Coupled ocean-atmosphere inter-decadal modes in the tropics

Goswami, BN and Thomas, Mann Anna (2000) Coupled ocean-atmosphere inter-decadal modes in the tropics. In: Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 78 (6). pp. 765-775.

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Abstract

Homogencous upper air data for 50 years (1949-1998) from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis project, sea surface temperatures and sea level pressure are used to bring out the three dimensional structure of two dominant decadal/multi-decadal variations in the tropics. The global three dimensional modes represent generalized forms of inter-decadal modes studied earlier only with surface data. In the vertical, both modes show approximate first baroclinic structures over the tropics. The Walker circulation associated with the multidecadal mode has a wavenumber two structure in the zonal direction. It is shown that the magnitude of major ascending and descending motions associated with the multi-decadal Hadley and Walker circulations, are comparable to those associated with the dominant inter-annual mode. Implications of these large scale global circulations associated with the low frequency oscillations in modulating regional climate on a inter-annual time scale are discussed.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan
Publisher:	Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic.
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Centre for Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Date Deposited:	18 Aug 2010 10:02
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 06:14
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/31407

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