Surface and subsurface signatures of monsoon intraseasonal oscillations from moored buoys observation in the Bay of Bengal

The work identified the monsoon intraseasonal oscillation (MISO) from the observed met-ocean parameters from the moored buoys and satellite datasets during June 2013 – September 2013. The 30–60 days bandpass filtered winds, sea surface temperature (SST), and rainfall from both the satellites and moored buoys have indicated the existence of active and break phases of MISOs with a periodicity of 10–12 days. All the parameters show a northward propagation of the MISO signals from the southern to the northern BoB with stronger magnitude on the north of 12 °N. The warmer SST causes the high wind and precipitation in an active phase after 4–5 days. During active phases, SST dropped, and break phase occurs with less wind and precipitation after 10–12 days. Prominent signatures of the MISOs are also observed along the ocean subsurface from the temperature, salinity, and current profiles. The 23 °C isotherm (D23) deepens during the active phases of the MISOs to make the surface warm. The D23 shoals during the break phases, indicating cooling of the ocean surface. The in-phase relationship of 100 m temperature and wind speeds together indicate an important role of the surface winds during the different phases of MISO. Deepening and shoaling of mixed layer are observed in the upper ocean during the different MISO phases with varying characteristics in the northern and southern BoB. The subsurface signatures of MISOs are strong near 100 m for temperature, but for salinity and currents, the signatures are restricted within 50 m depth.     

Role of horizontal density advection in seasonal deepening of the mixed layer in the subtropical Southeast Pacific

The mechanisms behind the seasonal deepening of the mixed layer(ML) in the subtropical Southeast Pacific were investigated using the monthly Argo data from 2004 to 2012. The region with a deep ML(more than 175 m) was found in the region of(22?–30?S, 105?–90?W), reaching its maximum depth(～200 m) near(27?–28?S, 100?W) in September. The relative importance of horizontal density advection in determining the maximum ML location is discussed qualitatively. Downward Ekman pumping is key to determining the eastern boundary of the deep ML region. In addition, zonal density advection by the subtropical countercurrent(STCC) in the subtropical Southwest Pacific determines its western boundary, by carrying lighter water to strengthen the stratification and form a "shallow tongue" of ML depth to block the westward extension of the deep ML in the STCC region. The temperature advection by the STCC is the main source for large heat loss from the subtropical Southwest Pacific. Finally, the combined effect of net surface heat flux and meridional density advection by the subtropical gyre determines the northern and southern boundaries of the deep ML region: the ocean heat loss at the surface gradually increases from 22?S to 35?S, while the meridional density advection by the subtropical gyre strengthens the stratification south of the maximum ML depth and weakens the stratification to the north. The freshwater flux contribution to deepening the ML during austral winter is limited. The results are useful for understanding the role of ocean dynamics in the ML formation in the subtropical Southeast Pacific.     

Generation and termination of Indian Ocean dipole events in 2003, 2006 and 2007

Evolution of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events in 2003, 2006 and 2007 is investigated using observational and re-analysis data products. Efforts are made to understand various processes involved in three phases of IOD events; activation, maturation and termination. Three different triggers are found to activate the IOD events. In preceding months leading to the IOD evolution, the thermocline in southeastern Indian Ocean shoals by reflection of near equatorial upwelling Rossby waves at the East African coast into anomalous upwelling equatorial Kelvin waves. Strengthening (weakening) of northern (southern) portion of ITCZ in March/April and May/June of IOD years, leads to strengthening of alongshore winds along Sumatra/Java coasts. With the combined shallow thermocline and increased latent heat flux due to enhanced wind speeds, the SST in the southeastern Indian Ocean cools in following months. On intraseasonal time scales convection-suppressing phase of Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) propagates from west to east in May/June of IOD year, and easterlies associated with this phase of MJO causes further shoaling of thermocline in southeastern Indian Ocean, through anomalous upwelling Kelvin wave. All these three mechanisms appear to be involved in initiating IOD event in 2006. On the other hand, except the strengthening/weakening of ITCZ, all other mechanisms are involved in activation of 2003 IOD event. Activation of 2007 IOD event was due to propagation of convection-suppressing MJO in May/June and strengthening of mean winds along Sumatra/Java coast from March to June through changes in convection. The IOD events matured into full-fledged events in the following months after activation, by surface heat fluxes, vertical and horizontal advection of cool waters supported by local along-shore upwelling favorable winds and remote equatorial easterly wind anomalies through excitation of upwelling Kelvin waves. Propagating MJO signals in the tropical Indian Ocean brings significant changes in evolution of IOD events on MJO time scales. Termination of 2003 and 2007 IOD events is achieved by strong convection-enhancing MJOs propagating from west to east in the tropical Indian Ocean which deepen the thermocline in the southeastern equatorial Indian Ocean. IOD event in 2006 was terminated by seasonal reversal of monsoon winds along Sumatra/Java coasts which stops the local coastal upwelling.     

Reinterpreting the thermocline feedback in the western-central equatorial Pacific and its relationship with the ENSO modulation

Vertical stratification changes at low frequency over the last decades are the largest in the western-central Pacific and have the potential to modify the balance between ENSO feedback processes. Here we show evidence of an increase in thermocline feedback in the western-central equatorial Pacific over the last 50 years, and in particular after the climate shift of 1976. It is demonstrated that the thermocline feedback becomes more effective due to the increased stratification in the vicinity of the mean thermocline. This leads to an increase in vertical advection variability twice as large as the increase resulting from the stronger ENSO amplitude (positive asymmetry) in the eastern Pacific that connects to the thermocline in the western-central Pacific through the basin-scale ‘tilt’ mode. Although the zonal advective feedback is dominant over the western-central equatorial Pacific, the more effective thermocline feedback allows for counteracting its warming (cooling) effect during warm (cold) events, leading to the reduced covariability between SST and thermocline depth anomalies in the NINO4 (160°E–150°W; 5°S–5°N) region after the 1976 climate shift. This counter-intuitive relationship between thermocline feedback strength as derived from the linear relationship between SST and thermocline fluctuations and stratification changes is also investigated in a long-term general circulation coupled model simulation. It is suggested that an increase in ENSO amplitude may lead to the decoupling between eastern and central equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies through its effect on stratification and thermocline feedback in the central-western Pacific.     

基于卫星和Argo观测的阿拉伯海中北部海表盐度季节和年际变化

基于美国国家航天局（NASA）发射的水瓶座（Aquarius/SAC-D）卫星和欧洲航天局（ERA）发射的土壤湿度与海洋盐度（SMOS）卫星的观测资料,以及Argo海表盐度资料,重点分析了阿拉伯海中北部海表盐度的季节和年际变化.年平均情况下,Argo、Aquarius和SMOS表现出相似的海表盐度分布形态,均表现了阿拉伯海中北部高达36.5 psu的高盐特征.阿拉伯海中北部海表盐度在2—3月出现最低值,在4月之后快速升高,并在夏季西南季风的成熟阶段达到最高.阿拉伯海中北部海表盐度显著的季节变化与季风风场引起的大量蒸发和平流输送相关.夏季风期间,Ras al Hadd急流将来自阿曼湾的高盐水向东向南输送到阿拉伯海中北部海域,使海表盐度升高并达到最高值;冬季风期间,冬季风环流系统在印度半岛西侧海域形成向北的低盐水输送,造成阿拉伯海中北部海表盐度降低.该低盐水平流在冬季风后期能够影响到阿曼海.阿拉伯海中北部海表盐度年际变化主要与季风驱动的季风环流系统的变化相关,尤其是冬季风期间向北流动的印度西侧沿岸流的强弱与该区域海表盐度年际变化关系密切.     

The monsoonal regimes of upper‐hydrospheric structure in the tropical Indian Ocean

Abstract

In response to the alternations between the boreal summer Southwest and the winter Northeast monsoons, the upper‐hydrospheric structure of the tropical Indian Ocean experiences drastic seasonal changes. All year‐round the zone 10–20°S is characterized by a thick and deep thermocline and a ridge in ocean surface topography, while at 0–10°S a tongue protruding from the African coast eastward features a thin and shallow thermocline and a trough in the ocean surface. The trough and ridge mark the equatorial and polar boundaries of the South Equatorial Current. The eastward depression of isotherms and the rise of the ocean surface along the equator are most pronounced around May‐June and November‐December, or lagging somewhat behind the jet‐like surface currents, which are forced by the strong westerly winds sweeping the equatorial zone during limited intervals of the monsoon transitions. Monsoonal changes are particularly dramatic in the northwestern Indian Ocean. From June to August, the thermocline rises and surface waters cool off the coasts of Somalia and Arabia, while in the south‐central Arabian Sea isothermal surfaces bulge downward and the thermocline deepens, with two different centres that appear related to the well known pair of whirls in the surface circulation. During the boreal summer Southwest monsoon, relatively fresh waters appear off the coasts of Somalia and Arabia, further reflecting coastal upwelling; by contrast, downwelling in the central Arabian Sea is accompanied by a core of relatively saline waters. Salinity is overall smallest in the rainfall‐abundant Southeast Asian waters and the Bay of Bengal and large in the desertic regions of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Particularly prominent is a tongue of relatively fresh waters centred somewhat to the south of 10°S extending from the Timor Sea towards the western Indian Ocean and reflecting intrusion from the Southeast Asian seas and the Western Pacific.     

Feedback process responsible for the suppression of ENSO activity during the mid-Holocene

Using the output of 12 models from the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project Phase 3, we investigate the feedback process responsible for changes in El Niño-Southern Oscillation activity during the mid-Holocene based on a linear stability index (Bjerknes stability index; BJ index) analysis. The multi-model ensemble mean (MME) variance of the Niño-3.4 index (sea surface temperature anomalies averaged over 5°S–5°N, 170°–120°W) simulated for 6000 years ago (6 kya) was 13% lower than that for the pre-industrial era (0 kya), while changes in the MME BJ index were negligible. This is due to a balance between enhanced damping by anomalous thermal advection by mean currents (MA) and enhanced positive thermocline feedback (TH). Seven of the models show that MME variance of the Niño-3.4 and BJ indexes for the 6 kya run is 21 and 70% lower, respectively, than the 0 kya run. However, two models show the opposite change. Interestingly, MA in both model groups increases, especially due to the mean meridional current associated with enhanced trade winds, indicating a robust mechanism. The opposite tendency between the two groups is mainly due to large TH in the second group 6 kya, as a result of enhanced air-sea coupling and strongly reduced ocean stratification due to subsurface warming, which led to increased sensitivity of the zonal thermocline contrast to surface zonal wind stress.     

Winter AO/NAO modifies summer ocean heat content and monsoonal circulation over the western Indian Ocean

This paper analyzes the possible influence of boreal winter Arctic Oscillation/North Atlantic Oscillation (AO/ NAO) on the Indian Ocean upper ocean heat content in summer as well as the summer monsoonal circulation. The strong interannual co-variation between winter 1000-hPa geopotential height in the Northern Hemisphere and summer ocean heat content in the uppermost 120 m over the tropical Indian Ocean was investigated by a singular decomposition analysis for the period 1979–2014. The second paired-modes explain 23.8% of the squared covariance, and reveal an AO/NAO pattern over the North Atlantic and a warming upper ocean in the western tropical Indian Ocean. The positive upper ocean heat content enhances evaporation and convection, and results in an anomalous meridional circulation with ascending motion over 5°S–5°N and descending over 15°–25°N. Correspondingly, in the lower troposphere, significantly anomalous northerly winds appear over the western Indian Ocean north of the equator, implying a weaker summer monsoon circulation. The off-equator oceanic Rossby wave plays a key role in linking the AO/NAO and the summer heat content anomalies. In boreal winter, a positive AO/NAO triggers a down-welling Rossby wave in the central tropical Indian Ocean through the atmospheric teleconnection. As the Rossby wave arrives in the western Indian Ocean in summer, it results in anomalous upper ocean heating near the equator mainly through the meridional advection. The AO/NAO-forced Rossby wave and the resultant upper ocean warming are well reproduced by an ocean circulation model. The winter AO/NAO could be a potential season-lead driver of the summer atmospheric circulation over the northwestern Indian Ocean.     

Dynamical contribution to sea surface salinity variations in the eastern Gulf of Guinea based on numerical modelling

In this study, we analyse the seasonal variability of the sea surface salinity (SSS) for two coastal regions of the Gulf of Guinea from 1995 to 2006 using a high resolution model (1/12°) embedded in a Tropical Atlantic (1/4°) model. Compared with observations and climatologies, our model demonstrates a good capability to reproduce the seasonal and spatial variations of the SSS and mixed layer depth. Sensitivity experiments are carried out to assess the respective impacts of precipitations and river discharge on the spatial structure and seasonal variations of the SSS in the eastern part of the Gulf of Guinea. In the Bight of Biafra, both precipitations and river runoffs are necessary to observe permanent low SSS values but the river discharge has the strongest impact on the seasonal variations of the SSS. South of the equator, the Congo river discharge alone is sufficient to explain most of the SSS structure and its seasonal variability. However, mixed layer budgets for salinity reveal the necessity to take into account the horizontal and vertical dynamics to explain the seasonal evolution of the salinity in the mixed layer. Indeed evaporation, precipitations and runoffs represent a relatively small contribution to the budgets locally at intraseasonal to seasonal time scales. Horizontal advection always contribute to spread the low salinity coastal waters offshore and thus decrease the salinity in the eastern Gulf of Guinea. For the Bight of Biafra and the Congo plume region, the strong seasonal increase of the SSS observed from May/June to August/September, when the trade winds intensify, results from a decreasing offshore spread of freshwater associated with an intensification of the salt input from the subsurface. In the Congo plume region, the subsurface salt comes mainly from advection due to a strong upwelling but for the Bight of Biafra, entrainment and vertical mixing also play a role. The seasonal evolution of horizontal advection in the Bight of Biafra is mainly driven by eddy correlations between salinity and velocities, but it is not the case in the Congo plume.     

Impact of vertical mixing induced by small vertical scale structures above and within the equatorial thermocline on the tropical Pacific in a CGCM

Oceanic vertical mixing is known to influence the state of the equatorial ocean which affects the climate system, including the amplitude of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Recent measurements of ocean currents at high vertical resolution capture numerous small vertical scale structures (SVSs) within and above the equatorial thermocline that contribute significantly to vertical mixing but which are not sufficiently resolved by coarse resolution ocean models. We investigate the impact of the vertical mixing induced by the SVSs on the mean state and interannual variability in the tropical Pacific by using a coupled general circulation model. The vertical mixing induced by the SVSs is represented as an elevated vertical diffusivity from the surface down to the 20 °C isotherm depth, a proxy for the depth of the thermocline. We investigate different forms for the elevated mixing. It is found that the SVS-induced mixing strongly affect the mean state of the ocean leading to a warming of sea surface temperature (SST) and associated deepening and sharpening of the thermocline in the eastern equatorial Pacific. We find that the SST warming induced by the elevated mixing is further strengthened through the Bjerknes feedback and SST-shortwave flux feedback. We also find a reduction in the number of large amplitude ENSO events and in certain cases an increase in the skewness of ENSO.     

Evolution of model systematic errors in the Tropical Atlantic Basin from coupled climate hindcasts

Significant systematic errors in the tropical Atlantic Ocean are common in state-of-the-art coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation models. In this study, a set of ensemble hindcasts from the NCEP coupled forecast system (CFS) is used to examine the initial growth of the coupled model bias. These CFS hindcasts are 9-month integrations starting from perturbed real-time oceanic and atmospheric analyses for 1981–2003. The large number of integrations from a variety of initial states covering all months provides a good opportunity to examine how the model systematic errors grow. The monthly climatologies of ensemble hindcasts from various initial months are compared with both observed and analyzed oceanic and atmospheric datasets. Our analyses show that two error patterns are dominant in the hindcasts. One is the warming of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the southeastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. This error grows faster in boreal summer and fall and peaks in November–December at round 2°C in the open ocean. It is caused by an excessive model surface shortwave radiative flux in this region, especially from boreal summer to fall. The excessive radiative forcing is in turn caused by the CFS inability to reproduce the observed amount of low cloud cover in the southeastern ocean and its seasonal increase. According to a comparison between the seasonal climatologies from the CFS hindcasts and a long-term simulation of the atmospheric model forced with observed SST, the CFS low cloud and radiation errors are inherent to its atmospheric component. On the other hand, the SST error in CFS is a major cause of the model’s southward bias of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in boreal winter and spring. An analysis of the SST errors of the 6-month ensemble hindcasts by seven coupled models in the Development of a European Multimodel Ensemble System for Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction project shows that this SST error pattern is common in coupled climate hindcasts. The second error pattern is an excessive deepening of the model thermocline depth to the north of the equator from the western coast toward the central ocean. This error grows fastest in boreal summer. It is forced by an overly strong local anticyclonic surface wind stress curl and is in turn related to the weakened northeast trade winds in summer and fall. The thermocline error in the northwest delays the annual shoaling of the equatorial thermocline in the Gulf of Guinea remotely through the equatorial waveguide.     

Role of the upper ocean structure in the response of ENSO-like SST variability to global warming

The response of El Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-like variability to global warming varies comparatively between the two different climate system models, i.e., the Meteorological Research Institute (MRI) and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Coupled General Circulation Models (CGCMs). Here, we examine the role of the simulated upper ocean temperature structure in the different sensitivities of the simulated ENSO variability in the models based on the different level of CO₂ concentrations. In the MRI model, the sea surface temperature (SST) undergoes a rather drastic modification, namely a tendency toward a permanent El Niño-like state. This is associated with an enhanced stratification which results in greater ENSO amplitude for the MRI model. On the other hand, the ENSO simulated by GFDL model is hardly modified although the mean temperature in the near surface layer increases. In order to understand the associated mechanisms we carry out a vertical mode decomposition of the mean equatorial stratification and a simplified heat balance analysis using an intermediate tropical Pacific model tuned from the CGCM outputs. It is found that in the MRI model the increased stratification is associated with an enhancement of the zonal advective feedback and the non-linear advection. In the GFDL model, on the other hand, the thermocline variability and associated anomalous vertical advection are reduced in the eastern equatorial Pacific under global warming, which erodes the thermocline feedback and explains why the ENSO amplitude is reduced in a warmer climate in this model. It is suggested that change in stratification associated with global warming impacts the equatorial wave dynamics in a way that enhances the second baroclinic mode over the gravest one, which leads to the change in feedback processes in the CGCMs. Our results illustrate that the upper ocean vertical structure simulated in the CGCMs is a key parameter of the sensitivity of ENSO-like SST variability to global warming.     

Role of thermocline–SST coupling in the evolution of IOD events and their regional impacts

The evolution of sea surface temperature (SST) and thermocline (represented by 20 °C isotherm depth, D20) in the east equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) associated with the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) years is studied for the period of 50 years from 1958 to 2007. A new IOD index based on combined anomalies of surface winds, D20 and SST over the equatorial Indian Ocean is defined to identify strong and weak IOD events. It is found that the evolution of strong IOD events is driven by ocean dynamics in the form of thermocline–SST coupling and is strongly interactive with the atmosphere, whereas the weak IOD events are mere response to surface winds without such dynamical coupling. The easterly wind anomalies extend up to the western equatorial Indian Ocean (WIO) during strong IOD years and support enhanced EIO air–sea interactions. On the other hand, the evolution of zonal wind anomalies is weak during the weak IOD years. Thermocline–SST coupling is robust in both EIO and WIO during strong IOD years, which is primarily responsible for the enhanced SST gradient, strong enough to establish anomalous Walker circulation within the Indian Ocean. The strong convection over the WIO associated with the Indian Ocean Walker cell triggers a secondary cell with subsidence over the African landmass. This double cell structure over the equatorial Indian Ocean is not reported before. Such double cell structure is not evident in weak IOD years and instead the convection over WIO extends up to African landmass. These are well supported by the spatial pattern of anomalous precipitable water during strong and weak IOD years. Strengthening of monsoon flow and local Hadley cell associated with strong IOD events enhances precipitation over the Indian subcontinent, whereas weak IOD years have less impact on the Indian summer monsoon circulation and rainfall. Analysis reveals that the EIO thermocline index and combined index could be potential predictors for the central Indian rainfall during summer.     

Timescales and dynamics of the formation of a thermocline

In a state of equilibrium, the constraint of a balanced heat budget for the ocean strongly influences the depth of the tropical thermocline because that depth controls the rate at which the ocean absorbs heat from the atmosphere. Thus, an increase in the oceanic heat loss in high latitudes results in a shoaling of the equatorial thermocline so that the heat gain also increases. How does the ocean adjust to such a new equilibrium state after an abrupt change in the heat flux in high latitudes? The adjustment of the wind-driven circulation of the upper ocean is shown to involve two timescales. The first is the familiar adiabatic wave-adjustment time associated with the horizontal redistribution of warm water above the thermocline in shallow water models. (This is essentially the time it takes Rossby and Kelvin waves to propagate from the disturbed extra-equatorial region to the equator.) The second adjustment-time is associated with the diabatic processes that come into play once the waves from higher latitudes modify the thermal structure in low latitudes and hence the flux of heat into the ocean; it is the timescale on which the ocean recovers a balanced heat budget. The identification of this timescale is the main result of this paper.Through a series of simulations of an idealized ocean basin, we identify the diabatic timescale and argue that it is determined by the strength of the upwelling and the intensity of the air–sea heatfluxes. By simulating the formation of a thermocline from isothermal conditions, we are able to relate this timescale to other relevant timescales such as that associated with diffusive processes and the adiabatic timescale invoked by Gu and Philander [Gu, D., Philander, S.G.H., 1997. Interdecadal climate fluctuations that depend on exchanges between the tropics and extra-topics. Science 275, 805–807].     

Interannual Salinity Variability in the Tropical Pacific in CMIP5 Simulations

Salinity variability and its causes in the tropical Pacific are analyzed using observations, reanalysis products and model simulations. The mixed-layer salinity(MLS) budget analyses from observations and reanalysis products indicate that its interannual evolution is closely related to ENSO and is predominantly governed by surface forcing and surface advection in the western-central equatorial Pacific. It is found that the observed MLS tendency leads Nin?o3.4 by about 12 months due to the effect of negative freshwater flux(evaporation minus precipitation). These observation-based analyses are used to evaluate the corresponding simulation using GFDL-ESM2 M. It is evident that the model can simulate the spatiotemporal variations of MLS with some discrepancies compared to observations. In the warm pool of the equatorial Pacific the MLS tendency in the model is sensitive to ocean dynamics, however model biases cause the tendency to be underestimated. In particular, the freshwater flux is overestimated while the ocean surface zonal current and vertical velocity at the base of the mixed layer are underestimated. Due to model biases in representing the related physics, the effects of surface forcing on the simulated MLS budget are overestimated and those of subsurface and surface advection are relatively weak. Due to weaker surface advection and subsurface forcing than observed, the simulated compensations for surface forcing are suppressed, and the simulated MLS tendency that leads Nin?o3.4 by 8–10 months, which is shorter than the observed lead time. These results are useful for the interpretation of observational analyses and other model simulations in the tropical Pacific.     

Physical processes that drive the seasonal evolution of the Southwestern Tropical Atlantic Warm Pool

The thermodynamics of the seasonal evolution of the Southwestern Tropical Atlantic Warm Pool (hereafter SWTAWP), which is delimited by the 28 °C isotherm, is investigated using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Results indicate that the net heat flux is responsible for the appearance and extinction of the SWTAWP. From March to May, the SWTAWP attains its maximum development and sometimes merges with equatorial warm waters towards the African continent, whose development follows the same period. Along the equator, the combination of oceanic terms (i.e., advection and diffusion) is important to promote the separation – when it occurs – of equatorial warm waters from southwestern tropical waters, which develops off the Brazilian coast. An analysis of the relative contribution of the temperature tendency terms of the mixed layer (ML) heat budget over the appearance, development and extinction of the SWTAWP is also done. The most important term for warming and cooling inside of the ML is the net heat flux at the sea surface. The ML is heated by the atmosphere between October and April, whereas the upper ocean cools down between May and September. The highest heat content values occur during the lower-temperature period (August to October), which is linked to the deepening of the ML during this time period. The horizontal advection along the equator is important, particularly at the eastern domain, which is influenced by the cold tongue. In this area, the vertical diffusive term is also significant; however, it presents values near zero outside the equator. These results contribute to a better understanding of the behavior of the heat budget within the tropical Atlantic, as previous studies over this region focused along the equator only.     

Impact of resolving the diurnal cycle in an ocean–atmosphere GCM. Part 2: A diurnally coupled CGCM

Coupled ocean atmosphere general circulation models (GCM) are typically coupled once every 24 h, excluding the diurnal cycle from the upper ocean. Previous studies attempting to examine the role of the diurnal cycle of the upper ocean and particularly of diurnal SST variability have used models unable to resolve the processes of interest. In part 1 of this study a high vertical resolution ocean GCM configuration with modified physics was developed that could resolve the diurnal cycle in the upper ocean. In this study it is coupled every 3 h to atmospheric GCM to examine the sensitivity of the mean climate simulation and aspects of its variability to the inclusion of diurnal ocean-atmosphere coupling. The inclusion of the diurnal cycle leads to a tropics wide increase in mean sea surface temperature (SST), with the strongest signal being across the equatorial Pacific where the warming increases from 0.2°C in the central and western Pacific to over 0.3°C in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Much of this warming is shown to be a direct consequence of the rectification of daily mean SST by the diurnal variability of SST. The warming of the equatorial Pacific leads to a redistribution of precipitation from the Inter tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) toward the equator. In the western Pacific there is an increase in precipitation between Papa new guinea and 170°E of up to 1.2 mm/day, improving the simulation compared to climatology. Pacific sub tropical cells are increased in strength by about 10%, in line with results of part 1 of this study, due to the modification of the exchange of momentum between the equatorially divergent Ekman currents and the geostropic convergence at depth, effectively increasing the dynamical response of the tropical Pacific to zonal wind stresses. During the spring relaxation of the Pacific trade winds, a large diurnal cycle of SST increases the seasonal warming of the equatorial Pacific. When the trade winds then re-intensify, the increase in the dynamical response of the ocean leads to a stronger equatorial upwelling. These two processes both lead to stronger seasonal basin scale feedbacks in the coupled system, increasing the strength of the seasonal cycle of the tropical Pacific sector by around 10%. This means that the diurnal cycle in the upper ocean plays a part in the coupled feedbacks between ocean and atmosphere that maintain the basic state and the timing of the seasonal cycle of SST and trade winds in the tropical Pacific. The Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) is examined by use of a large scale MJO index, lag correlations and composites of events. The inclusion of the diurnal cycle leads to a reduction in overall MJO activity. Precipitation composites show that the MJO is stronger and more coherent when the diurnal cycle of coupling is resolved, with the propagation and different phases being far more distinct both locally and to larger lead times across the tropical Indo-Pacific. Part one of this study showed that that diurnal variability of SST is modulated by the MJO and therefore increases the intraseasonal SST response to the different phases of the MJO. Precipitation-based composites of SST variability confirm this increase in the coupled simulations. It is argued that including this has increased the thermodynamical coupling of the ocean and atmosphere on the timescale of the MJO (20–100 days), accounting for the improvement in the MJO strength and coherency seen in composites of precipitation and SST. These results show that the diurnal cycle of ocean–atmosphere interaction has profound impact on a range of up-scale variability in the tropical climate and as such, it is an important feature of the modelled climate system which is currently either neglected or poorly resolved in state of the art coupled models.     

The North Atlantic thermohaline circulation simulated by the GISS climate model during 1970–99

Abstract

Evidence based on numerical simulations is presented for a strong correlation between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the North Atlantic overturning circulation. Using an ensemble of numerical experiments with a coupled ocean‐atmosphere model including both natural and anthropogenic forcings, it is shown that the weakening of the thermohaline circulation (THC) could be delayed in response to a sustained upward trend in the NAO, which was observed over the last three decades of the twentieth century, 1970–99. Overall warming and enhanced horizontal transports of heat from the tropics to the subpolar North Atlantic overwhelm the NAO‐induced cooling of the upper ocean layers due to enhanced fluxes of latent and sensible heat, so that the net effect of warmed surface ocean temperatures acts to increase the vertical stability of the ocean column. However, the strong westerly winds cause increased evaporation from the ocean surface, which leads to a reduced fresh water flux over the western part of the North Atlantic. Horizontal poleward transport of salinity anomalies from the tropical Atlantic is the major contributor to the increasing salinities in the sinking regions of the North Atlantic. The effect of positive salinity anomalies on surface ocean density overrides the opposing effect of enhanced warming of the ocean surface, which causes an increase in surface density in the Labrador Sea and in the ocean area south of Greenland. The increased density of the upper ocean layer leads to deeper convection in the Labrador Sea and in the western North Atlantic. With a lag of four years, the meridional overturning circulation of the North Atlantic shows strengthening as it adjusts to positive density anomalies and enhanced vertical mixing. During the positive NAO trend, the salinity‐driven density instability in the upper ocean, due to both increased northward ocean transports of salinity and decreased atmospheric freshwater fluxes, results in a strengthening overturning circulation in the North Atlantic when the surface atmospheric temperature increases by 0.3°C and the ocean surface temperature warms by 0.5° to 1°C.     

Effects of tropical instability wave (TIW)-induced surface wind feedback in the tropical Pacific Ocean

Tropical instability waves (TIWs) arise from oceanic instability in the eastern tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, having a clear atmospheric signature that results in coupled atmosphere–ocean interactions at TIW scales. In this study, the extent to which TIW-induced surface wind feedback influences the ocean is examined using an ocean general circulation model (OGCM). The TIW-induced wind stress (τ_TIW) part is diagnostically determined using an empirical τ_TIW model from sea surface temperature (SST) fields simulated in the OGCM. The interactively represented TIW wind tends to reduce TIW activity in the ocean and influence the mean state, with largest impacts during TIW active periods in fall and winter. In December, the interactive τ_TIW forcing induces a surface cooling (an order of ?0.1 to ?0.3 °C), an increased heat flux into the ocean, a shallower mixed layer and a weakening of the South Equatorial Current in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Additionally, the TIW wind effect yields a pronounced latitudinal asymmetry of sea level field across the equator, and a change to upper thermal structure, characterized by a surface cooling and a warming below in the thermocline, leading to a decreased temperature gradient between the mixed layer and the thermocline. Processes responsible for the τ_TIW–induced cooling effects are analyzed. Vertical mixing and meridional advection are the two terms in the SST budget that are dominantly affected by the TIW wind feedback: the cooling effect from the vertical mixing on SST is enhanced, with the maximum induced cooling in winter; the warming effect from the meridional advection is reduced in July–October, but enhanced in November–December. Additional experiments are performed to separate the relative roles the affected surface momentum and heat fluxes play in the cooling effect on SST. This ocean-only modeling work indicates that the effect of TIW-induced wind feedback is small but not negligible, and may need to be adequately taken into account in large-scale climate modeling.     

The Positive Indian Ocean Dipole–like Response in the Tropical Indian Ocean to Global Warming

Climate models project a positive Indian Ocean Dipole(p IOD)–like SST response in the tropical Indian Ocean to global warming. By employing the Community Earth System Model and applying an overriding technique to its ocean component(version 2 of the Parallel Ocean Program), this study investigates the similarities and differences of the formation mechanisms for the changes in the tropical Indian Ocean during the p IOD versus global warming. Results show that their formation processes and related seasonality are quite similar; in particular, wind–thermocline–SST feedback is the leading mechanism in producing the anomalous cooling over the eastern tropics in both cases. Some differences are also found, including the fact that the cooling effect of the vertical advection over the eastern tropical Indian Ocean is dominated by the anomalous vertical velocity during the p IOD but by the anomalous upper-ocean stratification under global warming. These findings are further examined through an analysis of the mixed layer heat budget.