The impact of Indian Ocean dipole on tropical Indian Ocean surface wave heights in ERA5 and CMIP5 models

• Published in: International Journal of Climatology
• Main Authors: Srinivas, Gangiredla, Remya, P., Kumar, B. Praveen, Modi, Anuradha, Nair, T.
• Other Authors: Océan et variabilité du climat (VARCLIM), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2021
• Subjects: Indian Ocean dipole; significant wave height; surface winds; tropical Indian Ocean; boreal summer season; CMIP5 models; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; Indian; North Bay; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03145909; https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.6900

International audience The present study examines the relationship between the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) significant wave height (SWH) and Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) during boreal summer season (June through August) in the latest version of European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis (ERA5) and wave simulations forced with surface winds and sea‐ice fields from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version‐5 (CMIP5) models. The interannual variability of SWH shows a significant negative correlation with the IOD over TIO. SWH anomalies display meridional tripole pattern with significant negative (positive) anomalies over eastern equatorial Indian Ocean caused by anomalous easterlies (westerlies), and positive (negative) anomalies over southeastern TIO and the north Bay of Bengal during positive (negative) phase of IOD. The strong wave heights along the east coast of India during positive IOD and the south and southwest coast of India during negative IOD are noticed. CMIP5 models GFDL‐CM3, MRI‐CGCM3 and the multi‐model mean display considerable skill in capturing these teleconnections with substantial magnitude differences. A thorough understanding of the teleconnections between IOD and TIO wave heights is a significant prerequisite for the accurate forecast of surface waves in the Indian Ocean. Hence, this study advocates the importance evaluating the ability of models in representing the SWH and IOD interactions and its implications on Indian coastal regions in the form of inundation, coastal flooding and other vulnerabilities in a changing climate scenario.