An El Niño is characterized by abnormal warming in Equatorial Central-eastern Pacific.
Aura MLS observations show clear imprint of 2010 El Niño in the upper troposphere, where the observed anomalies of ice water content (IWC), water vapor and temperature in February 2010 are the strongest since the Aura launch.
Deep convection, as indicated by IWC, is shifted eastward from climatologicalposition in Western Pacific to Central-eastern Pacific, causing moistening and warming in Central-eastern Pacific in upper troposphere.
Jonathan Jiangand HuiSu
Microwave Limb Sounder Team
3.12.2010
