Equatorial Oceanic Waves and the Evolution of 2007 Positive Indian Ocean Dipole

Abstract

The role of equatorial oceanic waves on the evolution of the 2007 positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) event was evaluated using available observations and output from a quasi-analytical linear wave model. It was found that the 2007 pIOD event was a weak and short-lived event: developed in the mid-summer (July), matured in the early-fall (September), and terminated in the mid-fall (October). The evolution of the 2007 pIOD event was linked to the equatorial wave dynamics. The event development was associated with the generation of upwelling equatorial Kelvin waves (westward current anomalies) generated by easterly wind anomalies. The event termination was associated with the occurrence of eastward zonal current anomalies resulting from a complex interplay between the wind-forced down welling Kelvin waves and the eastern-boundary-reflected Rossby waves. Results from a quasi-analytical linear wave model show that during the event development and maturation, the wind-forced Kelvin waves played a dominant role in generating zonal current anomalies along the equatorial Indian Ocean, while the eastern-boundary-reflected Rossby waves tended to weaken the wind-forced Kelvin wave signals. During the event termination our model shows that the initiation of anomalous eastward current resulted from the reflected Rossby waves at the eastern boundary. The wind-forced Kelvin waves associated with the seasonal reversal of the monsoon further strengthened the eastward zonal currents generated by the boundary-generated Rossby waves in late-October/early-November. This highlights the importance of the eastern-boundary-reflected Rossby waves on the IOD event termination.

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Published by The Chinese Geoscience Union