion process, which needs to be considered. An efficient way of detrending, based on differencing, is introduced and applied to the Hadley Centre ice and SST. The filtered SST anomalies over the basin (23.5N–29.5S, 30.5E–119.5E) are then analysed and found to be inconsistent with the null hypothesis on intraseasonal and interannual timescales. The same differencing method is then applied to the smaller tropical Indian Ocean domain. This smaller domain is also inconsistent with the null hypothesis on intraseasonal and interannual timescales. In particular, it is found that the leading mode of variability yields the Indian Ocean dipole, and departs significantly from the null hypothesis only in the autumn season.     

The global signature of the ENSO and SST-like fields

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-like variability of various parameters and indices (e.g. sea surface temperature (SST)) is explored, by employing the last six decades of data on a global scale. We found that the ENSO signal in the SST field extends over tropics and subtropics, becoming maximum around 30° N and 30° S. The pronounced ENSO signal in the SST is observed over the southern tropics and subtropics. Additionally, the investigation of regional links between the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and SST revealed a new regional link, which extends in the tropical southern Pacific Ocean, where the effects of a long-lived pattern of SST are taking place. Furthermore, very strong SST-like surface temperature behaviour is observed over the equatorial Indian Ocean, being a new input to the assessment of “dangerous anthropogenic interference”. The above-mentioned findings could be employed to the advanced modelling development to improve climate change projections.     

ENSIP: the El Niño simulation intercomparison project

An ensemble of twenty four coupled ocean-atmosphere models has been compared with respect to their performance in the tropical Pacific. The coupled models span a large portion of the parameter space and differ in many respects. The intercomparison includes TOGA (Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere)-type models consisting of high-resolution tropical ocean models and coarse-resolution global atmosphere models, coarse-resolution global coupled models, and a few global coupled models with high resolution in the equatorial region in their ocean components. The performance of the annual mean state, the seasonal cycle and the interannual variability are investigated. The primary quantity analysed is sea surface temperature (SST). Additionally, the evolution of interannual heat content variations in the tropical Pacific and the relationship between the interannual SST variations in the equatorial Pacific to fluctuations in the strength of the Indian summer monsoon are investigated. The results can be summarised as follows: almost all models (even those employing flux corrections) still have problems in simulating the SST climatology, although some improvements are found relative to earlier intercomparison studies. Only a few of the coupled models simulate the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in terms of gross equatorial SST anomalies realistically. In particular, many models overestimate the variability in the western equatorial Pacific and underestimate the SST variability in the east. The evolution of interannual heat content variations is similar to that observed in almost all models. Finally, the majority of the models show a strong connection between ENSO and the strength of the Indian summer monsoon.