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The distribution and variability of simulated chlorophyll concentration over the tropical Indian Ocean from five CMIP5 models

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Abstract

Performances of 5 models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) in simulating the chlorophyll concentration over the tropical Indian Ocean are evaluated. Results show that these models are able to capture the dominant spatial distribution of observed chlorophyll concentration and reproduce the maximum chlorophyll concentration over the western part of the Arabian Sea, around the tip of the Indian subcontinent, and in the southeast tropical Indian Ocean. The seasonal evolution of chlorophyll concentration over these regions is also reproduced with significant amplitude diversity among models. All of 5 models is able to simulate the interannual variability of chlorophyll concentration. The maximum interannual variation occurs at the same regions where the maximum climatological chlorophyll concentration is located. Further analysis also reveals that the Indian Ocean Dipole events have great impact on chlorophyll concentration in the tropical Indian Ocean. In the general successful simulation of chlorophyll concentration, most of the CMIP5 models present higher than normal chlorophyll concentration in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ocean and Climate Research, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061, P. R. China

    Lin Liu, Lin Feng, Weidong Yu, Huiwu Wang, Yanliang Liu & Shuangwen Sun

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  1. Lin Liu
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  2. Lin Feng
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  3. Weidong Yu
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  4. Huiwu Wang
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  5. Yanliang Liu
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  6. Shuangwen Sun
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Correspondence to Lin Liu.

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Liu, L., Feng, L., Yu, W. et al. The distribution and variability of simulated chlorophyll concentration over the tropical Indian Ocean from five CMIP5 models. J. Ocean Univ. China 12, 253–259 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-013-2168-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-013-2168-y

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