Coupled Rossby Waves in the Indian Ocean on Interannual Timescales

Abstract

Abstract Gridded fields of TOPEX/Poseidon sea level height (SLH) from 1993 to 1998 and National Centers for Environmental Prediction sea surface temperature (SST) and meridional surface wind (MSW) anomalies from 1970 to 1998 are used to examine coupled Rossby waves in the Indian Ocean from 10°S to 30°S. Time–longitude diagrams of monthly SLH, SST, and MSW anomalies yield significant peak spectral energy density in propagation wavenumber–frequency spectra for westward propagating waves of >2 yr period and >4000 km wavelength. Subsequent low-pass filtering of SLH, SST, and MSW anomalies for these interannual timescales >2 yr finds them propagating westward over the Indian Ocean in fixed phase with one another at speeds significantly less (0.04–0.07 m s−1) than first-mode baroclinic Rossby waves, taking 3 to 4 years to cross the basin. These coupled Rossby waves display weak beta refraction patterns in all three variables. Significant squared coherence between interannual SLH and SST (SST and MSW) anomalies ...