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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

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  • Information Related to Geographic Region: Indian Ocean
  • Oceanography: Physical: Air/sea interactions
  • Oceanography: Physical: El Nino
  • Oceanography: General: Climate and interannual variability
  • Global Change: Climate dynamics

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 31, L24207, 4 PP., 2004
doi:10.1029/2004GL021345

Decadal variability of the Indian Ocean dipole

Karumuri Ashok

Frontier Research Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Wing-Le Chan

Frontier Research Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Tatsuo Motoi

Meteorological Research Institute, Japanese Meteorological Agency, Tsukuba, Japan

Toshio Yamagata

Frontier Research Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Using the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA), NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and the GISST datasets from 1950–1999, and an atmosphere-ocean coupled general circulation model, we explored the possible existence of decadal Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) variability for the first time. We find that there are strong decadal IOD events, and that the time series of the decadal IOD and decadal ENSO indices are not well correlated. The simulated decadal signal of the IOD index is highly correlated with the 20°C isotherm depth anomaly, indicating that ocean dynamics is involved in the decadal IOD. It is also associated with the zonal wind anomaly. We suggest that the decadal IOD in the tropics is interpreted as decadal modulation of the interannual IOD events.

Received 26 August 2004; accepted 19 November 2004; published 23 December 2004.

Citation: Ashok, K., W.-L. Chan, T. Motoi, and T. Yamagata (2004), Decadal variability of the Indian Ocean dipole, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L24207, doi:10.1029/2004GL021345.

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