Relating a Large-Scale Variation of Waves in the Indian Ocean to the IOD

Abstract

This study used the ERA-5 40-year reanalysis data set from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts to analyze the spatial characteristics of wind waves and swells in the Indian Ocean. Although swells from the Southern Ocean can propagate into the Bay of Bengal, the zonal surface Stokes drift has been shown to correlate well with wind waves. Investigation of the relationship between the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and the surface Stokes drift revealed strong correlation in the tropical Indian Ocean. The surface Stokes drift plays a positive role in maintaining sea surface temperature stability by transporting more (less) abnormally cold water during periods of positive (negative)..