| Sea surface temperature (SST) in the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean exerts a significant influence on global climate through its influence on the Indian summer monsoon and Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation. In this study, measurements from a long-term moored buoy are used in conjunction with satellite, in situ, and atmospheric reanalysis datasets to analyze the seasonal mixed layer heat balance in the thermocline ridge region of the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean. This region is characterized by a shallow mean thermocline (90 m, as measured by the 20 degrees C isotherm) and pronounced seasonal cycles of Ekman pumping and SST (seasonal ranges of -0.1 to 0.6 m day(-1) and 26 degrees-29.5 degrees C, respectively). It is found that surface... |
