Air Sea Interaction In The Tropical Pacific Ocean

Tropical and Extratropical Air-Sea Interactions: Modes of Climate Variations provides a thorough introduction to global atmospheric and oceanic processes, as well as tropical, subtropical and mid-latitude ocean-atmosphere interactions. Written by leading experts in the field, each chapter is dedicated to a specific topic of air-sea interactions (such as ENSO, IOD, Atlantic Nino, ENSO Modoki, and newly discovered coastal Niños/Niñas) and their teleconnections. As the first book to cover all topics of tropical and extra-tropical air-sea interactions and new modes of climate variations, this book is an excellent resource for researchers and students of ocean, atmospheric and climate sciences. Presents case studies on the ocean-atmosphere phenomena, including El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole and different Nino/Nina phenomena Provides a clear description of air-sea relationships across the world’s ocean with an analysis of air-sea relations in different time scales and a focus on climate change Includes prospects for air-sea interaction research, thus benefiting young researchers and students

The role of ocean dynamics in driving air-sea interaction is examined at two contrasting sites on 125°W in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean using data from the Pan American Climate Study (PACS) field program. Analysis based on the PACS data set and satellite observations of sea surface temperature (SST) reveals marked differences in the role of ocean dynamics in modulating SST. At a near-equatorial site (3°S), the 1997-1998 El Nifio event dominated the evolution of SST and surface heat fluxes, and it is found that wind-driven southward Ekman transport was important in the local transition from El Nifio to La Nifia conditions. At a 10'N site near the summertime position of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone, oceanic niesoscale motions played an important role in modulating SST at intraseasonal (50- to 100-day) timescales, and the buoy observations suggest that there are variations in surface solar radiation coupled to these mesoscale SST variations. This suggests that the mesoscale oceanic variability may influence the occurrence of clouds. The intraseasonal variability in currents, sea surface height, and SST at the northern site is examined within the broader spatial and temporal context afforded by satellite data.

The role of ocean dynamics in driving air-sea interaction is examined at two contrasting sites on l25 deg W in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean using satellite data and data from two air-sea interaction moorings. Analysis reveals marked differences in the role of ocean dynamics in modulating sea surface temperature (SST). At a near-equatorial site (3 deg S), the 1997-1998 El Nino event dominated the evolution of SST and surface heat fluxes, and it is found that wind-driven southward Ekman transport was important in the local transition from El Nino to La Nina conditions At a l0 deg N site near the summertime position of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone, oceanic mesoscale motions played an important role in modulating SST at intraseasonal (50- to 100-day) timescales. The characteristics and possible generation mechanisms of this mesoscale variability are examined. Focusing on l0 deg N in the eastern tropical Pacific, the hypothesis that mesoscale oceanic SST variability can systematically influence cloud properties is investigated using several satellite data products. A statistically significant relationship between SST and columnar cloud liquid water and surface solar radiation is identified within the wavenumber-frequency band corresponding to oceanic Rossby waves.

We have investigated air-sea interaction patterns in the equatorial Pacific during the 1991-1992 El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event. Our study focused on the identification of spatial and temporal relationships between sea surface temperatures, subsurface temperatures, and winds. These relationships were examined using time series and statistical analyses of atmosphere and ocean data from the moored buoys of the Tropical Oceans-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program. Our results strongly suggest that the heat content of the ocean mixed layer greatly affected air-sea interactions. In almost all regions, mixed layer warming was followed within one week by increased winds. In most cases, the mixed layer warming before wind events was accompanied by a thickening of the mixed layer, suggesting that internal waves were strongly influencing air-sea interactions. Increased winds tended to precede surface cooling and subsurface warming by a few days. There were strong correlations between warming (cooling) thermocline temperature and increased (decreased) zonal winds at the central and eastern equatorial Pacific buoys. In the central Pacific, thermocline warming (cooling) was associated with westerlies (easterlies). This suggested that equatorially trapped Kelvin waves warmed and thickened the mixed layer, resulting in increased zonal winds. In the central Pacific, these local zonal winds then reinforced the Kelvin waves through downwelling and upwelling. Ocean temperature inversions were found throughout the Pacific.