Western Indian Ocean SST signal and anomalous Antarctic sea-ice concentration variation

Teleconnection between El Nino/La Nina-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon and anomalous Antarctic sea-ice variation has been studied extensively. In this study, impacts of sea surface temperature in the Indian Ocean on Antarctic sea-ice change were investigated during Janaury 1979 and October 2009. Based on previous research results, sea areas in the western Indian Ocean (WIO; 50 degrees-70 degrees E, 10 degrees-20 degrees S) are selected for the resreach. All variables showed 1-10 year interannual tirnescales by Fast Founer Tranaform (FFT) transformation. Results show that i) strong WIO signals emerged in the anomalous changes of Antarctic sea-ice concentration; ii) significant positive correlations occurred around the Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea and its northwest peripheral sea region iii) negative correlation occurred in the Indian Ocean section of the Southern Ocean, Amundsen Seas, and the sea area over northern Ross Sea; and iv) the atmospheric anomalies associated with the WIO including wind, meridional heat flux, and surface air temperature over southern high latitudes were the possible factors for the teleconnection.