Air-sea interaction in tropical atmosphere: influence of ocean mixing on atmospheric processes

One the major factors determining the development and evolution of atmospheric convection is the sea surface temperature and its variability. Results of this thesis show that state of atmospheric convection impacts the diurnal distribution of thermal energy in the upper ocean. Under calm and clear sky conditions a shallow warm layer of several meters depth develops on the surface of the ocean. This warm layer drives an anomalous flux from the ocean to the atmosphere. A novel Kelvin wave trajectory database based on satellite data is introduced in this study. The investigation of its data shows that substantial fraction of Kelvin waves is initiated as a result of interaction with another Kelvin wave. Two distinct categories are defined and analyzed: the two- and multiple Kelvin wave initiations, and a spin off initiation. Results show that primary forcing of such waves are high diurnal cycle and/or increased wind speed and latent heat flux at the ocean surface. Variability of the ocean surface and subsurface along Kelvin wave trajectories over Indian Ocean is investigated: wind speed and latent heat flux increase and a sea surface temperature anomaly decreases during a wave passage. It is also shown that Kelvin waves are longitude-diurnal cycle phase locked over the Maritime Continent. This cycle phase locking is such that it agrees with mean, local diurnal cycle of convection in the atmosphere. The strength of the longitude-diurnal cycle phase locking differs between non-blocked Kelvin waves, which make successful transition over the Maritime Continent, and blocked waves that terminate within it. The distance between the islands of Sumatra and Borneo agrees with the distance travelled by an average Kelvin wave in one day. This suggests that the Maritime Continent may act as a filter, favoring successful propagation waves, which are in phase with the local diurnal cycle of convection.Comment: PhD thesis, University of Warsa

Subsurface oceanic structure associated with atmospheric convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves in the eastern Indian Ocean

Atmospheric convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves (CCKWs) are a major tropical weather feature strongly influenced by ocean–atmosphere interactions. However, prediction of the development and propagation of CCKWs remains a challenge for models. The physical processes involved in these interactions are assessed by investigating the oceanic response to the passage of CCKWs across the eastern Indian Ocean and Maritime Continent using the NEMO ocean model analysis with data assimilation. Three-dimensional life cycles are constructed for “solitary” CCKW events. As a CCKW propagates over the eastern Indian Ocean, the immediate thermodynamic ocean response includes cooling of the ocean surface and subsurface, deepening of the mixed layer depth, and an increase in the mixed layer heat content. Additionally, a dynamical downwelling signal is observed two days after the peak in the CCKW westerly wind burst, which propagates eastward along the Equator and then follows the Sumatra and Java coasts, consistent with a downwelling oceanic Kelvin wave with an average phase speed of 2.3 m s −1. Meridional and vertical structures of zonal velocity anomalies are consistent with this framework. This dynamical feature is consistent across distinct CCKW populations, indicating the importance of CCKWs as a source of oceanic Kelvin waves in the eastern Indian Ocean. The subsurface dynamical response to the CCKWs is identifiable up to 11 days after the forcing. These ocean feedbacks on time scales longer than the CCKW life cycle help elucidate how locally driven processes can rectify onto longer time-scale processes in the coupled ocean–atmosphere system

The Dynamics of the Southwest Monsoon Current in 2016 from High-Resolution In Situ Observations and Models

The strong stratification of the Bay of Bengal (BoB) causes rapid variations in sea surface temperature (SST) that influence the development of monsoon rainfall systems. This stratification is driven by the salinity difference between the fresh surface waters of the northern bay and the supply of warm, salty water by the Southwest Monsoon Current (SMC). Despite the influence of the SMC on monsoon dynamics, observations of this current during the monsoon are sparse. Using data from high-resolution in situ measurements along an east–west section at 8°N in the southern BoB, we calculate that the northward transport during July 2016 was between 16.7 and 24.5 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1), although up to ⅔ of this transport is associated with persistent recirculating eddies, including the Sri Lanka Dome. Comparison with climatology suggests the SMC in early July was close to the average annual maximum strength. The NEMO 1/12° ocean model with data assimilation is found to faithfully represent the variability of the SMC and associated water masses. We show how the variability in SMC strength and position is driven by the complex interplay between local forcing (wind stress curl over the Sri Lanka Dome) and remote forcing (Kelvin and Rossby wave propagation). Thus, various modes of climatic variability will influence SMC strength and location on time scales from weeks to years. Idealized one-dimensional ocean model experiments show that subsurface water masses advected by the SMC significantly alter the evolution of SST and salinity, potentially impacting Indian monsoon rainfall

The role of tropical waves in the genesis of Tropical Cyclone Seroja in the Maritime Continent

Tropical cyclone Seroja was one of the first tropical cyclones to significantly impact Indonesian land, and the strongest one in such close proximity to Timor Island. In April 2021 Seroja brought historic flooding to near-equatorial regions of Indonesia and East Timor, as well as impacting Western Australia. Here we show that the unusual near-equatorial cyclogenesis in close proximity to a land mass was due to “perfect storm” conditions associated with multiple wave interactions. Specifically, this was associated with enhanced equatorial convection on the leading edge of a Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) event. Within the MJO, the interaction between a convectively coupled equatorial Rossby wave and two convectively coupled Kelvin waves span up the initial vortex and accelerated cyclogenesis. On average, such favorable atmospheric conditions can occur once per year. These results indicate the potential for increased predictability of tropical cyclones over the Maritime Continent

Isotopic measurements in water vapor, precipitation, and seawater during EUREC4^4A

n early 2020, an international team set out to investigate trade-wind cumulus clouds and their coupling to the large-scale circulation through the field campaign EUREC$^4$A: ElUcidating the RolE of Clouds-Circulation Coupling in ClimAte. Focused on the western tropical Atlantic near Barbados, EUREC$^4$A deployed a number of innovative observational strategies, including a large network of water isotopic measurements collectively known as EUREC$^4$A-iso, to study the tropical shallow convective environment. The goal of the isotopic measurements was to elucidate processes that regulate the hydroclimate state – for example, by identifying moisture sources, quantifying mixing between atmospheric layers, characterizing the microphysics that influence the formation and persistence of clouds and precipitation, and providing an extra constraint in the evaluation of numerical simulations. During the field experiment, researchers deployed seven water vapor isotopic analyzers on two aircraft, on three ships, and at the Barbados Cloud Observatory (BCO). Precipitation was collected for isotopic analysis at the BCO and from aboard four ships. In addition, three ships collected seawater for isotopic analysis. All told, the in situ data span the period 5 January–22 February 2020 and cover the approximate area 6 to 16° N and 50 to 60° W, with water vapor isotope ratios measured from a few meters above sea level to the mid-free troposphere and seawater samples spanning the ocean surface to several kilometers depth. This paper describes the full EUREC$^4$A isotopic in situ data collection – providing extensive information about sampling strategies and data uncertainties – and also guides readers to complementary remotely sensed water vapor isotope ratios. All field data have been made publicly available even if they are affected by known biases, as is the case for high-altitude aircraft measurements, one of the two BCO ground-based water vapor time series, and select rain and seawater samples from the ships. Publication of these data reflects a desire to promote dialogue around improving water isotope measurement strategies for the future. The remaining, high-quality data create unprecedented opportunities to close water isotopic budgets and evaluate water fluxes and their influence on cloudiness in the trade-wind environment. The full list of dataset DOIs and notes on data quality flags are provided in Table 3 of Sect. 5 (“Data availability”)

A Study of CINDY/DYNAMO MJO Suppressed Phase

The diurnal variability and the environmental conditions that support the moisture resurgence of MJO events observed during the Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability (CINDY)/DYNAMO campaign in October–December 2011 are investigated using in situ observations and the cloud-resolving fully air–ocean–wave Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS). Spectral density and wavelet analysis of the total precipitable water (TPW) constructed from the DYNAMO soundings and TRMM satellite precipitation reveal a deep layer of vapor resurgence during the observed Wheeler and Hendon real-time multivariate MJO index phases 5–8 (MJO suppressed phase), which include diurnal, quasi-2-, quasi-3–4-, quasi-6–8-, and quasi-16-day oscillations. A similar oscillatory pattern is found in the DYNAMO moorings sea surface temperature analysis, suggesting a tightly coupled atmosphere and ocean system during these periods. COAMPS hindcast focused on the 12–16 November 2011 event suggests that both the diurnal sea surface temperature (SST) pumping and horizontal and vertical moisture transport associated with the westward propagating mixed Rossby–Gravity (MRG) waves play an essential role in the moisture resurgence during this period. Idealized COAMPS simulations of MRG waves are used to estimate the MRG and diurnal SST contributions to the overall moisture increase. These idealized MRG sensitivity experiments showed the TPW increase varies from 9% to 13% with the largest changes occurring in the simulations that included a diurnal SST variation of 2.5°C as observed.Keywords: Madden-Julian oscillation, Coupled models, Oscillations, performance, Model evaluation, Diurnal effects, Atmosphere-ocean interactio

BoBBLE: ocean-atmosphere interaction and its impact on the South Asian monsoon

The Bay of Bengal (BoB) plays a fundamental role in controlling the weather systems that make up the South Asian summer monsoon system. In particular,the southern BoB has cooler sea surface temperature (SST) that influence ocean-atmosphere interaction and impact on the monsoon. Compared to the southeast, the southwestern BoB is cooler, more saline, receives much less rain, and is influenced by the Summer Monsoon Current(SMC). To examine the impact of these features on the monsoon, the BoB Boundary Layer Experiment (BoBBLE) was jointly undertaken by India and the UK during June–July 2016. Physical and bio-geochemical observations were made using a CTD, five ocean gliders, a uCTD, a VMP, two ADCPs, Argo floats, drifting buoys, meteorological sensors and upper air radiosonde balloons. The observations were made along a zonal section at 8◦N between 85.3◦E and 89◦E with a 10-day time series at 89◦E, 8◦N. This paper presents the new observed features of the southern BoB from the BoBBLE field program, supported by satellite data. Key results from the BoBBLE field campaign show the Sri Lanka Dome and the SMC in different stages of their seasonal evolution and two freshening events during which salinity decreased in the upper layer leading to the formation of thick barrier layers. BoBBLE observations were taken during a suppressed phase of the intraseasonal oscillation; they captured in detail the warming of the ocean mixed layer and preconditioning of the atmosphere to convection

Interannual Variability of the GNSS Precipitable Water Vapor in the Global Tropics

This paper addresses the subject of inter-annual variability of the tropical precipitable water vapor (PWV) derived from 18 years of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observations. Non-linear trends of retrieved GNSS PWV were investigated using the singular spectrum analysis (SSA) along with various climate indices. For most of the analyzed stations (~49%) the GNSS PWV anomaly was related to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), although its influence on the PWV variability was not homogeneous. The cross-correlations coefficient values estimated between the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) and PWV were up to 0.78. A strong cross-correlation was also found for regional climate pattern expressed through CAR, DMI, HAW, NPGO, TNA and TSA indices. A distinct agreement was also found when instead of climate indices, the local sea surface temperature was examined (average correlation 0.60). The SSA method made it also possible to distinguish small-scale phenomena that affect PWV, such as local droughts or wetter rainy seasons. The overall nature of the investigated changes was also verified through linear trend analysis. In general, not a single station was characterized by a negative trend and its weighted mean value, calculated for all stations was equal to 0.08 ± 0.01 mm/year

Uncrewed Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) flight oceanic measurements in NetCDF format gathered during MARIA S. MERIAN cruise MSM114/2 (ARC)

The ship campaign MSM114/2 (ARC) with the German research vessel Maria S. Merian took place from 22 January to 23 February, 2023. The campaign started in Mindelo, Cape Verde, and ended in Punta Arenas, Chile. During the campaign, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) was completely crossed three times at an almost constant longitude of 23˚W yielding three profiles of the ITCZ. Afterwards, a storm was passed in the Roaring Forties, in the South Atlantic. Here, we present level 2 oceanographic data from the Uncrewed Aircraft Vehicle flights as part of a series of standardised data sets of the atmospheric and oceanographic observations gathered during the ARC campaign. The data set contains eleven sea water temperature profiles down to a depth of 15 m

Impact of a fresh-core mesoscale eddy in modulating oceanic response to a Madden-Julian Oscillation

Theories of ocean–atmosphere interaction during a Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) are generally based on a thermodynamic model with surface fluxes dictating changes in sea surface temperature. Evidence from a two month ocean glider deployment in early 2019 in the southeast Indian Ocean suggests the impact of mesoscale dynamics on upper-ocean stratification likely affects ocean–atmosphere interaction at MJO scales. Until mid-February, local surface fluxes consistent with a convectively suppressed MJO phase drove near-surface ocean evolution. With the advection of a fresh-core eddy to the glider location in late February, ocean dynamics then becomes an additional driver of this evolution by modulating local stratification and generating a barrier layer of ≈ 12 m thickness for 10 days. One-dimensional modelling experiments based on the ocean and atmospheric conditions experienced during our sampling period show that the ocean subsurface structure within the eddy induce changes in SST of physical significance for ocean-atmosphere interaction. Moreover, results also suggest that the presence of a thick eddy-induced barrier layer during the MJO suppressed phase modulates the magnitude of temperature anomalies forced by surface fluxes during the following enhanced MJO phase. As eddies are abundant in this area, their dynamics must be considered to correctly represent SST variability for MJO modelling