Fluctuaciones de la temperatura superficial del mar del Pacífico tropical nororiental extremo no asociadas a ENSO

An analysis of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) in the far northeastern tropical Pacific (0°–10°N, 80°W–100°W), off the coast of Central America, using reanalysis data for the period 1982–2018 and applying linear correlation techniques, reveals anomalous warming episodes not associated with El Niño events within the equatorial band (5°S–5°N). The 2014 event confirms that these warmings produce climatic impacts comparable to those generated by El Niño, although their differentiation remains challenging. The identified episodes exhibit characteristics like the Coastal El Niño observed off Peru. To distinguish them, the classifications Coastal Inca El Niño and Coastal Maya El Niño are proposed, according to their geographic domain of occurrence. It is hypothesized that these warmings may originate from extratropical processes and could be linked to fluctuations in the North Pacific Gyre. These findings open a new line of research into regional ocean–atmosphere phenomena and contribute to advancing the understanding of processes that strengthen climate diagnostics and prediction in the region.