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Mode shift in the Indian Ocean climate under global warming stress
Author(s) -
Nakamura Nobuko,
Kayanne Hajime,
Iijima Hiroko,
McClanahan Timothy R.,
Behera Swadhin K.,
Yamagata Toshio
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1029/2009gl040590
Subject(s) - indian ocean dipole , climatology , indian ocean , coral , subtropical indian ocean dipole , monsoon , oceanography , global warming , mode (computer interface) , southern oscillation , monsoon of south asia , el niño southern oscillation , climate change , effects of global warming on oceans , environmental science , geography , geology , computer science , operating system
A 115‐year coral record from Kenya has been found to preserve the history of rainfall anomalies in East Africa in relation to global warming‐induced Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) variability. The coral IOD index demonstrates a dominantly decadal periodicity in the early part of the 20th century. This low‐frequency IOD occurred more frequently before 1924 with mostly quasi‐biennial ranging from 18 months to 3 years events since 1960. The mode shift has also coincided with an intensified coupling with Indian summer monsoon rainfall. We suggest that a warming of the western Indian Ocean, which has attenuated and replaced the El Niño/Southern Oscillation effect over the Indian Ocean, has driven the observed shift.