The IOD signal in the upper-ocean Indonesian Throughflow since the mid-1970s

On the basis of simple ocean data assimilation (SODA) reanalysis product, the interannual variability of upper-ocean Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) volume transport since the mid 1970s is examed. The wavelet analysis shows a second prominent interannual oscillation with a period of about 2~4 a. To reveal any relationship between this band-scale oscillation of upper-ocean ITF and the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD), the correlation and wavelet analyses are used. The correlation coefficient between the upper-ocean ITF and the IOD reaches -0.40 with upper-ocean ITF lagging an IOD index by eight months. The wavelet power spectrum of upper-ocean ITF shows similar structure to that of the IOD index. And the evolution of IOD is reproduced by lagged correlation between the upper-ocean ITF and the sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) over the Indian Ocean. It suggests that the 2~4 a band-scale oscillation of upper-ocean ITF is related uniquely to the IOD over the tropical Indian Ocean.