Influence of oceanic Rossby waves on phytoplankton production in the southern tropical Indian Ocean

• We study the biological responses to the Rossby waves associated with ENSO.
• We analyze the mechanisms of the downwelling/upwelling Rossby waves.
• When upwelling Rossby waves arrive, the chlorophyll concentration increases.
• When downwelling Rossby waves arrive, the chlorophyll concentration decreases.
• Biological responses were stronger when ENSO concurred with IOD events.

Using Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color data, we investigated the biological responses to oceanic Rossby waves in the southern tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) during 1997–2007. The findings indicate that, during the developing phase of El Niño/La Niña events, usually in boreal fall, and triggered by anomalous anticyclonic/cyclonic wind circulations in the southeast TIO, downwelling/upwelling Rossby waves form and then propagate westward. After a few months, downwelling/upwelling Rossby waves interface with the thermocline dome in the southern TIO, and suppress/enhance the upwelling. Correspondingly, less/more nutrient-rich waters enter the mixed layer and result in lower/higher chlorophyll concentrations. Due to the asymmetric effects on the thermocline dome between downwelling and upwelling Rossby waves, higher chlorophyll concentrations appear earlier and in the eastern part of the dome, whereas lower chlorophyll concentrations appear later and in the central part of the dome. Moreover, when El Niño/La Niña–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events coincide, the biological responses are stronger.