scholarly journals An Intrinsic Mode of Interannual Variability in the Indian Ocean

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 701-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Wolfe ◽  
Paola Cessi ◽  
Bruce D. Cornuelle

AbstractAn intrinsic mode of self-sustained, interannual variability is identified in a coarse-resolution ocean model forced by an annually repeating atmospheric state. The variability has maximum loading in the Indian Ocean, with a significant projection into the South Atlantic Ocean. It is argued that this intrinsic mode is caused by baroclinic instability of the model’s Leeuwin Current, which radiates out to the tropical Indian and South Atlantic Oceans as long Rossby waves at a period of 4 yr. This previously undescribed mode has a remarkably narrowband time series. However, the variability is not synchronized with the annual cycle; the phase of the oscillation varies chaotically on decadal time scales. The presence of this internal mode reduces the predictability of the ocean circulation by obscuring the response to forcing or initial condition perturbations. The signature of this mode can be seen in higher-resolution global ocean models driven by high-frequency atmospheric forcing, but altimeter and assimilation analyses do not show obvious signatures of such a mode, perhaps because of insufficient duration.

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3106-3130 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Murray ◽  
Nathaniel L. Bindoff ◽  
C. J. C. Reason

Abstract A near-global ocean model with resolution enhanced in the southern Indian Ocean has been spun up to seasonal equilibrium and then driven by NCEP–NCAR reanalysis 1 monthly mean forcings and Hadley SSTs over the period 1948–2002. The aim was to simulate changes in the subsurface properties observed in hydrographic surveys at 32°S in the Indian Ocean in 1965, 1987, and 2002. These surveys showed a zonally averaged cooling on isopycnals of 0.5° and 0.3°C in mode and intermediate waters between 1965 and 1987 and a warming of the mode water coupled with a continued cooling of the intermediate water between 1987 and 2002. The major changes in isopycnal depth and temperature modeled in this study were confined to the mode water and were qualitatively similar to those observed but concentrated in a lower density class and in the eastern half of the section. The dominant changes here were multidecadal, with maximum temperatures on the σθ = 26.7 kg m−3 isopycnal being reached in 1968 and minimum temperatures in 1990. The simulations showed a propagation of interannual anomalies toward the section from a region of deep late winter mixed layers in the southeast Indian Ocean within a period of several years. Surface temperatures in this region were lowest in the 1960s and highest in the late 1980s. Temperatures on isopycnals showed the opposite variation, consistent with SST having the controlling effect on mixed layer density and depth. Isopycnal depths within the mode water were strongly correlated with temperature, implying a redistribution of mode water density classes, the greatest volume of mode water being produced in a higher density class (σθ = 26.8–27.0 kg m–3) during the period of cooler surface forcing in the 1960s and 1970s than during the warmer period following (σθ = 26.6–26.8 kg m–3).


2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 2937-2960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohua Huang ◽  
J. Shukla

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.


2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. W. Humphries ◽  
D. J. Webb

Abstract. The Indonesian Throughflow is analysed in two runs of the OCCAM 1/4 degree global ocean model, one using monthly climatological winds and one using ECMWF analysed six-hourly winds for the period 1993 to 1998. The long-term model throughflow agrees with observations and the value predicted by Godfrey's Island Rule. The Island Rule has some skill in predicting the annual signal each year but is poor at predicting year to year and shorter term variations in the total flow especially in El Nino years. The spectra of transports in individual passages show significant differences between those connecting the region to the Pacific Ocean and those connecting with the Indian Ocean. This implies that different sets of waves are involved in the two regions. Vertical profiles of transport are in reasonable agreement with observations but the model overestimates the near surface transport through the Lombok Strait and the dense overflow from the Pacific through the Lifamatola Strait into the deep Banda Sea. In both cases the crude representation of the passages by the model appears responsible. In the north the model shows, as expected, that the largest transport is via the Makassar Strait. However this is less than expected and instead there is significant flow via the Halmahera Sea. If Godfrey's Island Rule is correct and the throughflow is forced by the northward flow between Australia and South America, then the Halmahers Sea route should be important. It is the most southerly route around New Guinea to the Indian Ocean and there is no apparent reason why the flow should go further north in order to pass through the Makassar Strait. The model result thus raises the question of why in reality the Makassar Strait route appears to dominate the throughflow.


Ocean Science ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. W. Humphries ◽  
D. J. Webb

Abstract. The Indonesian Throughflow is analysed in two runs of the OCCAM 1/4 degree global ocean model, one using monthly climatological winds and one using ECMWF analysed six-hourly winds for the period 1993 to 1998. The long-term model throughflow agrees with observations and the value predicted by Godfrey's Island Rule. The Island Rule has some skill in predicting the annual signal each year but is poor at predicting year to year and shorter term variations in the total flow, especially in El Niño years. The spectra of transports in individual passages show significant differences between those connecting the region to the Pacific Ocean and those connecting with the Indian Ocean. On investigation we found that changes in the northern transports were strongly correlated with changes in the position of currents in the Celebes Sea and off Halmahera. Vertical profiles of transport are in reasonable agreement with observations but the model overestimates the near surface transport through the Lombok Strait and the dense overflow from the Pacific through the Lifamatola Strait into the deep Banda Sea. In both cases the crude representation of the passages by the model appears responsible. In the north the model shows, as expected, that the largest transport is via the Makassar Strait. However this is less than expected and instead there is significant flow via the Halmahera Sea. If Godfrey's Island Rule is correct and the throughflow is forced by the northward flow between Australia and South America, then the Halmahers Sea route should be important. It is the most southerly route around New Guinea to the Indian Ocean and there is no apparent reason why the flow should go further north in order to pass through the Makassar Strait. The model result thus raises the question of why in reality the Makassar Strait route appears to dominate the throughflow.


MAUSAM ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-422
Author(s):  
S. K. BEHERA ◽  
P. S. SALVEKAR

A simple reductA1 gravity wind-driven ocean circulation model is used to study the interannual variability in the upper layer of the Indian Ocean (24°S-23°N and 3S°E-IIS0E). The monthly mean wind stress for the period 1977-1986 are used as a forcing in the model. The model reproduces most of the observed features of the annual cycle of the upper layer circulation in the Indian Ocean when was forced with the ten-year average monthly mean wind. The circulation features and the model upper layer thickness show considerable interannual variability in most part of the basin; in particular, the Somali Current, the basin wide southern hemisphere gyre, the Equatorial Currents and the gyres in the Bay of Bengal. Six consecutive years starting from 1978 to 1983 which include two bad monsoon years of 1979 and 1982 are chosen to study the interannual variability. February circulation field shows stronger Equatorial Counter Currents in bad monsoon years, whereas. the cunents north of Madagascar flowing up to the African coast are found to be stronger in good monsoon years. The southward return flow from the Southern Gyre in August is strong and more to southern latitudes in the bad monsoon years. The flow circulated eastward to form another eddy east of Southern Gyre. The basin wide gyre of the southern hemisphere (SH) shows less variability in two consecutive normal years than in contrasting years.      


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2091-2105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Denvil-Sommer ◽  
Marion Gehlen ◽  
Mathieu Vrac ◽  
Carlos Mejia

Abstract. A new feed-forward neural network (FFNN) model is presented to reconstruct surface ocean partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) over the global ocean. The model consists of two steps: (1) the reconstruction of pCO2 climatology, and (2) the reconstruction of pCO2 anomalies with respect to the climatology. For the first step, a gridded climatology was used as the target, along with sea surface salinity (SSS), sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), chlorophyll a (Chl a), mixed layer depth (MLD), as well as latitude and longitude as predictors. For the second step, data from the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) provided the target. The same set of predictors was used during step (2) augmented by their anomalies. During each step, the FFNN model reconstructs the nonlinear relationships between pCO2 and the ocean predictors. It provides monthly surface ocean pCO2 distributions on a 1∘×1∘ grid for the period from 2001 to 2016. Global ocean pCO2 was reconstructed with satisfying accuracy compared with independent observational data from SOCAT. However, errors were larger in regions with poor data coverage (e.g., the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean and the subpolar Pacific). The model captured the strong interannual variability of surface ocean pCO2 with reasonable skill over the equatorial Pacific associated with ENSO (the El Niño–Southern Oscillation). Our model was compared to three pCO2 mapping methods that participated in the Surface Ocean pCO2 Mapping intercomparison (SOCOM) initiative. We found a good agreement in seasonal and interannual variability between the models over the global ocean. However, important differences still exist at the regional scale, especially in the Southern Hemisphere and, in particular, in the southern Pacific and the Indian Ocean, as these regions suffer from poor data coverage. Large regional uncertainties in reconstructed surface ocean pCO2 and sea–air CO2 fluxes have a strong influence on global estimates of CO2 fluxes and trends.


2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 1488-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
B SUBRAHMANYAM ◽  
K UEYOSHI ◽  
J MORRISON

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankitha Kannad ◽  
Nathalie F. Goodkin ◽  
Sujata A. Murty ◽  
Riovie D. Ramos ◽  
Dhrubajyoti Samanta ◽  
...  

<p>The Indonesian and South China Sea throughflows play an important role in global ocean circulation as the only low-latitude pathway for the exchange of heat and salt between the Pacific and Indian oceans. This transport is modulated by different climate systems including the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the East Asian Monsoon. The interactions of these climate systems across the Southeast Asian region are still being understood, particularly the role of sea surface salinity (SSS) in inhibiting flow from the Makassar Strait into the Indian Ocean.</p><p>Reconstructions of SSS from corals provide an opportunity to study long-term trends in climate and ocean circulation. Coral records from north and south of the Luzon Strait, the Makassar Strait, and Lombok Strait for the period 1926 to 2010 are examined to evaluate their shared variability. Principal component analysis synthesizes these records for the boreal winter (December to March) and boreal summer (June to September). The first and second principal components or empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) describe over 55% of the shared variance in both seasons. In the winter, the EOF of both modes correlates to PDO and the first EOF correlates to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). A high-pass filter of the first EOF for <10 years per cycle for the winter and summer significantly correlates to ENSO and IOD respectively. While several sites individually correlate with ENSO and PDO, no individual SSS record correlates to the IOD. This consistent relationship of the IOD to the winter EOF indicates a regional influence on salinity variance that is not identified locally. One hypothesis to explain IOD’s regional influence is that the interaction of the IOD and ENSO through the atmospheric bridge or the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) is influencing the region. Spectral analysis, and climatic and oceanographic models will be used to further investigate this connection.</p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 353-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Le Bars ◽  
H. A. Dijkstra ◽  
W. P. M. De Ruijter

Abstract. Using ocean models of different complexity we show that opening the Indonesian Passage between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean increases the input of Indian Ocean water into the South Atlantic via the Agulhas leakage. In a strongly eddying global ocean model this response results from an increased Agulhas Current transport and a constant proportion of Agulhas retroflection south of Africa. The leakage increases through an increased frequency of ring shedding events. In an idealized two-layer and flat-bottom eddy resolving model, the proportion of the Agulhas Current transport that retroflects is (for a wide range of wind stress forcing) not affected by an opening of the Indonesian Passage. A linear ocean model is not able to explain this behavior which reveals the importance of mixed barotropic/baroclinic instabilities in controlling the Agulhas leakage.


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