scholarly journals Spatial and seasonal responses of precipitation in the Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins to ENSO and Indian Ocean dipole modes: implications for flooding and drought

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Pervez ◽  
G. M. Henebry
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Indian Ocean Dipole ◽  
El Nino ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Ganges Basin ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Brahmaputra Basin ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Seasonal Responses

Abstract. We evaluated the spatial and seasonal responses of precipitation in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins as modulated by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) modes using Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) full data reanalysis of monthly global land-surface precipitation data from 1901 to 2010 with a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5°. The GPCC monthly total precipitation climatology targeting the period 1951–2000 was used to compute gridded monthly anomalies for the entire time period. The gridded monthly anomalies were averaged for the years influenced by combinations of climate modes. Occurrences of El Niño alone significantly reduce (88% of the long-term average (LTA)) precipitation during the monsoon months in the western and southeastern Ganges Basin. In contrast, occurrences of La Niña and co-occurrences of La Niña and negative IOD events significantly enhance (110 and 109% of LTA in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Basin, respectively) precipitation across both basins. When El Niño co-occurs with positive IOD events, the impacts of El Niño on the basins' precipitation diminishes. When there is no active ENSO or IOD events (occurring in 41 out of 110 years), precipitation remains below average (95% of LTA) in the agriculturally intensive areas of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Western Nepal in the Ganges Basin, whereas precipitation remains average to above average (104% of LTA) across the Brahmaputra Basin. This pattern implies that a regular water deficit is likely, especially in the Ganges Basin, with implications for the agriculture sector due to its reliance on consistent rainfall for successful production. Historically, major droughts occurred during El Niño and co-occurrences of El Niño and positive IOD events, while major flooding occurred during La Niña and co-occurrences of La Niña and negative IOD events in the basins. This observational analysis will facilitate well-informed decision making in minimizing natural hazard risks and climate impacts on agriculture, and supports development of strategies ensuring optimized use of water resources in best management practice under a changing climate.

scholarly journals Spatial and seasonal responses of precipitation in the Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins to ENSO and Indian Ocean dipole modes: implications for flooding and drought

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1671-1692
Author(s):  
M. S. Pervez ◽  
G. M. Henebry
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Climate Modes ◽  
Ganges Basin ◽  
Brahmaputra Basin ◽  
Precipitation Records ◽  
The Ganges

Abstract. We evaluated the spatial and temporal responses of precipitation in the basins as modulated by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean (IO) dipole modes using observed precipitation records at 43 stations across the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins from 1982 to 2010. Daily observed precipitation records were extracted from Global Surface Summary of the Day dataset and spatial and monthly anomalies were computed. The anomalies were averaged for the years influenced by climate modes combinations. Occurrences of El Niño alone significantly reduced (60% and 88% of baseline in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins, respectively) precipitation during the monsoon months in the northwestern and central Ganges basin and across the Brahmaputra basin. In contrast, co-occurrence of La Niña and a positive IO dipole mode significantly enhanced (135% and 160% of baseline, respectively) precipitation across both basins. During the co-occurrence of neutral phases in both climate modes (occurring 13 out of 28 yr), precipitation remained below average to average in the agriculturally extensive areas of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, eastern Nepal, and the Rajshahi district in Bangladesh in the Ganges basin and northern Bangladesh, Meghalaya, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh in the Brahmaputra basin. This pattern implies that a regular water deficit is likely in these areas with implications for the agriculture sector due to its reliance on consistent rainfall for successful production. Major flooding and drought occurred as a consequence of the interactive effects of the ENSO and IO dipole modes, with the sole exception of extreme precipitation and flooding during El Niño events. This observational analysis will facilitate well informed decision making in minimizing natural hazard risks and climate impacts on agriculture, and supports development of strategies ensuring optimized use of water resources in best management practice under changing climate.

scholarly journals The unique mean seasonal cycle in the Indian Ocean anchors its various air-sea coupled modes across the basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinqiang Xu ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Weidong Yu
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Indian Ocean Dipole ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Trade Wind ◽  
Coupled Modes ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The Indian Ocean

AbstractThe interannual variability of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the Indian Ocean is complex and characterized by various air-sea coupled modes, which occur around El Niño/La Niña's peak phase (i.e. December–January–February, DJF). Indian Ocean Dipole Mode (IODM) develops over the tropical Indian Ocean and peaks in September–October–November (SON), while Ningaloo Niño, Subtropical Indian Ocean Dipole (SIOD) and Indian Ocean Basin Mode (IOBM) occur respectively over northwest off Australia, subtropical and tropical Indian Ocean, during boreal winter to spring. The apparent contrast between their divergent regionality and convergent seasonality around DJF triggers the present study to examine the interaction between the local mean monsoonal cycle and the anomalous forcing from El Niño/La Niña. The diagnosis confirms that the Indian Ocean’s unique complexity, including the monsoonal circulation over the tropics and the trade wind over the subtropical southern Indian Ocean, plays the fundamental role in anchoring the various regional air-sea coupled modes across the basin. The SST anomalies can be readily explained by the wind-evaporation-SST (WES) mechanism, which works together with other more regional-dependent dynamic and thermodynamic mechanisms. This implies that El Niño/La Niña brings much predictability for the Indian Ocean variations.

scholarly journals The Hydrologic Effects of Synchronous El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Subtropical Indian Ocean Dipole Events over Southern Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 2407-2424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Hoell ◽  
Andrea E. Gaughan ◽  
Shraddhanand Shukla ◽  
Tamuka Magadzire
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Indian Ocean Dipole ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
La Niña ◽  
El Nino Southern Oscillation ◽  
La Nina

Abstract Southern Africa precipitation during December–March (DJFM), the height of the rainy season, is closely related with two modes of climate variability, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the subtropical Indian Ocean dipole (SIOD). Recent research has found that the combined effects of ENSO and SIOD phasing are linked with changes to the regional southern Africa atmospheric circulation beyond the individual effects of either ENSO or SIOD alone. Here, the authors extend the recent research and examine the southern Africa land surface hydrology associated with the synchronous effects of ENSO and SIOD events using a macroscale hydrologic model, with particular emphasis on the evolution of the hydrologic conditions over three critical Transfrontier Conservation Areas: the Kavango–Zambezi Conservation Area, the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. A better understanding of the climatic effects of ENSO and SIOD phase combinations is important for regional-scale transboundary conservation planning, especially for southern Africa, where both humans and wildlife are dependent on the timing and amount of precipitation. Opposing ENSO and SIOD phase combinations (e.g., El Niño and a negative SIOD or La Niña and a positive SIOD) result in strong southern Africa climate impacts during DJFM. The strong instantaneous regional precipitation and near-surface air temperature anomalies during opposing ENSO and SIOD phase combinations lead to significant soil moisture and evapotranspiration anomalies in the year following the ENSO event. By contrast, when ENSO and SIOD are in the same phase (e.g., El Niño and a positive SIOD or La Niña and a negative SIOD), the southern Africa climate impacts during DJFM are minimal.

scholarly journals Wind-Driven Response of the Northern Indian Ocean to Climate Extremes*

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 2978-2993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommy G. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Northern Indian Ocean ◽  
La Nina

Abstract Composites of Florida State University winds (1970–99) for four different climate scenarios are used to force an Indian Ocean model. In addition to the mean climatology, the cases include La Niña, El Niño, and the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD). The differences in upper-ocean water mass exchanges between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are investigated and show that, during El Niño and IOD years, the average clockwise Indian Ocean circulation is intensified, while it is weakened during La Niña years. As a consequence, high-salinity water export from the Arabian Sea into the Bay of Bengal is enhanced during El Niño and IOD years, while transport of low-salinity waters from the Bay of Bengal into the Arabian Sea is enhanced during La Niña years. This provides a venue for interannual salinity variations in the northern Indian Ocean.

scholarly journals Seasonal Responses of Precipitation in China to El Niño and Positive Indian Ocean Dipole Modes

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunxiang Li ◽  
Tianbao Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Indian Ocean Dipole ◽  
North China ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Positive Indian Ocean Dipole ◽  
Seasonal Responses

Using composite, regular, and partial regression analyses in the six consecutive seasons from spring of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-/Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)-developing year through summer following the ENSO/IOD mature phase, the individual and combined impacts of El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) on the evolution of precipitation in China are diagnosed for the period 1950–2013. It is shown that the seasonal responses of precipitation in China to El Niño and pIOD events, and their relationship with the large-scale atmospheric circulations, differ from one season to another. For the pure El Niño years, there is a seasonal reversal of precipitation over southeastern and northwestern China, with deficient precipitation occurring in these two regions before the onset of anomalous wet conditions in the developing autumn. Meanwhile, North China tends to be drier than normal in the developing seasons, but wetter than normal in the decaying seasons. For the pure pIOD events, southern China suffers a precipitation deficit (surplus) in the developing spring (summer and autumn). Furthermore, both North China and northwestern China experience excessive precipitation in the developing autumn and decaying summer. In addition, there is reduced precipitation in northeastern China during both the developing and decaying summers, whereas increased precipitation occurs in the developing autumn and decaying winter. For the combined years, southern China experiences enhanced moisture supply and suffers from increased precipitation from the developing summer through the subsequent spring, but reduced precipitation in the developing spring and decaying summer. Similar to the pure El Niño, northwestern (North) China becomes wetter than normal after the developing summer (autumn) in the combined years. In general, the ENSO/IOD-related precipitation variability could be explained by the associated anomaly circulations.

The Influence of the Indian Ocean on ENSO Stability and Flavor

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 2601-2620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia E. Wieners ◽  
Henk A. Dijkstra ◽  
Will P. M. de Ruijter
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
El Niño ◽  
East Coast ◽  
El Nino ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Enso Cycle ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The Indian Ocean

The effect of long-term trends and interannual, ENSO-driven variability in the Indian Ocean (IO) on the stability and spatial pattern of ENSO is investigated with an intermediate-complexity two-basin model. The Pacific basin is modeled using a fully coupled (i.e., generating its own background state) Zebiak–Cane model. IO sea surface temperature (SST) is represented by a basinwide warming pattern whose strength is constant or varies at a prescribed lag to ENSO. Both basins are coupled through an atmosphere transferring information between them. For the covarying IO SST, a warm IO during the peak of El Niño (La Niña) dampens (destabilizes) ENSO, and a warm IO during the transition from El Niño to La Niña (La Niña to El Niño) shortens (lengthens) the period. The influence of the IO on the spatial pattern of ENSO is small. For constant IO warming, the ENSO cycle is destabilized because stronger easterlies induce more background upwelling, more thermocline steepening, and a stronger Bjerknes feedback. The SST signal at the east coast weakens or reverses sign with respect to the main ENSO signal [i.e., ENSO resembles central Pacific (CP) El Niños]. This is due to a reduced sensitivity of the SST to thermocline variations in case of a shallow background thermocline, as found near the east coast for a warm IO. With these results, the recent increase in CP El Niño can possibly be explained by the substantial IO (and west Pacific) warming over the last decades.

scholarly journals The Seasonal Development of an SST Anomaly in the Indian Ocean and Its Relationship to ENSO

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motoki Nagura ◽  
Masanori Konda
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Seasonal Development ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Dipole Pattern ◽  
Sst Anomaly

Abstract The seasonal development of the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly in the Indian Ocean is investigated in relation to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), using NOAA optimally interpolated SST and NCEP reanalysis data. The result shows that the onset season of El Niño affects the seasonal development of surface wind anomalies over the equatorial eastern Indian Ocean (EEIO); these surface wind anomalies, in turn, determine whether the SST anomaly in the EEIO evolves into the eastern pole of the dipole pattern. In years when the dipole pattern develops, surface zonal wind anomalies over the EEIO switch from westerly to easterly in spring as La Niña switches to El Niño. The seasonal zonal wind over the EEIO also switches from westerly to easterly in spring, and the anomalous wind strengthens seasonal wind from winter to summer. Stronger winds and resultant thermal forcings produce the negative SST anomaly in the EEIO in winter, and its amplitude increases in summer. The SST anomaly becomes the eastern pole of the dipole pattern in fall. In contrast, if the change from La Niña to El Niño is delayed until late summer/fall or if La Niña persists throughout the year, a westerly anomaly persists from winter to summer over the EEIO. The persistent westerly anomaly strengthens the wintertime climatological westerlies and weakens the summertime easterlies. Therefore, negative SST anomalies are produced in the EEIO in winter, but the amplitude decreases in summer, and the eastern pole is not present in fall. The above explanation also applies to onset years of La Niña if the signs of the anomalies are reversed.

scholarly journals Representation of MJO Variability in the NCEP Climate Forecast System

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (17) ◽  
pp. 4676-4694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott J. Weaver ◽  
Wanqiu Wang ◽  
Mingyue Chen ◽  
Arun Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Climate Forecast ◽  
Forecast System ◽  
Climate Forecast System ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Ncep Climate Forecast System

The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is arguably the most important intraseasonal mode of climate variability, given its significant modulation of global climate variations and attendant societal impacts. Advancing the current understanding and simulation of the MJO using state-of-the-art climate data and modeling systems is thus a necessary goal for improving MJO prediction capability. MJO variability is assessed in NOAA/NCEP reanalyses and two versions of the Climate Forecast System (CFS), CFS version 1 (CFSv1) and its update version 2 (CFSv2). The analysis leans on a variety of diagnostic procedures and includes MJO sensitivity to varying El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases. It is found that significant improvements have been realized in the representation of MJO variations in the new NCEP Climate Forecast System reanalysis (CFSR) as evidenced by outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) power spectral analysis and more coherent propagation characteristics of precipitation and 850-hPa zonal winds over the Eastern Hemisphere in CFSR-only depictions. Conversely, while modest improvements are realized in the CFSv2 as compared to CFSv1, in general the simulation of the MJO continues to be a challenge. Both versions produce strong eastward propagating variance of convection and wind fields in the intraseasonal frequency band. However, the simulated MJO propagates slower than the observed with difficulties traversing the Maritime Continent into the western Pacific, as noted in many previous modeling studies. The CFS shows robust intraseasonal simulations over the west Pacific during El Niño years with diminished simulation capability over the Indian Ocean during La Niña years. This is likely a manifestation of the preference for La Niña MJO activity to occur over the Indian Ocean and the simulation challenges over that domain.

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