Processes controlling the surface temperature signature of the Madden–Julian Oscillation in the thermocline ridge of the Indian Ocean
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Date
2011Author
Jayakumar, A.
Vialard, J.
Lengaigne, M.
Gnanaseelan, C.
McCreary, J.P.
PraveenKumar, B.
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During boreal winter, there is a prominent maximum of intraseasonal sea-surface temperature (SST) variability associated with the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) along a Thermocline Ridge located in the southwestern Indian Ocean (5 degrees S–10 degrees S, 60 degrees E–90 degrees E; TRIO region). There is an ongoing debate about the relative importance of air-sea heat fluxes and oceanic processes in driving this intraseasonal SST variability. Furthermore, various studies have suggested that interannual variability of the oceanic structure in the TRIO region could modulate the amplitude of the MJO-driven SST response. In this study, we use observations and ocean general circulation model (OGCM) experiments to quantify these two effects over the 1997–2006 period. Observational analysis indicates that Ekman pumping does not contribute significantly (on average) to intraseasonal SST variability. It is, however, difficult to quantify the relative contribution of net heat fluxes and entrainment to SST intraseasonal variability from observations alone. We therefore use a suite of OGCM experiments to isolate the impacts of each process.
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