AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

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Indian monsoon variability is linked to sea surface temperatures in the southern Atlantic Ocean

The Indian monsoon is strongly influenced by El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) patterns on interannual timescales, with a drier than normal monsoon season usually preceding peak El Niño conditions and a wetter than normal monsoon season preceding peak La Niña conditions. However, sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Pacific, which serve as an indicator of the phase of the ENSO cycle, are not the only factors affecting Indian monsoon patterns. Building on their recent discovery that atmospheric teleconnections between the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Indian basin contributed to the weakening of the ENSO-monsoon link during the 1980s and 1990s, Kucharski et al. (2008) investigated the role of south equatorial Atlantic SSTs in forcing the volume and pattern of Indian monsoon rainfall. Using two observational data sets and two ensembles of models, the authors show that characteristics of Indian monsoon rainfall are significantly correlated with south equatorial Atlantic SSTs. The authors expect that their results might help with monsoon forecast efforts.

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