Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2012, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (5): 116-123.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2012.05.017cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2012.05.017

Special Issue: 海上丝绸之路专题

• Marine Hydrology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Interannual variability of sea surface temperature in the north Indian Ocean associated with ENSO

WU Yan-ling1, DU Yan1, HUANG Zhuo1, 2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; 2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; 3. Guangxi Climate Center, Nanning 530002, China
  • Received:2011-03-28 Revised:2011-05-20 Online:2012-11-01 Published:2013-02-06

Abstract: The Sea Surface Temperature (SST) warming in the North Indian Ocean (NIO) is examined in terms of its association with ENSO using ICOADS monthly data for the period 1979?2007. The results indicate there are two SST warming periods in the NIO, occurring in El Ni?o developing year and decay year, respectively. The responses in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are different. The change in surface heat fluxes related to ENSO is an important forcing to the NIO warming. The influences of shortwave radiation and latent heat flux are not simultaneous: the former is two or three months earlier than the latter. When the SST warms up in the NIO, the shortwave radiation turns to be a damping effect to the change in SST. Furthermore, the responses of SST in the NIO to El Ni?o and La Ni?a are asymmetric. During the El Ni?o, the SST increase displays two or three peaks. During the La Ni?a, only one significant cooling is formed over the NIO.

Key words: ENSO, SST, north Indian Ocean, interannual variability

CLC Number: 

  • P732