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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Environmental Research Letters

Collective effects of synoptic processes and equatorial waves on the genesis of a strong westerly wind burst event in late 2023

  • Haihang Zheng1
  • Tao Lian2,1
  1. 1Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  2. 2Second Institute of Oceanography
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Abstract

A strong westerly wind burst (WWB) event that occurred from 6–16 November 2023 has been suggested to have substantially influenced the development of the strong 2023/24 El Niño, yet the mechanisms governing its genesis remain poorly understood. Our analysis indicates that the Madden–Julian Oscillation and equatorial convective Rossby waves jointly initiated the event, with the latter playing the dominant role. During the intensification phase, southerly anomalies associated with mid‐latitude low‐pressure systems in the Southern Hemisphere sharply reinforced the WWB, while an East Asian cold surge and Tropical Cyclone Mal further amplified it during its peak. Given the crucial role of WWBs on ENSO evolution, our findings suggest that accurate El Niño prediction by current climate models will remain difficult unless synoptic‐scale processes closely related to WWBs can be adequately simulated.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zheng2026collective,
  title = {{Collective effects of synoptic processes and equatorial waves on the genesis of a strong westerly wind burst event in late 2023}},
  author = {Haihang Zheng and Tao Lian},
  journal = {Environmental Research Letters},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/aeafd0},
  url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aeafd0},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Collective effects of synoptic processes and equatorial waves on the genesis of a strong westerly wind burst event in late 2023
AU  - Haihang Zheng
AU  - Tao Lian
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/13
JO  - Environmental Research Letters
DO  - 10.1088/1748-9326/aeafd0
UR  - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aeafd0
AB  - A strong westerly wind burst (WWB) event that occurred from 6–16 November 2023 has been suggested to have substantially influenced the development of the strong 2023/24 El Niño, yet the mechanisms governing its genesis remain poorly understood. Our analysis indicates that the Madden–Julian Oscillation and equatorial convective Rossby waves jointly initiated the event, with the latter playing the dominant role. During the intensification phase, southerly anomalies associated with mid‐latitude low‐pressure systems in the Southern Hemisphere sharply reinforced the WWB, while an East Asian cold surge and Tropical Cyclone Mal further amplified it during its peak. Given the crucial role of WWBs on ENSO evolution, our findings suggest that accurate El Niño prediction by current climate models will remain difficult unless synoptic‐scale processes closely related to WWBs can be adequately simulated.
SN  - 1748-9326
ER  -