Impact of atmospheric convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves on upper ocean variability

Baranowski, Dariusz, Flatau, Maria, Flatau, Piotr and Matthews, Adrian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0492-1168 (2016) Impact of atmospheric convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves on upper ocean variability. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 121 (5). pp. 2045-2059. ISSN 2169-897X

Preview

PDF (Baranowski_et_al-2016-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research-_Atmospheres) - Published Version Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Convectively coupled Kelvin waves (CCKWs) are atmospheric weather systems that propagate eastward along the equatorial wave guide with phase speeds between 11 and 14 m s-1. They are an important constituent of the convective envelope of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), for which ocean-atmosphere interactions play a vital role. Hence, ocean-atmosphere interactions within CCKWs may be important for MJO development and prediction, and for tropical climate in general. Although the atmospheric structure of CCKWs has been well studied, their impact on the underlying ocean is unknown. In this paper, the ocean-atmosphere interactions in CCKWs are investigated by a case study from November 2011 during the CINDY/DYNAMO field experiment, using in situ oceanographic measurements from an ocean glider. The analysis is then extended to a 15-year period using precipitation data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and surface fluxes from the TropFlux analysis. A methodology is developed to calculate trajectories of CCKWs. CCKW events are strongly controlled by the MJO, with twice as many CCKWs observed during the convectively active phase of the MJO compared to the suppressed phase. Coherent ocean-atmosphere interaction is observed during the passage of a CCKW, which lasts approximately 4 days at any given longitude. Surface wind speed and latent heat flux are enhanced, leading to a transient suppression of the diurnal cycle of sea surface temperature (SST), and a sustained decrease in bulk SST of 0.1 degC. Given that a typical composite mean MJO SST anomaly is of the order of 0.3 degC, and more than one CCKW can occur during the active phase of a single MJO event, the oceanographic impact of CCKWs is of major importance to the MJO cycle.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Mathematics Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science > School of Natural Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Volcanoes@UEA (former - to 2018) Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (former - to 2017) Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Meteorology, Oceanography and Climate Dynamics (former - to 2017) Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Climate, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (former - to 2017) Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	22 Mar 2016 09:23
Last Modified:	20 Mar 2023 08:32
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/57739
DOI:	10.1002/2015JD024150

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item