The Teleconnection between the Western Indian and the Western Pacific Oceans

Abstract

Shown in this study are a teleconnection pattern relating outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomalies over the western Pacific Ocean and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) over the western Indian Ocean over two seasons [September?October?November (SON) and December?January?February (DJF)] at zero lag from observations and atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) integrations. This teleconnection pattern suggests that a positive SSTA in the SON and DJF seasons over the western Indian Ocean increases the contemporaneous positive OLR anomalies over the western Pacific Ocean. This teleconnection pattern is also simulated by the Center for Ocean?Land?Atmosphere studies (COLA) AGCM forced with observed SST. From the experimental COLA AGCM runs (wherein the Pacific Ocean SST variability is suppressed except for the climatological annual cycle), it is diagnosed that the interannual variability of OLR over the western Pacific Ocean persists because of this teleconnection. This teleconnection pattern is found to be associated with the modulation of the equatorial zonal wind circulation by the western Indian Ocean SSTAs.