Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-12-369-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-12-369-2016
Research article
 | 
07 Mar 2016
Research article |  | 07 Mar 2016

Indian Ocean Dipole modulated wave climate of eastern Arabian Sea

T. R. Anoop, V. Sanil Kumar, P. R. Shanas, J. Glejin, and M. M. Amrutha

Abstract. Intrinsic modes of variability have a significant role in driving the climatic oscillations in the oceanic processes. In this paper, we investigate the influence of an inter-annual mode of variability, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), on the wave climate of the eastern Arabian Sea (AS). Using measured, modeled and reanalysis wave data and reanalysis wind data, we show that the IOD plays a major role in the variability of wave climate of the study region. Due to the IOD-induced changes in equatorial sea surface temperature and sea level pressure, the winds from the northern AS gets modified and cause inter-annual variability in the wave climate over the eastern AS. The changes in wind field over the AS due to the IOD influence the generation or dissipation of the wave field and hence cause a decrease in northwest short-period waves during positive IOD and an increase during negative IOD.

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Short summary
Using measured, modeled and reanalysis wave data and reanalysis wind data, we show that the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) plays a role in the variability of wave climate of the eastern Arabian Sea (AS). The change in wind field over the AS due to IOD influences the generation or dissipation of wave field and hence causes the decrease in northwest short period waves during positive IOD and increase during negative IOD.