Seasonal transition of precedent Indian Ocean basin mode and subsequent Indian Ocean Dipole without El Niño–Southern Oscillation impact

Abstract

AbstractAs two pronounced anomaly patterns over the tropical Indian Ocean, the Indian Ocean basin mode (IOBM) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) feature phase‐locking with seasonal cycle. We find that IOBM and IOD exhibit significant connection without the influence of the preceding El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The tropical IOBM cooling in preceding winter, which is accompanied by anomalous westerlies in the lower troposphere of the tropical eastern Indian Ocean, can transit to a positive IOD in subsequent seasons. In boreal spring following a IOBM cooling, the equatorial wind anomalies over the Indian Ocean turn to easterlies due to the Rossby wave response to the decreased precipitation over the Maritime Continent region. The increased zonal gradient of the sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Indian Ocean favours the intrinsic Bjerknes feedback to build up a positive IOD. With the reinforcing process of the weakened Walker circulation in the tropical Indian Ocean, the positive IOD events develop during boreal summer and then reach the peak in following autumn. These results demonstrate that the IOD is transited from the preceding IOBM, which is independent of the influence of the preceding ENSO in boreal winter.