Premium
A role for ocean biota in tropical intraseasonal atmospheric variability
Author(s) -
Gildor Hezi,
Sobel Adam H.,
Cane Mark A.,
Sambrotto Raymond N.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2002gl016759
Subject(s) - sea surface temperature , environmental science , climatology , atmospheric sciences , convection , biota , plankton , radiative transfer , atmosphere (unit) , satellite , oceanography , geology , meteorology , ecology , physics , biology , quantum mechanics , astronomy
We propose that temporal variations within the marine plankton system can induce intraseasonal variations in sea surface temperature (SST) through the effect on solar penetration due to chlorophyll and other optically active organic components. Sensitivity studies with a simple model suggest that these small oscillations in SST may stimulate radiative‐convective oscillations in the atmosphere which amplify them and thus induce or modulate significant variability in the coupled system. Long term bio‐optical measurements in the Western Pacific, where satellite time series are degraded by clouds, would provide a test of our theory and would improve our understanding of the heat balance in this climatically important region.