Abstract:The impact of ENSO on the vapor transportation characteristics over the North Pacific in boreal winters during 1979 to 2016 was investigated with ERA-Interim reanalysis data, including the Integrated Water Vapor (IWV), Integrated Vapor Transport (IVT) and its divergence, as well as the Atmospheric River (AR) frequency. During El Niño boreal winters, the vapor transportation from the subtropical Pacific to the west coast of North America is intensified with cyclonic circulation anomalies over the Northeast Pacific, causing corresponding regional convergent and divergent anomalies. During La Niña boreal winters, the characteristics of vapor transportation are roughly opposite to those of El Niño cases. Analysis of contributing factors on IVT and its divergence is performed based on the scale decomposition method, and the conclusions are as follows: IVT anomalies in ENSO winters over the North Pacific are primarily decided by the circulation anomalies except for the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension (KOE) region in El Niño winters. IVT divergence anomalies are mainly contributed by the divergent circulation anomalies, the meridional gradient of climatological specific humidity, and the zonal gradient of anomalous specific humidity. Furthermore, the AR distribution is more centralized and anomalously shifted poleward in El Niño winters, while more decentralized with a wide meridional and limited zonal range in La Niña winters over the North Pacific.