Atmospheric response to mesoscale ocean eddies in the Maritime Continent

Ashar A. Aslam, Juliane Schwendike, Simon C. Peatman, Adrian J. Matthews, Cathryn E. Birch, Massimo A. Bollasina, Paul A. Barrett, Marina V. C. Azaneu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Mesoscale ocean eddies contribute to the mixing and transport of water properties throughout the global ocean. Sea surface temperature anomalies associated with these eddies can influence atmospheric boundary layer stability, and thus the formation of clouds. The Maritime Continent experiences the modulation of convection and precipitation by processes operating over multiple spatial and temporal scales. However, mesoscale air-sea interactions, such as those associated with the eddies the region generates, remain understudied. Applying a sea surface height-based eddy detection and tracking algorithm, we show that lower-latitude eddies, such as those in the Maritime Continent, are generally fewer in number, weaker and shorter-lived, but larger and faster-propagating, compared to those at higher-latitudes. Crucially, we highlight that eddies in the Maritime Continent can significantly modify air-sea heat exchange and the near-surface wind field. However, changes to column water vapour, cloud and rainfall are less distinct. Compared to the Kuroshio Extension, a representative case study for the extratropics, atmospheric anomalies associated with eddies in the Maritime Continent are weaker, and decreasing in magnitude towards the lower-latitudes. We hypothesise that weaker sea surface temperature anomalies associated with, and faster propagation of, eddies in the Maritime Continent, coupled with intraseasonal variability in convection over the region, reduce the likelihood and intensity of the instantaneous atmospheric imprint. This study therefore emphasises the importance of the spatial and temporal scales with regards to air-sea interactions and their influence on cloud and rainfall across the Maritime Continent.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2024JD042606
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Volume130
Issue number4
Early online date13 Feb 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 13 Feb 2025

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