South Pacific Ocean Dynamics Redistribute Ocean Heat Content and Modulate Heat Exchange With the Atmosphere

Abstract

The correlation of global ocean surface temperatures with ocean heat content (OHC) at interannual to decadal time scales shows wind-driven ocean circulation plays a fundamental role in the Earth's energy balance. Wind-driven baroclinic Rossby waves contribute to the adjustment of the ocean circulation to the winds modulating OHC at mid-latitudes. Here we use observational records, a reanalysis and a Rossby wave model to quantify the contribution of the waves to the variations in air-sea heat flux. We find that Rossby waves crossing the South Pacific at 35°S can explain up to 70% of the interannual variance of the heat flux. The heat exchange attributed to the waves, ranging from −9 to 21 W m−2, has contributed to the multi-year increase in heat in the central Pacific. Heat fluxes due to Rossby waves could be forecast to provide predictability of this component of the heat exchange with the atmosphere.