The Modeled Atmospheric and Oceanic Response to the South China Sea SST Anomaly

The sensitivity of the global atmospheric and oceanic response to sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA) throughou the South China Sea(SCS) is investigated using the Fast Ocean-Atmosphere Model(FOAM). Forced by a warming SST, the ex periment explicitly demonstrates that the responses of surface air temperature(SAT) and SST exhibit positive anomalous center ove SCS and negative anomalous center over the Northern Pacific Ocean(NPO). The atmospheric response to the warm SST anomalie is characterized by a barotropical anomaly in middle-latitude, leading to a weak subtropical high in summer and a weak Aleutian low in winter. Accordingly, Indian monsoon and eastern Asian monsoon strengthen in summer but weaken in winter as a result of wind convergence owing to the warm SST. It is worth noting that the abnormal signals propagate poleward and eastward away in the form of Rossby Waves from the forcing region, which induces high pressure anomaly. Owing to action of the wind-driven circulation, an anomalous anti-cyclonic circulation is induced with a primary southward current in the upper ocean. An obvious cooling appear over the North Pacific, which can be explained by anomalous meridional cold advection and mixing as shown in the analysises o heat budget and other factors that affect SST.

Response of the mixed layer depth and subduction rate in the subtropical Northeast Pacific to global warming

The response of the mixed layer depth(MLD)and subduction rate in the subtropical Northeast Pacific to global warming is investigated based on 9 CMIP5 models.Compared with the present climate in the 9 models,the response of the MLD in the subtropical Northeast Pacific to the increased radiation forcing is spatially nonuniform,with the maximum shoaling about 50 m in the ensemble mean result.The inter-model differences of MLD change are non-negligible,which depend on the various dominated mechanisms.On the north of the MLD front,MLD shallows largely and is influenced by Ekman pumping,heat flux,and upper-ocean cold advection changes.On the south of the MLD front,MLD changes a little in the warmer climate,which is mainly due to the upper-ocean warm advection change.As a result,the MLD front intensity weakens obviously from 0.24 m/km to0.15 m/km(about 33.9%)in the ensemble mean,not only due to the maximum of MLD shoaling but also dependent on the MLD non-uniform spatial variability.The spatially non-uniform decrease of the subduction rate is primarily dominated by the lateral induction reduction(about 85%in ensemble mean)due to the significant weakening of the MLD front.This research indicates that the ocean advection change impacts the MLD spatially non-uniform change greatly,and then plays an important role in the response of the MLD front and the subduction process to global warming.

Investigation of the Heat Budget of the Tropical Indian Ocean During Indian Ocean Dipole Events Occurring After ENSO

The Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD) is an important natural mode of the tropical Indian Ocean(TIO). Sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA) variations in the TIO are an essential focus of the study of the IOD. Monthly variations of air-sea heat flux, rate of change of heat content and oceanic thermal advection in positive/negative IOD events(pIODs/nIODs) occurring after El Nino/La Nina were investigated, using long-series authoritative data, including sea surface wind, sea surface flux, ocean current, etc. It was found that the zonal wind anomaly induced by the initial SSTA gradient is the main trigger of IODs occurring after ENSOs. In pIODs, SSTA evolution in the TIO is primarily determined by the local surface heat flux anomaly, while in nIODs, it is controlled by anomalous oceanic thermal advection. The anomalous southwestern anticyclonic circulation in pIODs enhances regional differences in evaporative capacity and latent heat, and in nIODs, it augments the east-west difference in the advective thermal budget. Further, the meridional anomaly mechanism is also non-negligible during the development of nIODs. As the SWA moves eastward, the meridional SWA prevails near 60°E and the corresponding meridional anomalous current appears. The corresponding maximum meridional thermal advection anomaly reaches 200 Wm^-2 in September.

Simulation and future projection of the mixed layer depth and subduction process in the subtropical Southeast Pacific

The present climate simulation and future projection of the mixed layer depth(MLD)and subduction process in the subtropical Southeast Pacific are investigated based on the geophysical fluid dynamics laboratory earth system model(GFDL-ESM2 M).The MLD deepens from May and reaches its maximum(>160 m)near(24°S,104°W)in September in the historical simulation.The MLD spatial pattern in September is non-uniform in the present climate,which shows three characteristics:(1)the deep MLD extends from the Southeast Pacific to the West Pacific and leads to a"deep tongue"until 135°W;(2)the northern boundary of the MLD maximum is smoothly near 18°S,and MLD shallows sharply to the northeast;(3)there is a relatively shallow MLD zone inserted into the MLD maximum eastern boundary near(26°S,80°W)as a weak"shallow tongue".The MLD nonuniform spatial pattern generates three strong MLD fronts respectively in the three key regions,promoting the subduction rate.After global warming,the variability of MLD spatial patterns is remarkably diverse,rather than deepening consistently.In all the key regions,the MLD deepens in the south but shoals in the north,strengthing the MLD front.As a result,the subduction rate enhances in these areas.This MLD antisymmetric variability is mainly influenced by various factors,especially the potential-density horizontal advection non-uniform changes.Notice that the freshwater flux change helps to deepen the MLD uniformly in the whole basin,so it hardly works on the regional MLD variability.The study highlights that there are regional differences in the mechanisms of the MLD change,and the MLD front change caused by MLD non-uniform variability is the crucial factor in the subduction response to global warming.

Sustained Decadal Warming Phase in the Southwestern Indian Ocean since the Mid-1990s

Regardless of the slowdown in global warming during the hiatus period, sea surface temperatures(SSTs) in the southwestern Indian Ocean(SWIO) have experienced sustained decadal warming for more than two decades since the mid-1990 s. The SWIO SSTs warmed steadily during 1996–2016, causing a warming hot spot of 0.4 K decade-1 in a large region east of Madagascar. An upper-layer heat budget analysis indicated that heat advection by ocean currents was the greatest contributor to the warming of the SWIO SSTs. The existence of an anticyclonic geostrophic current along the western boundary of the SWIO tended to maintain such warming by transporting warmer water from the west into the SWIO region. In addition, net positive heat transport by ocean currents also occurred at the southern boundary of the SWIO as the climatological northward transport of cold water from the Southern Ocean weakened. This reduction in northward ocean currents at the surface was caused by local wind stress changes, leading to a southward Ekman current. Below the surface, an anticyclonic geostrophic current pattern existed around the warming center near the southeastern SWIO, which reduced the transport of cold waters from the Southern Ocean and warmed the SWIO. These processes near the two boundaries formed a self-sustaining positive feedback mechanism and favored the maintenance of sustained warming in the SWIO. More attention is needed to analyze the sustained long-lasting warming in the SWIO, as it is a unique phenomenon occurring under the background of the ongoing global warming.