scholarly journals Internal Variability of Indian Ocean SST

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 3726-3738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Jochum ◽  
Raghu Murtugudde
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Indian Monsoon ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Persistence Time ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract A 40-yr integration of an eddy-resolving numerical model of the tropical Indian Ocean is analyzed to quantify the interannual variability that is caused by the internal variability of ocean dynamics. It is found that along the equator in the western Indian Ocean internal variability contributes significantly to the observed interannual variability. This suggests that in this location the predictability of SST is limited to the persistence time of SST anomalies, which is approximately 100 days. Furthermore, a comparison with other sources of variability suggests that internal variability may play an important role in modifying the Indian monsoon or preconditioning the Indian Ocean dipole/zonal mode.

Mechanisms for the Interannual Variability in the Tropical Indian Ocean. Part II: Regional Processes

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 2937-2960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohua Huang ◽  
J. Shukla
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Trade Wind ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract To understand the mechanisms of the interannual variability in the tropical Indian Ocean, two long-term simulations are conducted using a coupled ocean–atmosphere GCM—one with active air–sea coupling over the global ocean and the other with regional coupling restricted within the Indian Ocean to the north of 30°S while the climatological monthly sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are prescribed in the uncoupled oceans to drive the atmospheric circulation. The major spatial patterns of the observed upper-ocean heat content and SST anomalies can be reproduced realistically by both simulations, suggesting that they are determined by intrinsic coupled processes within the Indian Ocean. In both simulations, the interannual variability in the Indian Ocean is dominated by a tropical mode and a subtropical mode. The tropical mode is characterized by a coupled feedback among thermocline depth, zonal SST gradient, and wind anomalies over the equatorial and southern tropical Indian Ocean, which is strongest in boreal fall and winter. The tropical mode simulated by the global coupled model reproduces the main observational features, including a seasonal connection to the model El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The ENSO influence, however, is weaker than that in a set of ensemble simulations described in Part I of this study, where the observed SST anomalies for 1950–98 are prescribed outside the Indian Ocean. Combining with the results from Part I of this study, it is concluded that ENSO can modulate the temporal variability of the tropical mode through atmospheric teleconnection. Its influence depends on the ENSO strength and duration. The stronger and more persistent El Niño events in the observations extend the life span of the anomalous events in the tropical Indian Ocean significantly. In the regional coupled simulation, the tropical mode is still active, but its dominant period is shifted away from that of ENSO. In the absence of ENSO forcing, the tropical mode is mainly stimulated by an anomalous atmospheric direct thermal cell forced by the fluctuations of the northwestern Pacific monsoon. The subtropical mode is characterized by an east–west dipole pattern of the SST anomalies in the southern subtropical Indian Ocean, which is strongest in austral fall. The SST anomalies are initially forced by surface heat flux anomalies caused by the anomalous southeast trade wind in the subtropical ocean during austral summer. The trade wind anomalies are in turn associated with extratropical variations from the southern annular mode. A thermodynamic air–sea feedback strengthens these subtropical anomalies quickly in austral fall and extends their remnants into the tropical ocean in austral winter. In the simulations, this subtropical variability is independent of ENSO.

Mechanisms for the Interannual Variability in the Tropical Indian Ocean. Part I: The Role of Remote Forcing from the Tropical Pacific

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 2917-2936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohua Huang ◽  
J. Shukla
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Remote Forcing ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
Southwestern Indian Ocean ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract A series of experiments are conducted using a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model in regional coupled mode, which permits active air–sea interaction only within the Indian Ocean to the north of 30°S, with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) prescribed over the rest of the world oceans. In this paper, an ensemble of nine simulations has been analyzed with the observed SST anomalies for 1950–98 prescribed over the uncoupled region. The purpose of this study is to determine the major patterns of interannual variability in the tropical Indian Ocean that could be related to the global low-frequency fluctuations and to understand the physical links between the remote forcing and the regional coupled variations. The ensemble coupled simulations with prescribed SST outside the Indian Ocean are able to reproduce a considerable amount of observed variability in the tropical Indian Ocean during 1950–98. The first EOF modes of the simulated upper-ocean heat content and SST anomalies show structures that are quite consistent with those from the historical upper oceanic temperature and SST analyses. The dominant pattern of response is associated with an oceanic dynamical adjustment of the thermocline depth in the southwestern Indian Ocean. In general, a deepening of the thermocline in the southwest is usually accompanied by the enhanced upwelling and thermocline shoaling centered near the Sumatra coast. Further analysis shows that the leading external forcing is from the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which induces an anomalous fluctuation of the atmospheric anticyclones on both sides of the equator over the Indian Ocean, starting from the evolving stage of an El Niño event in boreal summer. Apart from weakening the Indian monsoon, the surface equatorial easterly anomalies associated with this circulation pattern first induce equatorial and coastal upwelling anomalies near the Sumatra coast from summer to fall, which enhance the equatorial zonal SST gradient and stimulate intense air–sea feedback in the equatorial ocean. Moreover, the persistent anticyclonic wind curl over the southern tropical Indian Ocean, reinforced by the equatorial air–sea coupling, forces substantial thermocline change centered at the thermocline ridge in the southwestern Indian Ocean for seasons. The significant thermocline change has profound and long-lasting influences on the SST fluctuations in the Indian Ocean. It should be noted that the ENSO forcing is not the only way that this kind of basinwide Indian Ocean fluctuations can be generated. As will be shown in the second part of this study, similar low-frequency fluctuations can also be generated by processes within the Indian and western Pacific region without ENSO influence. The unique feature of the ENSO influence is that, because of the high persistence of the atmospheric remote forcing from boreal summer to winter, the life span of the thermocline anomalies in the southwestern Indian Ocean is generally longer than that generated by regional coupled processes.

scholarly journals Possible Impact of the Indian Ocean SST on the Northern Hemisphere Circulation during El Niño*

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3164-3189 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Annamalai ◽  
H. Okajima ◽  
M. Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Precipitation Anomalies ◽  
Sst Anomalies ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract Two atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs), differing in numerics and physical parameterizations, are employed to test the hypothesis that El Niño–induced sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the tropical Indian Ocean impact considerably the Northern Hemisphere extratropical circulation anomalies during boreal winter [January–March +1 (JFM +1)] of El Niño years. The hypothesis grew out of recent findings that ocean dynamics influence SST variations over the southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO), and these in turn impact local precipitation. A set of ensemble simulations with the AGCMs was carried out to assess the combined and individual effects of tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean SST anomalies on the extratropical circulation. To elucidate the dynamics responsible for the teleconnection, solutions were sought from a linear version of one of the AGCMs. Both AGCMs demonstrate that the observed precipitation anomalies over the SWIO are determined by local SST anomalies. Analysis of the circulation response shows that over the Pacific–North American (PNA) region, the 500-hPa height anomalies, forced by Indian Ocean SST anomalies, oppose and destructively interfere with those forced by tropical Pacific SST anomalies. The model results validated with reanalysis data show that compared to the runs where only the tropical Pacific SST anomalies are specified, the root-mean-square error of the height anomalies over the PNA region is significantly reduced in runs in which the SST anomalies in the Indian Ocean are prescribed in addition to those in the tropical Pacific. Among the ensemble members, both precipitation anomalies over the SWIO and the 500-hPa height over the PNA region show high potential predictability. The solutions from the linear model indicate that the Rossby wave packets involved in setting up the teleconnection between the SWIO and the PNA region have a propagation path that is quite different from the classical El Niño–PNA linkage. The results of idealized experiments indicate that the Northern Hemisphere extratropical response to Indian Ocean SST anomalies is significant and the effect of this response needs to be considered in understanding the PNA pattern during El Niño years. The results presented herein suggest that the tropical Indian Ocean plays an active role in climate variability and that accurate observation of SST there is of urgent need.

scholarly journals Role of the Indian Ocean in the Biennial Transition of the Indian Summer Monsoon

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 2147-2164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renguang Wu ◽  
Ben P. Kirtman
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Indian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Indian Monsoon ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Biennial Variability ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract The biennial variability is a large component of year-to-year variations in the Indian summer monsoon (ISM). Previous studies have shown that El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) plays an important role in the biennial variability of the ISM. The present study investigates the role of the Indian Ocean in the biennial transition of the ISM when the Pacific ENSO is absent. The influence of the Indian and Pacific Oceans on the biennial transition between the ISM and the Australian summer monsoon (ASM) is also examined. Controlled numerical experiments with a coupled general circulation model (CGCM) are used to address the above two issues. The CGCM captures the in-phase ISM to ASM transition (i.e., a wet ISM followed by a wet ASM or a dry ISM followed by a dry ASM) and the out-of-phase ASM to ISM transition (i.e., a wet ASM followed by a dry ISM or a dry ASM followed by a wet ISM). These transitions are more frequent than the out-of-phase ISM to ASM transition and the in-phase ASM to ISM transition in the coupled model, consistent with observations. The results of controlled coupled model experiments indicate that both the Indian and Pacific Ocean air–sea coupling are important for properly simulating the biennial transition between the ISM and ASM in the CGCM. The biennial transition of the ISM can occur through local air–sea interactions in the north Indian Ocean when the Pacific ENSO is suppressed. The local sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies induce the Indian monsoon transition through low-level moisture convergence. Surface evaporation anomalies, which are largely controlled by surface wind speed changes, play an important role for SST changes. Different from local air–sea interaction mechanisms proposed in previous studies, the atmospheric feedback is not strong enough to reverse the SST anomalies immediately at the end of the monsoon season. Instead, the reversal of the SST anomalies is accomplished in the spring of the following year, which in turn leads to the Indian monsoon transition.

scholarly journals The Indian Ocean SST Link to Solar Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence Over India During Early Summer Monsoon

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roma Varghese ◽  
Swadhin K. Behera ◽  
Mukunda Dev Behera
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll Fluorescence ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Terrestrial Vegetation ◽  
Atmospheric Teleconnections ◽  
Monsoon Flow ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract This is a maiden attempt to explore the influence of sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the tropical Indian Ocean on the gross primary productivity (GPP) of the terrestrial vegetation of India during the summer monsoon. We studied the productivity of the vegetation across India using solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) as a proxy. Our results demonstrated a strong negative SST–SIF relationship: the productivity decreases (increases) when the SST of the tropical Indian Ocean is higher (lower) than normal. This SST–SIF coupling observed during June can be explained through the atmospheric teleconnections. Positive SST anomalies weaken the land–ocean thermal gradient during the monsoon onset period, reduce the monsoon flow, and hence decrease the moisture transport from the ocean to the Indian mainland. The resultant water stress, along with the high air temperature, leads to a reduction in the GPP. Conversely, negative SST anomalies strengthen the monsoon and increase the availability of moisture for photosynthesis. There is scope for improving regional GPP forecasting studies using the observed SST–SIF relationships.

Role of friction and orography in the Asian-African monsoonal system

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Dalu ◽  
Marco Gaetani ◽  
Cyrille Flamant ◽  
Marina Baldi
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
West African Monsoon ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Ekman Pumping ◽  
The South ◽  
The West ◽  
Impermeable Barrier ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Marine Air

<p>The West African monsoon (WAM) originates in the Gulf of Guinea when the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) makes its landfall; whilst, the south Asian monsoon (SAM) originates in the Indian ocean when the ITCZ crosses the equator. The monsoonal dynamics are here studied after landfall using Gill’s tropospheric model with an implanted Ekman frictional layer (EFL). Ekman pumping increases low level convergence, making the lower monsoonal cyclone deeper and more compact that the upper anticyclone, by transferring tropospheric vorticity into the EFL. In the upper troposphere, air particles spiral-out anticyclonically away from the monsoons, subsiding over the Tropical Atlantic, the Tropical Indian ocean, or transiting into the southern hemisphere across the equator. Whilst marine air particles spiral-in cyclonically towards the WAM or the SAM, the latter appears to be a preferred ending destination in the absence of orography. The Himalayas introduced as a barrier to the monsoonal winds, strengthen the tropospheric winds by tightening the isobars. The Somali mountains (SMs), introduced as a barrier to the Ekman winds, separates the WAM and the SAM catch basins; thus, the Atlantic air particles converge towards the WAM and the Indian ocean particles converge towards the SAM. The Indian Ghats (IGs), introduced as a semi-impermeable barrier to the Ekman winds, deflect the marine air particles originated in the western Indian ocean towards the south-eastern flank of the SAM. In short, an upper single anticyclone encircles both monsoons; the Himalayas strengthen the upper-level winds by increasing the pressure gradients; the SMs split the EFL cyclone, keeping the marine air particles to the west of SMs in the WAM basin and the particles to the east of SMs in the SAM basin; the IGs guides transmit the air particles, deflecting them towards Bangladesh.</p>

The Influence of Tropical Indian Ocean SST on the Indian Summer Monsoon

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3083-3105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annalisa Cherchi ◽  
Silvio Gualdi ◽  
Swadhin Behera ◽  
Jing Jia Luo ◽  
Sebastien Masson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Indian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Tropical Pacific Ocean ◽  
Sst Variability ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sst Anomalies ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract The Indian summer monsoon (ISM) is one of the main components of the Asian summer monsoon. It is well known that one of the starting mechanisms of a summer monsoon is the thermal contrast between land and ocean and that sea surface temperature (SST) and moisture are crucial factors for its evolution and intensity. The Indian Ocean, therefore, may play a very important role in the generation and evolution of the ISM itself. A coupled general circulation model, implemented with a high-resolution atmospheric component, appears to be able to simulate the Indian summer monsoon in a realistic way. In particular, the features of the simulated ISM variability are similar to the observations. In this study, the relationships between the ISM and tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) SST anomalies are investigated, as well as the ability of the coupled model to capture those connections. The recent discovery of the Indian Ocean dipole mode (IODM) may suggest new perspectives in the relationship between ISM and TIO SST. A new statistical technique, the coupled manifold, is used to investigate the TIO SST variability and its relation with the tropical Pacific Ocean (TPO). The analysis shows that the SST variability in the TIO contains a significant portion that is independent from the TPO variability. The same technique is used to estimate the amount of Indian rainfall variability that can be explained by the tropical Indian Ocean SST. Indian Ocean SST anomalies are separated in a part remotely forced from the tropical Pacific Ocean variability and a part independent from that. The relationships between the two SSTA components and the Indian monsoon variability are then investigated in detail.

scholarly journals Estimating the Sensitivity of the Atmospheric Teleconnection Patterns to SST Anomalies Using a Linear Statistical Method

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (24) ◽  
pp. 9065-9081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Li ◽  
Chris E. Forest
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Teleconnection Patterns ◽  
Nao Index ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sst Anomalies ◽  
Better Than

Abstract The Pacific–North American (PNA) pattern and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are known to contain a tropical sea surface temperature (SST)-forced component. This study examines the sensitivity of the wintertime NAO and PNA to patterns of tropical SST anomalies using a linear statistical–dynamic method. The NAO index is sensitive to SST anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean, the central Pacific Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea, and the PNA index is sensitive to SST anomalies over the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans. The NAO and PNA patterns can be reproduced well by combining the linear operator with the consistent SST anomaly over the Indian Ocean and the Niño-4 regions, respectively, suggesting that these are the most efficient ocean basins that force the teleconnection patterns. During the period of 1950–2000, the NAO time series reconstructed by using SST anomalies over the Indian Ocean + Niño-4 region + Caribbean Sea or the Indian Ocean + Niño-4 region is significantly correlated with the observation. Using a cross-spectral analysis, the NAO index is coherent with the SST forcing over the Indian Ocean at a significant 3-yr period and a less significant 10-yr period, with the Indian Ocean SST leading by about a quarter phase. Unsurprisingly, the PNA index is most coherent with the Niño-4 SST at 4–5-yr periods. When compared with the observation, the NAO variability from the linear reconstruction is better reproduced than that of the coupled model, which is better than the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) run, while the PNA variability from the AMIP simulations is better than that of the reconstruction, which is better than the coupled model run.

scholarly journals Possible Role of the Indian Ocean in the In-Phase Transition of the Indian-to-Australian Summer Monsoon

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 5727-5741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renguang Wu
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Australian Summer Monsoon ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Numerical Model Experiments ◽  
Sst Anomalies ◽  
Australian Summer

Abstract Analysis of observations shows that in-phase transitions from the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) to the Australian summer monsoon (ASM) have occurred both in El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and non-ENSO years. The present study investigates possible roles of the Indian Ocean in the in-phase ISM-to-ASM transitions. It is shown that an anomalous ISM leads to sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the tropical Indian Ocean through wind–evaporation effects. The resultant Indian Ocean SST anomalies induce an anomalous ASM of the same sign as the ISM through an anomalous east–west circulation over the eastern Indian Ocean and the Maritime Continent–northern Australia. The results indicate that the in-phase ISM-to-ASM transitions in non-ENSO years can be accomplished through monsoon–Indian Ocean interactions. The results of observational analysis are confirmed with numerical model experiments.

scholarly journals Verification of reanalysis data for the tropical zone of the Indian ocean. Part 2. Characteristics of the averaged seasonal cycle and interannual variability

2020 ◽  
pp. 119-126
Author(s):  
A.B. Polonsky ◽  
◽  
A.V. Torbinskii ◽  
A.V. Gubarev ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Tropical Zone ◽  
Current Vector ◽  
Zonal Component ◽  
The Indian Ocean

The aim of the study is to evaluate the performance of ORAS5/SODA3/GLORYS re-analyses using the RAMA in the tropical Indian Ocean. To assess the reproducibility of the seasonal cycle and characteristics of interannual variability, we used the data on the potential temperature, salinity, and zonal component of the current vector obtained south of the equator for the period 2010–2014. It is shown that at 55°E south of the equator, the GLORYS re-analysis better reproduces the five-year averaged seasonal cycle and interannual variability than the SODA3 and ORAS5 re-analyses.

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