Cooler Sea Surface Temperatures Research Articles

Causes of the Record-breaking Drought in Taiwan in 2020-2021

<p>2020年梅雨季提早結束，夏季沒有侵臺颱風，秋冬季雨量亦明顯偏少，2021年春雨也是寥寥可數，就在水庫快要見底之際，望眼欲穿的梅雨終於在5月底到來，臺灣旱象才得以逐漸緩解。此次旱災除在經濟上有許多損失外，亦對民眾生活造成諸多不便，值得深入了解形成旱象的物理機制。</p> <p>統計2020年6月至2021年5月的臺灣雨量，達到1910年有紀錄以來的最少，堪稱為百年大旱。本報告分析此段期間的大尺度環流，推測造成臺灣百年大旱的可能原因，並歸納主要發現如下：①2020年6月至9月的少雨，主要是極端偏強的副熱帶高壓造成，當時的副高不僅在強度上達到最強，持續時間亦為1949年之後的最持久；副高偏強可能與熱帶各洋面同時出現海溫異常有關，包含反聖嬰在中東太平洋的偏冷、印度洋及大西洋的偏暖。②臺灣2020年秋冬季雨量偏少，可能與反聖嬰及菲律賓海偏暖有關。③2021年臺灣春雨偏少，主因應該是菲律賓海溫偏暖，其次為逐漸減弱的反聖嬰，負相位的太平洋年代際震盪亦有少許的貢獻；當菲律賓海偏暖時，會在其西側產生氣旋式環流，為臺灣及東亞沿岸帶來水氣較少的東北風距平，進一步造成臺灣春雨較少；反聖嬰有利上述偶合系統的維持。④2021年3月中旬至5月期間的熱帶季內振盪較為活躍，季內振盪可能使臺灣4月中下旬的西南水氣源減少，5月季內振盪乾區逐漸接近臺灣，進而造成臺灣少雨。簡而言之，2020-2021年的臺灣百年大旱不是單一因素造成的極端事件，而是許多因素同時出現的複合現象。</p> <p> </p><p>During 2020, an earlier-ended Mei-Yu season combined with a typhoon-absent summer, followed by notably low rainfall from following autumn to spring in 2021, Taiwan’s accumulated rainfall from June 2020 to May 2021 broke the lowest record since 1910, we report the unique characteristics and physical mechanism of this extreme event.</p> <p>The possible causes of the drought event are presented as follows. ①The duration and strength of subtropical high over the Western North Pacific from Jun to September were the longest and strongest since 1949. The abnormal subtropical high maybe caused by the compounding effects from cool sea surface temperature (SST) over the central to eastern equatorial Pacific associated with La Niña, and warm SST in the northern Indian Ocean and the tropical Atlantic. ②The warmest SST appeared in the Philippine Sea through October 2020 to Marth 2021, concurrent with La Niña, generated the dry condition near Taiwan. ③ The less spring rainfall in Taiwan in 2021 could be directly attributed to the warmest SST in the Philippine Sea and indirectly to the weakening La Niña , whereas negative phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation seemed to have little effect. An anomalous cyclone usually appeared in the western side of the warm Philippine Sea and brought dry northeasterly anomaly to the East Asian coast, resulting in less spring rainfall in Taiwan, and the La Niña would favor and maintain this atmosphere-ocean coupled system. ④ In April-May 2021, active tropical intra-seasonal oscillation caused weaker moist southeasterly in middle to late April, and also resulted in dry condition before the end of May.</p> <p>In conclusion, the most serious drought event in 2020-2021 since 1910 was caused by the compounding effect from various influencing factors that occurred concurrently and sequentially. How much of these abnormal conditions were caused by the warming trend in recent decades, which is not investigated in this study, warrants further studies.</p> <p> </p>

On the Rapid Weakening of Typhoon Trami (2018): Strong Sea Surface Temperature Cooling Associated with Slow Translation Speed

Abstract This work investigates the rapid weakening (RW) processes of Typhoon Trami (2018) by examining sea surface temperature (SST) cooling based on air–sea coupled simulations during typhoon passage. The cold wake and Trami’s RW occurred as the storm was moving at a very slow translation speed. A marked structural change of Trami is found in a three-dimensional ocean-coupled model experiment during the RW stage, in which the convective clouds and convective bursts in the inner core of the simulated TC dramatically decrease, resulting in the loss of diabatic heating and leading to weakening of the TC. In the simulation, the enthalpy flux dramatically decreases in the inner core because of the SST cooling during the RW period, while a stable boundary layer (SBL) is formed in the TC’s inner-core region. The expanding SBL coverage stabilizes the atmosphere and suppresses convection in the inner core, leading to weakening of the storm. A more stable atmosphere in the cold wake is also identified by the inner-core dropsonde data from the field program of Tropical Cyclones-Pacific Asian Research Campaign for Improvement of Intensity Estimations/Forecasts. The strong SST cooling also changes the evolution of Trami’s eyewall replacement cycle (ERC) and limits the eyewall contraction after the ERC.

An Analysis of Translation Distance of Tropical Cyclones over the Western North Pacific

Abstract Tropical cyclone (TC) translation distance, proportional to its duration and translation speed, basically determines the spatial extent of TC-impacted marine and terrestrial areas. Although a long-term slowdown of TCs has recently been reported, changes in translation distance of TCs over the western North Pacific (WNP) and their driving mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using multiple TC datasets, here we find that the trends are opposite in overland translation distance of landfall WNP TCs over China and excluding China, with the number of landfalls in the two groups being almost the same. However, the increase in overland translation distance of landfall TCs over China is offset by a greater decrease in that excluding China, with the result that the overland translation distance of TCs over the WNP has declined (−4.0% decade−1). The oversea translation distance of TCs over the WNP also shows a decreasing trend (−2.4% decade−1), and thus the genesis-to-demise translation distance of TCs over the WNP has significantly decreased (by 17.7%) during 1961–2019. The shorter duration and reduced translation speed of TCs directly and jointly contribute (by 76.9% and 23.1%, respectively) to their shortened translation distance. The gradual increase in westerly and northerly winds and weaker moisture transport during the days following TC generation tend to inhibit long-distance travel after TC genesis. Declining TC translation distance is likely associated with the long-term increases in genesis potential index and an anomalous cyclonic steering flow over the WNP. Our findings suggest that these changes in TC translation distance may alter regional patterns of TC-related drying and wetting of the WNP. Significance Statement The spatial extent affected by a tropical cyclone (TC) is largely determined by TC translation distance. For example, TCs passing through marine areas could cool sea surface temperature and modulate local air–sea heat fluxes exchange; TCs with longer translation distances over land are more likely to trigger widespread flooding or terminate droughts in inland areas. Over the western North Pacific (WNP), we find that observational evidence supports opposite trends in overland translation distance of landfall TCs over China and excluding China. Nevertheless, the genesis-to-demise translation distance of TCs shows a significant decline over the WNP during the past six decades. Understanding the impacts of changes in TC translation distance has particular importance given the extensive footprint of TC-related drying and wetting of the marine and terrestrial areas.

Upper Ocean Responses to the Tropical Cyclones Ida and Felicia (2021) in the Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are a significant component of ocean–atmosphere interactions and the climate system. These interactions determine both the development and strength of TCs, as well as various biogeochemical processes in the upper oceans, including vertical mixing and primary production. We investigated the impact of the TCs Felicia and Ida that emerged in 2021 in the eastern North Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico, respectively, using satellite observations of sea-surface temperature (SST) and surface chlorophyll a (chl-a) concentrations, and vertical profiles of temperature and salinity derived from Argo floats. Observations differed between the two study areas. Cooling of SST associated with TC Ida was observed throughout the Gulf of Mexico (<0.5 °C), except for warming in a region off the Mexican coast east of Ida’s track (by about 0.5 °C). The passing of TC Felicia cooled SST in the eastern region (15°N, 115°W) and a central region (15°N, 125°W) by 0.5 °C and 0.36 °C, respectively. The passing of the TCs caused enhanced vertical mixing of the upper ocean layer in the Gulf of Mexico, with a deepening of the mixed layers from 38 m to 68 m (TC Ida). In contrast, the mixed layer in the eastern North Pacific decreased from 50 m to 20 m. For the eastern North Pacific, mixing could be related to an increase in surface chl-a and thus enhanced phytoplankton biomass was observed for 2 months after the passing of TC Felicia with a chl-a increase of 0.15 mg m−3. In the Gulf of Mexico, however, TC Ida caused the injection of a coastal phytoplankton bloom into the open Gulf, resting for more than a month after the cyclone had passed. Our findings contribute to the understanding of potential SST cooling, destratification, and enhanced primary production due to the passage of TCs in two distinct ocean regions, i.e., the open eastern North Pacific and the semi-enclosed Gulf of Mexico.

Giant clam (Tridacna) distribution in the Gulf of Oman in relation to past and future climate

The Oman upwelling zone (OUZ) creates an unfavorable environment and a major biogeographic barrier for many coral reef species, such as giant clams, thus promoting and maintaining faunal differences among reefs on the east and west side of the Arabian Peninsula. We record the former existence of Tridacna in the Gulf of Oman and review its stratigraphic distribution in the Persian Gulf to provide new insights on the connectivity of coral reef habitats around southern Arabia under changing climate and ocean conditions. Fossil shells were carbon-14 dated and employed as sclerochronological proxy archives. This reveals that the Omani population represents a last glacial colonization event during the Marine Isotope Stage 3 interstadial under colder-than-present temperatures and variable upwelling intensity linked to Dansgaard-Oeschger climate oscillations. It was favored by temperatures just above the lower threshold for the habitat-forming reef coral communities and instability of the upwelling barrier. We conclude that the distribution of Tridacna in the northern Arabian Sea is generally limited by either strong upwelling or cool sea surface temperature under gradually changing climate conditions at the interglacial-glacial scale. Opportunities for dispersal and temporary colonization existed only when there was a simultaneous attenuation of both limiting factors due to high-frequency climate variability. The OUZ will unlikely become a future climate change refuge for giant clams because they will be exposed either to thermal stress by rapid anthropogenic Indian Ocean warming or to unfavorable upwelling conditions.

Drivers and distribution of global ocean heat uptake over the last half century

Since the 1970s, the ocean has absorbed almost all of the additional energy in the Earth system due to greenhouse warming. However, sparse observations limit our knowledge of where ocean heat uptake (OHU) has occurred and where this heat is stored today. Here, we equilibrate a reanalysis-forced ocean-sea ice model, using a spin-up that improves on earlier approaches, to investigate recent OHU trends basin-by-basin and associated separately with surface wind trends, thermodynamic properties (temperature, humidity and radiation) or both. Wind and thermodynamic changes each explain ~ 50% of global OHU, while Southern Ocean forcing trends can account for almost all of the global OHU. This OHU is enabled by cool sea surface temperatures and sensible heat gain when atmospheric thermodynamic properties are held fixed, while downward longwave radiation dominates when winds are fixed. These results address long-standing limitations in multidecadal ocean-sea ice model simulations to reconcile estimates of OHU, transport and storage.

Argo Reveals the Scales and Provenance of Equatorial Island Upwelling Systems

AbstractEquatorial islands have distinct oceanographic signatures, including cool sea surface temperature and high productivity immediately to their west. It has long been hypothesized that topographic upwelling is responsible for such characteristics—upward deflection by the islands of the eastward‐flowing equatorial undercurrent (EUC). Using 22 years of in situ measurements by Argo, we provide the first direct observations of this process occurring with consistency at two prominent archipelagos in the equatorial Pacific. Argo measurements resolve a clear subsurface thermal fingerprint of vertical divergence at the depth of the EUC, confined to within 100 km of both the Gilbert (∼175°E) and Galápagos Islands (∼90°W). This signal at the Galápagos is well‐reproduced by a high‐resolution ocean reanalysis, enabling the estimation of vertical velocities balancing the zonal convergence of the EUC upon the islands. This sharpened view of the physics underpinning such important tropical ecosystems has implications for strategies to model and predict them.

Targeted artificial ocean cooling to weaken tropical cyclones would be futile

Proposals to use technology to cool sea surface temperatures have received attention for the potential application of weakening a tropical cyclone ahead of landfall. Here, application of an ocean-mixing aware maximum potential intensity theory finds that artificial ocean cooling could drastically weaken tropical cyclones over high sea surface temperature and deep ocean mixed layer environments, especially for fast storm motion speeds. In contrast, realistic mesoscale numerical simulations reveal that massive regions - the largest evaluated here contains a volume of 2.1 × 104 km3 and a surface area of 2.6 × 105 km2 - of artificially cooled ocean waters could weaken a tropical cyclone two days before landfall by 15% but only under the most ideal atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Thus, the fundamental theory provides an unreachable upper-bound that cannot be attained even by expending vast resources.

Weakly Nonlinear Ekman Pumping in the Sri Lanka Dome and Southwest Monsoon Current

Abstract The Sri Lanka Dome is a cyclonic recirculation feature in the Southwest Monsoon Current system in the southern Bay of Bengal. Cooler sea surface temperature (SST) in the vicinity of this system is often denoted as the Bay of Bengal “Cold Pool.” Although the wind shadow of Sri Lanka creates a region of strong positive wind stress curl, both sea level height dynamics and the distribution of cool SST cannot be explained by wind stress curl alone via traditional Ekman pumping. Moreover, the Cold Pool region is often aligned with the eastern portion of the Sri Lanka Dome, as defined by sea surface height. Previous work has attributed the spatial SST pattern to lateral advection. In this analysis, we explore whether low-latitude weakly nonlinear “vorticity” Ekman pumping could be an explanation for both cooling and observed changes in sea level height in the southwest Bay of Bengal. We show that weakly nonlinear upwelling, calculated from ERA5 and AVISO geostrophic currents, collocates with changes in sea level height (and presumably isopycnals). While the SST signal is sensitive to several factors including the net surface flux, regional upwelling explains changes in AVISO sea level height if the nonlinear terms are included, in both the Sri Lanka Dome and the region of the Southwest Monsoon Current.

Understanding Sea Surface Temperature Cooling in the Central‐East Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean During 1982–2020

AbstractSea surface temperature (SST) in the Southern Ocean plays an important role in air‐sea interactions, forcing atmospheric variability. Using various observational and reanalysis data sets, we show that the SST cooling trend in the Southern Ocean (50°S–70°S) continues (∼0.3°C from 1982 to 2020). The largest SST cooling trend is in the central‐east Pacific sector, which can extend to 250 m. A detailed trend analysis for the mixed layer heat budget equation suggests that changes in the net surface shortwave radiation and Ekman horizontal advection are the two key contributors, though the other processes contribute to the SST cooling trend in winter and spring. The reduced downward solar radiation is largely due to the increase of cloud cover, which enhances shortwave‐cloud‐radiative feedback and decreases SST. Changes in Ekman advection associated with increased zonal winds is in favor of the colder water remaining in upper ocean layer.

Atmospheric and oceanic conditions associated with early and late onset for Eastern Africa short rains

AbstractTiming of the rainy season is essential for a number of climate sensitive sectors over Eastern Africa. This is particularly true for the agricultural sector, where most activities depend on both the spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall throughout the season. Using a combination of observational and reanalysis datasets, the present study investigates the atmospheric and oceanic conditions associated with early and late onset for Eastern Africa short rains season (October–December). Our results indicate enhanced rainfall in October and November during years with early onset and rainfall deficit in years with late onset for the same months. Early onset years are found to be associated with warmer sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the western Indian Ocean, and an enhanced moisture flux and anomalous low‐level flow into Eastern Africa from as early as the first dekad of September. The late onset years are characterized by cooler SSTs in the western Indian Ocean, anomalous westerly moisture flux and zonal flow limiting moisture supply to the region. The variability in onset date is separated into the interannual and decadal components, and the links with SSTs and low‐level circulation over the Indian Ocean basin are examined separately for both timescales. Significant correlations are found between the interannual variability of the onset and the Indian Ocean dipole mode index. On decadal timescales the onset is shown to be partly driven by the variability of the SSTs over the Indian Ocean. Understanding the influence of these potentially predictable SST and moisture patterns on onset variability has huge potential to improve forecasts of the East African short rains. Improved prediction of the variability of the rainy season onset has huge implications for improving key strategic decisions and preparedness action in many sectors, including agriculture.

Exploring AMOC Regime Change over the Past Four Decades through Ocean Reanalyses

We examine North Atlantic climate variability using an ensemble of ocean reanalysis datasets to study the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) from 1979 to 2018. The dataset intercomparison shows good agreement for the latest period (1995–2018) for AMOC dynamics, characterized by a weaker overturning circulation after 1995 and a more intense one during 1979–1995, with varying intensity across the various datasets. The correlation between leading empirical orthogonal functions suggests that the AMOC weakening has connections with cooler (warmer) sea surface temperature (SST) and lower (higher) ocean heat content in the subpolar (subtropical) gyre in the North Atlantic. Barotropic stream function and Gulf Stream index reveal a shrinking subpolar gyre and an expanding subtropical gyre during the strong-AMOC period and vice versa, consistently with Labrador Sea deep convection reduction. We also observed an east–west salt redistribution between the two periods. Additional analyses show that the AMOC variability is related to the North Atlantic Oscillation phase change around 1995. One of the datasets included in the comparison shows an overestimation of AMOC variability, notwithstanding the model SST bias reduction via ERA-Interim flux adjustments: further studies with a set of numerical experiments will help explain this behavior.

Enhanced Predictability of Rapidly Intensifying Tropical Cyclones over the Western North Pacific Associated with Snow Depth Changes over the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract This study finds an enhanced relationship in recent years between January–March eastern Tibetan Plateau snow depth (TPSD) and the frequency of rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones (RITCs) over the western North Pacific (WNP) during the following peak TC season (July–November). The correlation between TPSD and RITCs is significant during 2000–14 but was insignificant during 1979–99. During 2000–14, when TPSD increases, there is an enhanced low-level anomalous anticyclone over the subtropical eastern North Pacific mainly due to the combined effect of advection and dynamics of the climatological prevailing westerly jet. Northeasterly wind anomalies are observed on the flank of the anticyclonic circulation anomaly, favoring anomalously cool sea surface temperature (SST). These anomalies lead to an anomalous pattern similar to the Pacific meridional mode (PMM), via a wind–evaporation feedback and cold advection. A Gill-type Rossby response to the PMM-like negative phase results in an anticyclonic circulation anomaly over the WNP, suppressing RITCs during 2000–14. A nearly opposite circulation anomaly occurred when TPSD was lower during 2000–14. There is a weak relationship between TPSD and RITCs, due to the lack of a link between TPSD and the PMM-like pattern from 1979 to 1999. Decadal changes in the relationship between TPSD and RITCs are mainly due to the meridional displacement of the prevailing westerly jet, which may be in response to decadal-to-multidecadal variability of SST anomalies. These changes then result in changes in the relationship between January–March TPSD and the PMM-like pattern. Significance Statement Forecasts of tropical cyclone rapid intensification, typically defined to be when a tropical cyclone intensifies by at least 30 knots (∼15 m s−1) in 24 h, remain extremely challenging. This study finds an enhanced relationship since the start of the twenty-first century between winter–spring Tibetan Plateau snow depth and western North Pacific rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, while the relationship between snow depth and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones was weak from 1979 to 1999. Decadal changes in the relationship between Tibetan Plateau snow depth and western North Pacific rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones is mainly due to the north–south displacement of the prevailing westerly jet, which may be in response to a transition in a midlatitude North Pacific climate mode. This study highlights the importance of the synergetic impact of the land, air, and sea on tropical cyclone climate and provides a potential predictor for seasonal-to-decadal prediction of rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones.

MIS 5e sea-level history along the Pacific coast of North America

Abstract. The primary last interglacial, marine isotope substage (MIS) 5e records on the Pacific coast of North America, from Washington (USA) to Baja California Sur (Mexico), are found in the deposits of erosional marine terraces. Warmer coasts along the southern Golfo de California host both erosional marine terraces and constructional coral reef terraces. Because the northern part of the region is tectonically active, MIS 5e terrace elevations vary considerably, from a few meters above sea level to as much as 70 m above sea level. The primary paleo-sea-level indicator is the shoreline angle, the junction of the wave-cut platform with the former sea cliff, which forms very close to mean sea level. Most areas on the Pacific coast of North America have experienced uplift since MIS 5e time, but the rate of uplift varies substantially as a function of tectonic setting. Chronology in most places is based on uranium-series ages of the solitary coral Balanophyllia elegans (erosional terraces) or the colonial corals Porites and Pocillopora (constructional reefs). In areas lacking corals, correlation to MIS 5e often can be accomplished using amino acid ratios of fossil mollusks, compared to similar ratios in mollusks that also host dated corals. Uranium-series (U-series) analyses of corals that have experienced largely closed-system histories range from ∼124 to ∼118 ka, in good agreement with ages from MIS 5e reef terraces elsewhere in the world. There is no geomorphic, stratigraphic, or geochronological evidence for more than one high-sea stand during MIS 5e on the Pacific coast of North America. However, in areas of low uplift rate, the outer parts of MIS 5e terraces apparently were re-occupied by the high-sea stand at ∼100 ka (MIS 5c), evident from mixes of coral ages and mixes of molluscan faunas with differing thermal aspects. This sequence of events took place because glacial isostatic adjustment processes acting on North America resulted in regional high-sea stands at ∼100 and ∼80 ka that were higher than is the case in far-field regions, distant from large continental ice sheets. During MIS 5e time, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) off the Pacific coast of North America were higher than is the case at present, evident from extralimital southern species of mollusks found in dated deposits. Apparently, no wholesale shifts in faunal provinces took place, but in MIS 5e time, some species of bivalves and gastropods lived hundreds of kilometers north of their present northern limits, in good agreement with SST estimates derived from foraminiferal records and alkenone-based reconstructions in deep-sea cores. Because many areas of the Pacific coast of North America have been active tectonically for much or all of the Quaternary, many earlier interglacial periods are recorded as uplifted, higher-elevation terraces. In addition, from southern Oregon to northern Baja California, there are U-series-dated corals from marine terraces that formed at ∼80 ka, during MIS 5a. In contrast to MIS 5e, these terrace deposits host molluscan faunas that contain extralimital northern species, indicating cooler SST at the end of MIS 5. Here I present a review and standardized database of MIS 5e sea-level indicators along the Pacific coast of North America and the corresponding dated samples. The database is available in Muhs et al. (2021b; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5903285).

Sub‐Annual to Interannual Arabian Sea Upwelling, Sea Surface Temperature, and Indian Monsoon Rainfall Reconstructed Using Congruent Micrometer‐Scale Climate Proxies

AbstractThe Indian monsoon system impacts over 1 billion people, and rainfall from its southwest monsoon is critical for agriculture. Cool sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Arabian Sea have been associated with reduced monsoon rainfall and vice versa, although this relationship is difficult to examine due to scarce and short instrumental records. We utilize laminated Pakistan Margin sediments to reconstruct southwest monsoon rainfall and Arabian Sea SSTs at sub‐annual to multi‐annual resolution for the twentieth century. We applied paired sub‐mm mapping techniques to intact sediment core surfaces to measure elemental abundances and lipid biomarkers. The first principal component of the elemental results (PC1) explains 47% of the elemental variance and is driven by detrital lithogenic elements K, Ti, and Fe. PC1 is positively correlated with homogeneous India June‐September rainfall departures from 1903 to 1928 and 1949–1970 on a multi‐annual scale. Correlations in the remaining timespans are either negative or absent, likely driven by a combination of dam and barrage construction on the Hub and Indus Rivers and negative rainfall departures. We propose PC1 as a proxy for southwest monsoon rainfall on multi‐annual timescales prior to ∼1930. A dampened annual SST cycle is resolved with the alkenone paleothermometer, which also captures the interannual‐decadal trends of twentieth century Arabian Sea SSTs. We propose the crenarchaeol‐caldarchaeol tetraether index, sourced from planktonic Thaumarchaeota, as a delayed upwelling proxy for the western Arabian Sea. Our reconstructions corroborate the established relationship of reduced Arabian Sea upwelling leading to warmer SSTs and increased monsoon rainfall, and vice versa.

The Late Miocene‐Early Pliocene Biogenic Bloom in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific: New Insights From Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1335

AbstractThe late Miocene‐early Pliocene “biogenic bloom” (BB) manifests as greatly enhanced biogenic sedimentation in sites along the Equator that has been linked to cooler sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP). However, the full extent and geometry of the BB in the EEP is less known. To improve on this, we have generated new carbonate content (CaCO3%) and bulk carbonate stable isotope (δ13C and δ18O) records spanning the last 7 Ma at IODP Site U1335, located ca. 5° north of the Equator and to the west of the EEP. Site U1335 δ13C and δ18O records display high‐frequency variations coupled to changes in sediment composition and physical properties comparable to patterns seen at on‐Equator sites further east. During the late Miocene and the early Pliocene bulk δ18O is higher at Site U1335 compared to two off‐Equator sites further east, suggesting cooler SSTs generated by stronger equatorial upwelling reaching northwest of the modern core‐equatorial upwelling belt. Enhanced upwelling at Site U1335 is supported by relatively higher sedimentation rates prior to 4.6 Ma, symptomatic of higher biological production during the BB. These observations suggest that during the BB the equatorial upwelling circulation was more focused and less parallel to the Equator compared to present day.

EFFECT OF MONSOON PHENOMENON ON SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES IN INDONESIAN THROUGHFLOW REGION AND SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN

Indonesia is influenced by two types of monsoons, namely, the Asian and Australian monsoons. The differences in conditions occurring during these monsoon phenomena can affect sea surface temperatures (SSTs). This study aims to determine the effect of these monsoons on the SSTs in the southeast Indian Ocean and the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) region. SST and geostrophic current data obtained from Copernicus Marine Service and surface wind speed and direction data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) from March 2019 to February 2020 were statistically and descriptively analyzed. Observational conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) data obtained in December 2019 were used to identify statistical errors in the Copernicus Marine Service SST data. The results of the SST data verification show a 0.85°C RMSE and 0.6°C MAE; they are significantly correlated at 0.82 with a 95% confidence level. The results of this study generally show that geostrophic currents move to the east, and SST tends to be warmer during the Asian monsoon period than during the Australian monsoon period, which has a cooler SST (with geostrophic currents moving to the northwest). Specifically, the SST conditions in the ITF region and southeast Indian Ocean cool from the MAM period. This cooling period intensifies during the JJA period and subsides in the SON period. The Australian monsoon, which is dominant during the DJF period, causes warmer-than-average SST conditions in the northern part of Indonesia, particularly the northern part of the ITF.

Tropical instability wave modulation of chlorophyll-a in the Equatorial Pacific

The global daily gap-free chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) data derived using the data interpolating empirical orthogonal functions (DINEOF) technique from observations of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) in 2020 and the in situ measurements at the Tropical Ocean Atmosphere (TAO) moorings are used to characterize and quantify the biological variability modulated by the tropical instability wave (TIW). Our study aims to understand how ocean physical processes are linked to biological variability. In this study, we use the TAO in situ measurements and the coincident VIIRS Chl-a data to identify the mechanism that drives ocean biological variability corresponding to the TIW. Satellite observations show that the TIW-driven Chl-a variability stretched from 90°W to 160°E in the region. The enhanced Chl-a pattern propagated westward and moderately matched the cooler sea surface temperature (SST) patterns in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. In fact, the Chl-a variation driven by the TIW is about ± 30% of mean Chl-a values. Furthermore, the time series of Chl-a at 140°W along the equator was found to be in phase with sea surface salinity (SSS) at 140°W along the equator at the TAO mooring since late May 2020. The cross-correlation coefficients with the maximum magnitude between Chl-a and SST, Chl-a and SSS, and Chl-a and dynamic height were –0.46, + 0.74, and –0.58, respectively, with the corresponding time lags of about 7 days, 1 day, and 8 days, respectively. The different spatial patterns of the cooler SST and enhanced Chl-a are attributed to the phase difference in Chl-a and SST. Indeed, a Chl-a peak normally coincided with a SSS peak and vice versa. This could be attributed to the consistency in the change in nutrient concentration with respect to the change of SSS. The vertical distributions of the temperature and salinity at 140°W along the equator reveal that the TIW leads to changes in both salinity and nutrient concentrations in the sea surface, and consequently drives the Chl-a variability from late May until the end of the year 2020.

The potential of marine bivalve Spisula sachalinensis as a marine temperature record

• The potential of Spisula sachalinensis as a high resolution temperature indicator • δ 18 O inversely correlates to seasonal ocean temperature but δ 13 C is less cyclical • Annual growth lines are formed during the warmest part of the year • Annual and non-annual growth lines are distinguishable via stable isotope analysis • Archaeological S. sachalinensis offer a valuable regional palaeoclimate record This paper presents a four year subannual isotope marine temperature record using modern Spisula sachalinensis specimens from Tomakomai (Hokkaido's Pacific coast, Japan). This species is commonly found in pre- and protohistoric shell middens and faunal assemblages from around the Seas of Japan and Okhotsk, so has significant potential as an indicator of past marine and, by inference, climatic conditions. However, previous sclerochronological research on the species’ growth has shown significant geographical variation in growth pattern, rendering palaeoclimatic interpretation difficult. To address this issue, this study applied sequential isotopic analysis to two sectioned modern valves, providing a proxy for sea surface temperature (SST) and allowing the direct identification of seasonality during shell growth. The sequences span four years of growth, as confirmed by visually identified growth patterns and the oxygen stable isotope results, which show clear annual cycles in δ 18 O. δ 13 C seasonality is less clear, but shows a weak inverse correlation with temperature potentially relating to primary productivity. Annual growth lines show that shell growth occurs during both warmer and cooler SSTs, but is more rapid during the cooler seasons. This is consistent with warm-season growth minima seen in shells from Hakodate Bay by Kato and Hamai (1975) , but not with their suggestion that it is associated with shells growing at the southern limits of their distribution. Comparison to average local SST shows that δ 18 O-derived temperature falls within the expected range, but, contrary to expectations given preferential cool-season shell growth, appears biased towards warmer temperatures. Factors that could contribute to this are discussed. Overall, stable isotope analysis of Spisula sachalinensis is considered a useful complement to macro/microscopic sclerochronological research in building a holistic picture of shell growth, and has significant potential as a high resolution proxy for palaeoenvironmental studies of past SST.

An oceanic pathway for Madden\u2013Julian Oscillation influence on Maritime Continent Tropical Cyclones

While the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) has been shown to affect tropical cyclones (TCs) worldwide through its modulation of large-scale circulation in the atmosphere, little or no role for the ocean has been identified to date in this influence of MJO on TCs. Using observations and numerical model simulations, we demonstrate that MJO events substantially impact TCs over the Maritime Continent (MC) region through an oceanic pathway. While propagating across the MC region, MJO events cause significant sea surface cooling with an area-averaged value of about 0.35 ± 0.12 °C. Hence, TCs over the MC region immediately following the passage of MJO events encounter considerably cooler sea surface temperatures. Consequently, the enthalpy fluxes under the storms are reduced and the intensification rates decrease by more than 50% on average. These results highlight an important role played by the ocean in facilitating MJO-induced sub-seasonal variability in TC activity over the MC region.