Atmosphere-ocean interaction in the Indian monsoon

The air- sea interaction is an important mechanism contributing the northward propagation of monsoon oscillations. Recent field programs such as MISO-BOB aim to examine such interactions in the Indian Ocean, especially the impact of atmospheric convection on the upper ocean in the Bay of Bengal. The goal of this work is to examine how the local interactions translate into the intraseasonal variability and how these processes are represented in the global coupled models included in the Sub_X data base. We examine large scale summer ISO indices based on monsoon area winds, OLR and precipitation and their correlations with the ocean surface parameters both in the observations and in the models. The observed lag correlations using the various indices and surface variables data indicate the significant air-sea interaction in the areas of the characterized by large intraseasonal variability, such as Bay of Bengal. This interaction appears to be weakened in the SubX model simulations. We examine the ISO forecast skill of the SubX modes, and the feedbacks between intarseasonal variability and the atmosphere-ocean interaction in the various areas of the Indian Ocean.