Projected slow down of South Indian Ocean circulation — Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society

Projected slow down of South Indian Ocean circulation (#31)

Annette Stellema 1 2 , Alex Sen Gupta 1 2 , Andréa S. Taschetto 1 2
  1. Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Using an ensemble of 28 climate models, we examine hindcasts and ‘business as usual’ future changes to large-scale South Indian Ocean dynamics. We compare model ensemble seasonal-to-annual volume transports to observations and explore drivers of past and future circulation variability and change. Off the west coast of Australia, models consistently project a weakening of the Leeuwin Current and Undercurrent due to reduced onshore flow and downwelling. The reduced onshore flow is related to changes in the alongshore pressure gradient, although we find no inter-model relationship between changes in the Indonesian Throughflow and the meridional or vertical changes in Leeuwin Current system transport. In the south-western Indian Ocean, the models project a robust weakening of the North East and South East Madagascar Currents, Agulhas Current and transport through the Mozambique Channel. This reduced Indian Ocean western boundary flow is partly associated with a weaker Indonesian Throughflow and overturning circulation, where the latter is related to a decrease in the convergence of deep Southern Ocean waters into the Indian Ocean. In contrast to the weakening of other features, the westward flowing Agulhas Current extension south of Africa is projected to strengthen, which is consistent with an intensification of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

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