Pacific Decadal Variability (Q871)
Subject, term, tag: Pacific Decadal Variability
- Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV)
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Pacific Decadal Variability |
Subject, term, tag: Pacific Decadal Variability |
|
Statements
IPCC Glossary v1.5
1 reference
27 May 2026
Coupled decadal-to-inter-decadal variability of the atmospheric circulation and underlying ocean that is typically observed over the entire Pacific Basin beyond the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) time scale. In the AR6 WGI report, PDV encapsulates the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the South Pacific Decadal Oscillation (SPDO), tropical Pacific decadal variability (also called decadal ENSO), and the Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). Typically, the positive phase of the PDV is characterized by anomalously high sea surface temperatures in the central-eastern tropical Pacific that extend to the extratropical North and South Pacific along the American coasts, encircled to the west by cold sea surface anomalies in the mid-latitude North and South Pacific. The negative phase is accompanied by sea surface temperature anomalies of the opposite sign. Those sea surface temperature anomalies are linked to anomalies in atmospheric and oceanic circulation throughout the whole Pacific Basin. The PDV is associated with decadal modulations in the relative occurrence of El Niño and La Niña. See Section AIV.2.6 in Annex IV of the AR6 WGI report. (English)
IPCC Glossary v1.5
1 reference
27 May 2026