Asymmetry of the Intertropical Convergence Zone it is the equatorial upwelling that prevents the ITCZ being created at the equator. To explain this simply, upwelling brings cold water to the surface, which will cool the above atmosphere and make it stable because of relative high air density due to low temperature. Thus, this area of the equator is different compared to the strong vertical convection and abundant precipitation of the ITCZ. As a result, the SST is latitudinally asymmetric. Asymmetry of the Intertropical Convergence Zone There are a number of explanations of the asymmetry of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), known by sailors as The Doldrums.
Tropical Atlantic Variability Atlantic Nino event, eastern area of Atlantic will appear warm SST anomalies accompanying a relaxation of trade winds. This mechanism, which is known as Bjerknes Feedback, is similar to El Nino/Southern Oscillation( ENSO). “On interannual and longer timescales, no single mode seems to dominate. Instead, several mechanisms are responsible for tropical Atlantic variability. On the equator, both observational and modeling studies indicate that there is a Bjerknes-type air-sea coupled mode arising from the interaction of the equatorial zonal SST gradient, ITCZ convection, zonal wind, and thermocline depth.” Tropical Atlantic Variability The Tropical Atlantic Variability (TAV) is influenced by internal interaction