Intraseasonal Variability Of The Equatorial Indian Ocean Circulation

Abstract

Climatological winds over the equatorial Indian Ocean (EqlO) are westerly most of the year. Twice a year, in April-May ("spring") and October-December ("fall"), strong, sustained westerly winds generate eastward equatorial jets in the ocean. There are several unresolved issues related to the equatorial jets. They accelerate rapidly to speeds over lms"1 when westerly wind stress increases to about 0.7 dyne cm"2 in spring and fall, but decelerate while the wind stress continues to be westerly; each jet is followed by westward flow in the upper ocean lasting a month or longer. In addition to the semi-annual cycle, the equatorial winds and currents have strong in-traseasonal fluctuations. Observations show strong 30-60 day variability of zonal flow, and suggest that there might be variability with periods shorter than 20 days in the central EqlO. Observations from moored current meter arrays along 80.5°E south of Sri Lanka showed a distinct 15 day oscillation of equatorial meridional velocity (v) and off-equatorial zonal velocity (u). Recent observations from current meter moorings at the equator in the eastern EqlO show continuous 10-20 day, or biweekly, oscillations of v. The main motivation for the present study is to understand the dynamics of intraseasonal variability in the Indian Ocean that has been documented in the observational literature. What physical processes are responsible for the peculiar behavior of the equatorial jets? What are the relative roles of wind stress and large scale ocean dynamics? Does intraseasonal variability of wind stress force intraseasonal jets? What is the structure and origin of the biweekly variability? The intraseasonal and longer timescale variability of the equatorial Indian Ocean circulation is studied using an ocean general circulation model (OGCM) and recent in

Abstract ii situ observations. The OGCM simulations are validated against other available observations. In this thesis, we document the space-time structure of the variability of equatorial Indian Ocean circulation, and attempt to find answers to some of the questions raised above. The main results are based on OGCM simulations forced by high frequency reanalysis and satellite scatterometer (QuikSCAT) winds. Several model experiments with idealized winds are used to interpret the results of the simulations. In addition to the OGCM simulations, the origin of observed intraseasonal anomalies of sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern EqlO and Bay of Bengal, and related air-sea interaction, are investigated using validated satellite data. The main findings of the thesis can be summarized as: • High frequency accurate winds are required for accurate simulation of equatorial Indian Ocean currents, which have strong variability on intraseasonal to interannual time scales. • The variability in the equatorial waveguide is mainly driven by variability of the winds; there is some intraseasonal variability near the western boundary and in the equatorial waveguide due to dynamic instability of seasonal "mean" flows. • The fall equatorial jet is generally stronger and longer lived than the spring jet; the fall jet is modulated on intraseasonal time scales. Westerly wind bursts can drive strong intraseasonal equatorial jets in the eastern EqlO during the summer monsoon. • Eastward equatorial jets create a westward zonal pressure gradient force by raising sea level, and deepening the thermocline, in the east relative to the west. The zonal pressure force relaxes via Rossby wave radiation from the eastern boundary. • The zonal pressure force exerts strong control on the evolution of zonal flow; the decel eration of the eastward jets, and the subsequent westward flow in the upper ocean in the presence of westerly wind stress, is due to the zonal pressure force. • Neither westward currents in the upper ocean nor subsurface eastward flow (the ob served spring and summer "undercurrent") requires easterly winds; they can be gener ated by equatorial adjustment due to Kelvin (Rossby) waves generated at the western (eastern) boundary. • The biweekly variability in the EqlO is associated with forced mixed Rossby-gravity (MRG) waves generated by intraseasonal variability of winds. The biweekly MRG wave in has westward and upward phase propagation, zonal wavelength of 3000-4500 km and phase speed of 4 m s"1; it is associated with deep off equatorial upwelling/downwelling. Intraseasonal SST anomalies are forced mainly by net heat flux anomalies in the central and eastern EqlO; the large northward propagating SST anomalies in summer in the Bay of Bengal are due to net heat flux anomalies associated with the monsoon active-break cycle. Coherent variability in the atmosphere and ocean suggests air-sea interaction.