ENSO is the most significant ocean - atmosphere mode, and its variability is controlled by (at least) three factors: zonal mean thermocline depth, thermocline sharpness in the EEP, and the strength of the annual cycle and hence the meridional temperature gradient across the equator (53, 54). (pnas.org)
After participation in a ship expedition with RV SONNE to the North Pacific in summer 2018, the tasks include to reconstruct the spatial and temporal changes in near - surface and subsurface water temperatures in the North Pacific, salinity, thermocline depth, and water mass stratification of the upper oceanic surface using geochemical proxy parameters, e.g. in planktic microfossils. (ocean-partners.org)