Researchers in the US have found that El Niños originating in the eastern tropical Pacific take longer to generate a rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrationsthan those initiated in the central tropical Pacific.
The time lag before increasing carbon dioxide levels for El Niños originating in the eastern tropical Pacific is about 8.5 months, the researchers say, whereas the lag for El Niños starting in the central tropical Pacific is about 5.2 months. However, the sensitivity of carbon dioxide rise to tropical near-surface air temperatures is similar for each type of El Niño.
The results should enable scientists to better constrain the effects of El Niños in climate models. […]
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