Research brief: How the IOD Changes with global warming

The Indian Ocean Dipole is a climate phenomenon that causes major climate impacts. CLEX researchers have been involved in a review article which demonstrates that using palaeoclimate data alongside observations and model output allows strong conclusions to be drawn about how human-caused climate change is altering the Indian Ocean Dipole.

All data sources agree that positive IOD events are becoming stronger and occur more often and that the mean-state of the Indian Ocean is moving towards a more positive IOD-like state due to enhanced warming in the west compared to the east.

Palaeoclimate data further demonstrates that IOD variability that is even more extreme than recorded in recent decades is possible, and that IOD variability is important in long-term hydroclimate changes, including megadroughts.

• Paper: Abram, Nerilie J., Jessica A. Hargreaves, Nicky M. Wright, Kaustubh Thirumalai, Caroline C. Ummenhofer, and Matthew H. England. “Palaeoclimate Perspectives on the Indian Ocean Dipole.” Quaternary Science Reviews 237 (June 1, 2020): 106302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106302.