Impact of the Indian Ocean dipole on the relationship between the Indian monsoon rainfall and ENSO

Abstract

The influence of the recently discovered Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) on the interannual variability of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) has been investigated for the period 1958-1997. The IOD and the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) have complementarily affected the ISMR during the last four decades. Whenever the ENSO-ISMR correlation is low (high), the IOD-ISMR correlation is high (low). The IOD plays an important role as a modulator of the Indian monsoon rainfall, and influences the correlation between the ISMR and ENSO. We have discovered that the ENSO-induced anomalous circulation over the Indian region is either countered or supported by the IOD-induced anomalous meridional circulation cell, depending upon the phase and amplitude of the two major tropical phenomena in the Indo-Pacific sector.