Unknown type of tropical cyclones found over the Indian Ocean

Expert oceanologists from Flinders University in Australia, based on satellite observations, described the cyclone,

which formed in the Indian Oceannear Sumatra. A previously unknown type of atmospheric vortex reveals the nature of the Indian Ocean Dipole, an atmospheric phenomenon in the Indian Ocean that affects the climate of Australia and other countries in the region.

The Indian Ocean Dipole is formed due toAtmospheric-ocean interactions in the tropical Indian Ocean. It has a significant impact on climate and precipitation changes in neighboring countries. Researchers distinguish three phases: positive, neutral and negative, which manifest themselves in different ways.

Researchers at Flinders University studiedsatellite data in search of the source that drives the formation of the Indian Ocean Dipole. A study of daily atmospheric data has shown the existence of synoptic-scale convective atmospheric cyclones in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean. The northern branch of the cyclones corresponds to the westerly equatorial winds, while the eastern branch includes northwesterly winds that suppress the rise of cold waters off the western coast of Sumatra.

Cyclone SETIO off the coast of Sumatra in different years. Image: Ankit Kavi, Jochen Kampf

Cyclone SETIO is a short-termweather events that often develop during the southern winter and spring and affect the maintenance of high ocean surface temperatures in the region. At the same time, the data of historical observations show that, as a rule, 5–9 such cyclones are formed per year. But in the years that corresponded to the positive phase of the Indian Ocean dipole, no more than two such cyclones formed.

Dramatic changes are taking place in someyears when SETIO cyclones do not develop and ambient winds cause cold seawater to form over a wide area, severely disrupting both winds and precipitation patterns over the Indian Ocean.

Jochen Kempf, study co-author

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