Global Average Sea Surface Temperatures Poised for a Plunge
by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D., May 20th, 2010 [here]
Just an update… as the following graph shows, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) along the equatorial Pacific (”Nino3.4″ region, red lines) have been plunging, and global average SSTs have turned the corner, too.
Click on the image for the full-size, undistorted version. Note the global values have been multiplied by 10 for display purposes.
The corresponding sea level pressure difference between Tahiti and Darwin (SOI index, next graph) shows a rapid transition toward La Nina conditions is developing. Click for larger image.
Being a believer in natural, internal cycles in the climate system, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that global-average SSTs will plunge over the next couple of months. Based upon past experience, it will take a month or two for our (UAH) tropospheric temperatures to then follow suit.
Note: La Nina on top of the negative PDO means cold upon cold. The Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Pacific Northwest will decline to temperatures not seen since the 1960’s. Expect a cold, wet summer — unless you consider “summer” to be the 3 nice days we will get in late July.