scholarly journals Fast local warming of sea-surface is the main factor of recent deoxygenation in the Arabian Sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zouhair Lachkar ◽  
Michael Mehari ◽  
Muchamad Al Azhar ◽  
Marina Lévy ◽  
Shafer Smith
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Upper Ocean ◽  
Thermocline Depth ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Monsoon Wind ◽  
Monsoon Winds

Abstract. The Arabian Sea (AS) hosts one of the most intense oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the world. Observations show a decline of O2 in the northern AS over the recent decades accompanied by an intensification of the suboxic conditions there. Over the same period, the local sea-surface temperature has risen significantly, particularly over the Arabian Gulf (also known as Persian Gulf, hereafter the Gulf), while summer monsoon winds have intensified. Here, we reconstruct the evolution of dissolved oxygen in the AS from 1982 through 2010 and explore its controlling factors, with a focus on changing atmospheric conditions. To this end, we use a set of eddy-resolving hindcast simulations forced with observation-based winds and heat and freshwater fluxes. We find a significant deoxygenation in the northern AS with O2 inventories north of 20° N dropping by over 2 % decade-1 and 7 % decade-1 in the top 200 m and the 200–1000 m layer, respectively. These changes cause an increase in the volume of suboxia and the rate of denitrification by 10 % decade-1 and 13 % decade-1, respectively. Using a set of sensitivity simulations we demonstrate that deoxygenation in the northern AS is essentially caused by a reduced ventilation induced by the recent fast warming of the sea surface, in particular in the Gulf. Concomitant summer monsoon wind intensification contributes to deoxygenation at depth and in the upper ocean north of 20° N but enhances oxygenation of the upper ocean elsewhere. This is because surface warming enhances vertical stratification, thus limiting ventilation of the intermediate ocean, while summer monsoon wind intensification causes the thermocline depth to rise in the northern AS and deepen elsewhere, thus contributing to lowering O2 levels in the upper 200 m in the northern AS and increasing it in the rest of the AS. Our findings confirm that the AS OMZ is strongly sensitive to upper-ocean warming and concurrent changes in the Indian monsoon winds. Finally, our results also demonstrate that changes in the local climatic forcing play a key role in regional dissolved oxygen changes and hence need to be properly represented in global models to reduce uncertainties in future projections of deoxygenation.

scholarly journals Fast local warming is the main driver of recent deoxygenation in the northern Arabian Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 5831-5849
Author(s):  
Zouhair Lachkar ◽  
Michael Mehari ◽  
Muchamad Al Azhar ◽  
Marina Lévy ◽  
Shafer Smith
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Upper Ocean ◽  
Thermocline Depth ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Monsoon Wind ◽  
Monsoon Winds

Abstract. The Arabian Sea (AS) hosts one of the most intense oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the world. Observations suggest a decline in O2 in the northern AS over the recent decades accompanied by an intensification of the suboxic conditions there. Over the same period, the local sea surface temperature has risen significantly, particularly over the Arabian Gulf (also known as Persian Gulf, hereafter the Gulf), while summer monsoon winds may have intensified. Here, we simulate the evolution of dissolved oxygen in the AS from 1982 through 2010 and explore its controlling factors, with a focus on changing atmospheric conditions. To this end, we use a set of eddy-resolving hindcast simulations forced with winds and heat and freshwater fluxes from an atmospheric reanalysis. We find a significant deoxygenation in the northern AS, with O2 inventories north of 20∘ N dropping by over 6 % per decade between 100 and 1000 m. These changes cause an expansion of the OMZ volume north of 20∘ N at a rate of 0.6 % per decade as well as an increase in the volume of suboxia and the rate of denitrification by 14 and 15 % per decade, respectively. We also show that strong interannual and decadal variability modulate dissolved oxygen in the northern AS, with most of the O2 decline taking place in the 1980s and 1990s. Using a set of sensitivity simulations we demonstrate that deoxygenation in the northern AS is essentially caused by reduced ventilation induced by the recent fast warming of the sea surface, including in the Gulf, with a contribution from concomitant summer monsoon wind intensification. This is because, on the one hand, surface warming enhances vertical stratification and increases Gulf water buoyancy, thus inhibiting vertical mixing and ventilation of the thermocline. On the other hand, summer monsoon wind intensification causes a rise in the thermocline depth in the northern AS that lowers O2 levels in the upper ocean. Our findings confirm that the AS OMZ is strongly sensitive to upper-ocean warming and concurrent changes in the Indian monsoon winds. Finally, our results also demonstrate that changes in the local climatic forcing play a key role in regional dissolved oxygen changes and hence need to be properly represented in global models to reduce uncertainties in future projections of deoxygenation.

scholarly journals On the Detection of Onset and Activity of the Indian Summer Monsoon Using GPS RO Refractivity Profiles

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
pp. 2096-2106 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. V. M. Jagannadha Rao ◽  
M. Venkat Ratnam ◽  
Y. Durga Santhi ◽  
M. Roja Raman ◽  
M. Rajeevan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Indian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
Active Phase ◽  
Monsoon Onset ◽  
Tropospheric Temperature ◽  
Sudden Increase ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Good Relation ◽  
Onset Phase

Abstract Global positioning system (GPS) radio occultation (RO) data available during 2001–10 have been used to examine the variations in the refractivity during the onset of Indian summer monsoon (ISM) over the east Arabian Sea (5°–15°N, 65°–75°E). An enhancement of 5–10 N-units in the refractivity is observed around 4.8 km (~600 hPa) a few days (9.23 ± 3.6 days) before onset of the monsoon over Kerala, India. This is attributed to moisture buildup over the Arabian Sea during the monsoon onset phase. A sudden increase (1.5–2 K) in mean upper-tropospheric temperature at the time of onset and during the active phase of the monsoon is attributed to convective activity and the release of latent heat. On the day of monsoon onset over Kerala, an appreciable dip in the refractivity is observed that persisted for 1–3 days followed by an enhancement in refractivity with the active phase of the monsoon. An arbitrary value of 128 N-units difference between 4.8 km (~600 hPa) and 16 km (~100 hPa) coupled with a dip in refractivity on the day of monsoon arrival might give an indication of clear transition of atmospheric conditions and the detection of monsoon onset. Further, a good relation is also found between the activity of monsoon and variability in the refractivity.

scholarly journals Evolutions of sea level high and warm pool in the southeastern Arabian Sea and their association with Asian monsoons : A study on cause-and-effect relationships

MAUSAM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-94
Author(s):  
O. P. SINGH
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Warm Pool ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Southeastern Arabian Sea

The present study aims at gaining more insight into the evolution of warm pool and associated sea level dome in the southeastern Arabian Sea before the summer monsoon onset.  The results show that the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) maximum in the warm pool region is found during April close to the southwest coast of India.  The Sea Surface Height (SSH) maximum over the same region is observed during December. The collapse of sea level dome begins well in advance during the pre-monsoon whereas the warm pool collapses after the onset of summer monsoon during June.  Therefore, there is a lag of about three to four months between the collapses of the sea level high and the warm pool.  Most interesting aspect is the dramatic increase of SST from September and SSH from October which is continued throughout the post monsoon season (October - December). Therefore, both the collapse and evolution of warm pool are dramatic events before and after the summer monsoon.                    There are considerable variations in the intensity of warm pool and the height of sea level dome on interannual scale.  The variation during El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) epoch of 1987-88 has revealed many interesting features.  During El-Nino year 1987 the warm pool intensity reached its peak in June whereas during La Nina year 1988 the warm pool attained its maximum intensity much earlier, i.e., in April. 

Premonsoon Drought in India Observed from Space

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 683-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Timothy Liu ◽  
Xiaosu Xie
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
Central India ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Summer Monsoon Onset ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Time Gap ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Human Death

Abstract Satellite observations between 2007 and 2015 are used to characterize the annual occurrence of the premonsoon drought (PMD), which causes human death and economic hardship in India, and to postulate its scientific causes. The PMD is identified as the driest and hottest weeks in central India just before the summer monsoon onset. The onset is marked by a sharp increase in precipitation and soil moisture and a decrease in air temperature. The difference between integrated moisture transported in from the Arabian Sea and out to the Bay of Bengal is largely deposited as rain over land during the summer monsoon. The PMD occurs during the short period when moisture is drawn out to the Bay of Bengal before it can be replenished from the Arabian Sea. The time gap is caused by the earlier start of summer monsoon (southwest) winds in the Bay of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea. Sea surface temperature rise precedes the start of summer monsoon wind in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and it has the potential to give advance warning of the PMD and thus allow mitigation of the adverse effects.

scholarly journals Variability of SST and ILD in the Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman in Association with the Monsoon Cycle

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Sartaj Khan ◽  
Shengchun Piao ◽  
Imran U. Khan ◽  
Bingchen Xu ◽  
Shazia Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Wind Forcing ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
The South ◽  
South Central ◽  
Sea Of Oman

Sea surface temperature (SST) and isothermal layer depth (ILD) are important oceanic parameters and could play a significant role in understanding the upper thermal structure as well as improve the predictive capability of monsoons in the tropical oceans. In a disparate departure from the past research, the present study investigates the seasonal variability of SST and ILD in association with the monsoon cycle in the Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman regions by examination of Argo datasets for 2016-17. In this study, the ILD climatology is determined from temperature profiles provided by the Argo floats based on a threshold technique T z ≥ SST − 1 ° C   to investigate the region of stronger and weaker monsoon wind forcing. For SST, values of temperature are used nearest to the sea surface (depth z ≤ 5 m). The region is split into four distinct zones for an accurate description of the monsoon cycle: the south Arabian Sea, the central Arabian Sea, the north Arabian Sea, and the Sea of Oman. It is observed that summer monsoon is more pronounced in the south-central basin of the Arabian Sea, where ILD is deepening (>100 m in September 2016) mainly due to stronger wind forcing in this region. On the contrary, the Sea of Oman region is displayed with smaller ILD amplitude (<10 m in June 2016) with larger SST, meaning that this region is weakly influenced by the summer monsoon. The seasonal relationship established between ILD variability and monsoon cycle for 2016-17 shows that ILD could be a useful indicator for predicting summer monsoon in the Arabian Sea regions. Our analysis results indicate that the dynamics for SST variability are different in these regions and are influenced either by large-scale atmospheric forcing, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), or by the effects of mesoscale variations occurring along the Oman-Arabian coast.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document