El Niño events, the warm phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), are known to
affect other tropical ocean basins through teleconnections. Conversely, mounting evidence
suggests that temperature variability in the Atlantic Ocean may also influence ENSO
variability,,,,. Here we use reanalysis data and general circulation models to show that sea
surface temperature anomalies in the north tropical Atlantic during the boreal spring can
serve as a trigger for ENSO events. We identify a subtropical teleconnection in which spring …