Characteristics and Mechanisms of the Interannual Variability of the Northwest–Southeast Shift of the Tropical Easterly Jet’s Core in July

Abstract

Abstract Previous studies have pointed out that the tropical easterly jet (TEJ) core varies longitudinally or latitudinally. Whether there is a linkage between longitudinal and latitudinal variations of the TEJ core remains unclear. We found that, on the interannual time scale, the northward (southward) movement of the TEJ core is typically accompanied by a westward (eastward) shift, characterized by a noticeable northwest–southeast (NW–SE) displacement. This NW–SE shift is most evident in July. A locational index is defined to capture this shift by the difference of area-averaged 200-hPa zonal winds between the western Arabian Sea (AS) and the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula. Observations and numerical simulations demonstrated that the northwestward-shifted (southeastward-shifted) TEJ core is caused by the joint and individual influences from the enhanced (suppressed) convective activities over the eastern AS and suppressed (enhanced) convective activities over the northern Bay of Bengal–South China Sea (BOB–SCS). Enhanced (suppressed) convective activities over the eastern AS can induce upper-tropospheric divergence (convergence) and anticyclonic (cyclonic) circulations to the northwest of the convection, leading to anomalous easterly (westerly) over the western AS. The suppressed (enhanced) convective activities over the northern BOB–SCS can further facilitate the northwestward (southeastward) shift through inducing anomalous cyclonic (anticyclonic) circulation centering at the BOB and the associated anomalous westerly (easterly) over the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula. The NW–SE shift of the TEJ core may have an implication for the change in the area of the intense rainfall in South Asia. Significance Statement The purpose of this study is to explore the linkage between the zonal and meridional variations of the core of the tropical easterly jet (TEJ) and its underlying mechanisms. We found that the TEJ core features a pronounced northwest–southeast shift and this phenomenon only occurs in July. Thus, we defined a locational index to depict this unique characteristic and reveal its relationship with the anomalous convective activities over the eastern Arabian Sea and the northern Bay of Bengal–South China Sea. These results may help improve our understanding of the characteristics and mechanisms of the variations of the TEJ core.