Dynamics of Double Inter-Tropical Convergence Zones over the Western
Tropical Indian Ocean and their Relation to the Indian Summer Monsoon
Abstract
The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a persistent band of
organized convection in the tropics that arises due to the surface
convergence of the Hadley cells. The location and intensity of the ITCZ
is heavily influenced by sea surface temperature and low-level latent
heat transport. The ITCZ undergoes an annual march across the equator,
and during the summer moves north over India and the Bay of Bengal,
affecting the Indian summer monsoon. Occasionally a second parallel band
of convection forms to the south, referred to as a double-ITCZ.
Double-ITCZs in the tropical east Pacific have been heavily studied, and
their development is understood to be linked to seasonal changes in
sea-surface temperature. The existence of double ITCZs over the tropical
Indian Ocean is well documented, but the underlying mechanism is poorly
understood. We develop an algorithm to identify this phenomenon in NOAA
outgoing longwave radiation data, and create a thirty-year record of
double-ITCZ occurrence. We then use this record to investigate linkages
between summer-time double-ITCZ occurrence and intra-seasonal
variability in the Indian summer monsoon, and discuss possible physical
mechanisms.