Among all the atmospheric climate modes, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has the most detectable local and distant impact on the climatic variables in many regions over the world. Although the changes between its different phases (normal, La Niña and El Niño) are more or less understandable, the factors influencing ENSO inter-decadal variability are still unknown. This paper presents evidence for a centennial covariation of the tropical ozone at 70 hPa and surface temperature in the Indo-Pacific region. Thorough statistical analysis reveals the leading role of ozone in this synchronised variability during the period 1900÷2010. The supposed mechanism for ozone influence on the tropical surface temperature is discussed.
Key words: lower stratospheric ozone, ENSO, regional climate variability
Topic: SPACE SCIENCES