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Warming of the upper equatorial Indian Ocean and changes in the heat budget (1960–99)
Citation
Alory, G and Meyers, GA, Warming of the upper equatorial Indian Ocean and changes in the heat budget (1960-99), Journal of Climate, 22, (1) pp. 93-113. ISSN 0894-8755 (2009) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
© 2009 American Meteorological Society
DOI: doi:10.1175/2008JCLI2330.1
Abstract
In the equatorial Indian Ocean, sea surface has warmed by 0.5°–1°C over the 1960–99 period, while
waters have cooled at thermocline depth and the net atmospheric heat flux has decreased. Among a set of
twentieth-century climate simulations from 12 coupled models, the Centre National de Recherches
Météorologiques Coupled Global Climate Model version 3 (CNRM-CM3) reproduces key observed features
of these changes. It is used to investigate changes in the heat budget of the upper equatorial Indian
Ocean and identify mechanisms responsible for the warming. By comparing twentieth-century and control
simulations, significant shifts in the mean balance of the heat budget between the preindustrial and the
1960–99 periods can be identified. The main cause of the surface warming is a decrease in the upwellingrelated
oceanic cooling. It occurs in the thermocline dome region because of a slowdown of the wind-driven
Ekman pumping. The observed decrease in net heat flux is a negative feedback driven by evaporation,
which is enhanced by the equatorial warming and associated strengthening of trade winds.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Coupled Global Climate Model, Indian Ocean, sea surface temperature |
Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
Research Group: | Oceanography |
Research Field: | Physical oceanography |
Objective Division: | Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards |
Objective Group: | Understanding climate change |
Objective Field: | Climate variability (excl. social impacts) |
UTAS Author: | Meyers, GA (Professor Gary Meyers) |
ID Code: | 62094 |
Year Published: | 2009 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 55 |
Deposited By: | Centre for Marine Science |
Deposited On: | 2010-03-10 |
Last Modified: | 2013-09-09 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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