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In recent years, the Indian Ocean (IO) has been discovered to have a much larger impact on climate variability than previously thought. This paper reviews climate phenomena and processes in which the IO is, or appears to be, actively involved. We begin with an update of the IO mean circulation and monsoon system. It is followed by reviews of ocean/atmosphere phenomenon at intraseasonal, interannual, and longer time scales. Much of our review addresses the two important types of interannual variability in the IO, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the recently identified Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). IOD events are often triggered by ENSO but can also occur independently, subject to eastern tropical preconditioning. Over the past decades, IO sea surface temperatures and heat content have been increasing, and model studies suggest significant roles of decadal trends in both the Walker circulation and the Southern Annular Mode. Prediction of IO climate variability is still at the experimental stage, with varied success. Essential requirements for better predictions are improved models and enhanced observations.

Labrador Sea convection was most intense and reached the greatest depths in the early 1990s, followed by weaker, shallower, and more variable convection after 1995. The Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) version 2.0.2/2.0.4 assimilation model is used to explore convective activity in the North Atlantic Ocean for the period from 1992 to 2007. Hydrographic conditions, which are relatively well observed during this period, are used to compare modeled and observed winter mixed-layer depths and water mass anomalies in relation to Deep Western Boundary Current transports and meridional overturning circulation (MOC) changes at the exit of the subpolar basin. The assimilation differs markedly from local observations in the March mixed-layer depth, which represents deep convection and water mass transformation. However, mean MOC rates at the exit of the subpolar gyre, forced by stratification in the mid-latitudes, are similar to estimates based on observations and show no significant decrease during the 1992–2007 period. SODA reproduces the deep Labrador Sea Water formation in the western North Atlantic without any clear indication of significant formation in the Irminger Sea while the lighter upper Labrador Sea Water density range is reached in the Irminger Sea in the 1990s, in agreement with existing assumptions of deep convection in the Irminger Sea and also supported by computed lag correlations with the Labrador Sea. Deep Water transformation mainly takes place in the eastern North Atlantic. The introduction of CFC-11 into the SODA model as a tracer reproduces the mean and multiyear variations of observed distributions.

Labrador Sea convection was most intense and reached the greatest depths in the early 1990s, followed by weaker, shallower, and more variable convection after 1995. The Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) version 2.0.2/2.0.4 assimilation model is used to explore convective activity in the North Atlantic Ocean for the period from 1992 to 2007. Hydrographic conditions, which are relatively well observed during this period, are used to compare modeled and observed winter mixed-layer depths and water mass anomalies in relation to Deep Western Boundary Current transports and meridional overturning circulation (MOC) changes at the exit of the subpolar basin. The assimilation differs markedly from local observations in the March mixed-layer depth, which represents deep convection and water mass transformation. However, mean MOC rates at the exit of the subpolar gyre, forced by stratification in the mid-latitudes, are similar to estimates based on observations and show no significant decrease during the 1992–2007 period. SODA reproduces the deep Labrador Sea Water formation in the western North Atlantic without any clear indication of significant formation in the Irminger Sea while the lighter upper Labrador Sea Water density range is reached in the Irminger Sea in the 1990s, in agreement with existing assumptions of deep convection in the Irminger Sea and also supported by computed lag correlations with the Labrador Sea. Deep Water transformation mainly takes place in the eastern North Atlantic. The introduction of CFC-11 into the SODA model as a tracer reproduces the mean and multiyear variations of observed distributions.

In recent years, the Indian Ocean (IO) has been discovered to have a much larger impact on climate variability than previously thought. This paper reviews climate phenomena and processes in which the IO is, or appears to be, actively involved. We begin with an update of the IO mean circulation and monsoon system. It is followed by reviews of ocean/atmosphere phenomenon at intraseasonal, interannual, and longer time scales. Much of our review addresses the two important types of interannual variability in the IO, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the recently identified Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). IOD events are often triggered by ENSO but can also occur independently, subject to eastern tropical preconditioning. Over the past decades, IO sea surface temperatures and heat content have been increasing, and model studies suggest significant roles of decadal trends in both the Walker circulation and the Southern Annular Mode. Prediction of IO climate variability is still at the experimental stage, with varied success. Essential requirements for better predictions are improved models and enhanced observations.

Labrador Sea convection was most intense and reached the greatest depths in the early 1990s, followed by weaker, shallower, and more variable convection after 1995. The Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) version 2.0.2/2.0.4 assimilation model is used to explore convective activity in the North Atlantic Ocean for the period from 1992 to 2007. Hydrographic conditions, which are relatively well observed during this period, are used to compare modeled and observed winter mixed-layer depths and water mass anomalies in relation to Deep Western Boundary Current transports and meridional overturning circulation (MOC) changes at the exit of the subpolar basin. The assimilation differs markedly from local observations in the March mixed-layer depth, which represents deep convection and water mass transformation. However, mean MOC rates at the exit of the subpolar gyre, forced by stratification in the mid-latitudes, are similar to estimates based on observations and show no significant decrease during the 1992–2007 period. SODA reproduces the deep Labrador Sea Water formation in the western North Atlantic without any clear indication of significant formation in the Irminger Sea while the lighter upper Labrador Sea Water density range is reached in the Irminger Sea in the 1990s, in agreement with existing assumptions of deep convection in the Irminger Sea and also supported by computed lag correlations with the Labrador Sea. Deep Water transformation mainly takes place in the eastern North Atlantic. The introduction of CFC-11 into the SODA model as a tracer reproduces the mean and multiyear variations of observed distributions.

In recent years, the Indian Ocean (IO) has been discovered to have a much larger impact on climate variability than previously thought. This paper reviews climate phenomena and processes in which the IO is, or appears to be, actively involved. We begin with an update of the IO mean circulation and monsoon system. It is followed by reviews of ocean/atmosphere phenomenon at intraseasonal, interannual, and longer time scales. Much of our review addresses the two important types of interannual variability in the IO, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the recently identified Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). IOD events are often triggered by ENSO but can also occur independently, subject to eastern tropical preconditioning. Over the past decades, IO sea surface temperatures and heat content have been increasing, and model studies suggest significant roles of decadal trends in both the Walker circulation and the Southern Annular Mode. Prediction of IO climate variability is still at the experimental stage, with varied success. Essential requirements for better predictions are improved models and enhanced observations.

A new version of SODA, which covers the time period 1958–2005, is used to analyze decadal variability of the Pacific Subtropical Cell (STC) circulation. The analysis is based on transport time series across 9°S and 9°N. At the interannual time scale, STC convergence anomalies decrease during El Niños and increase during La Niñas through Sverdrup transport convergence changes. At decadal time scales, the assimilation shows a reduction of interior STC convergence of about 8 Sv from the 1960s to the 1990s and a subsequent rebound into the early 2000s by a similar amount, in agreement with the STC tendencies reported earlier from geostrophic section analysis, and associated with the occurrence and intensity of ENSO events among the decades analyzed. The results are compared with, and differ significantly from, those obtained by the German ECCO (GECCO) assimilation.

Equatorial zonal currents and associated oxygen distributions are studied using shipboard hydrographic data, trajectories from isopycnic floats drifting at about 300 m depth, and velocity time series from the upper 1100 m obtained at two equatorial moorings located at 35°W and 23°W. Mean profiles of zonal velocity measured by moored acoustic Doppler current profilers yielded a westward flowing Equatorial Intermediate Current (EIC) below the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) at both locations. The EIC consists of two westward current cores at about 250 and 450 m. The upper core of the EIC deepens by about 30 m from 23°W, where it has a mean velocity of 6 ± 2 cm s−1, to 35°W, where the mean is 5 ± 3 cm s−1. The lower core of the EIC is about twice as strong with 12 ± 1 cm s−1 at 23°W and 9 ± 2 cm s−1 at 35°W. The flow below the EUC is characterized by substantial interannual variability. From May to December 2005 a strong, zonally coherent eastward jet occurred at 300 to 350 m depth, found to be an expression of shallow stacked jets superimposed on the mean EIC. Shipboard hydrographic observations in June–July 2006 revealed the existence of a high‐oxygen tongue that can be traced from 35°W to 10°W in the depth range of the eastward jet prevailing during the preceding year. On the basis of an advection‐diffusion balance, it is suggested that the oxygen decrease from 35°W to 10°W within the oxygen tongue is mainly balanced by lateral eddy diffusivity and oxygen consumption, with diapycnal turbulent diffusivity playing only a minor role.

Equatorial zonal currents and associated oxygen distributions are studied using shipboard hydrographic data, trajectories from isopycnic floats drifting at about 300 m depth, and velocity time series from the upper 1100 m obtained at two equatorial moorings located at 35°W and 23°W. Mean profiles of zonal velocity measured by moored acoustic Doppler current profilers yielded a westward flowing Equatorial Intermediate Current (EIC) below the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) at both locations. The EIC consists of two westward current cores at about 250 and 450 m. The upper core of the EIC deepens by about 30 m from 23°W, where it has a mean velocity of 6 ± 2 cm s−1, to 35°W, where the mean is 5 ± 3 cm s−1. The lower core of the EIC is about twice as strong with 12 ± 1 cm s−1 at 23°W and 9 ± 2 cm s−1 at 35°W. The flow below the EUC is characterized by substantial interannual variability. From May to December 2005 a strong, zonally coherent eastward jet occurred at 300 to 350 m depth, found to be an expression of shallow stacked jets superimposed on the mean EIC. Shipboard hydrographic observations in June–July 2006 revealed the existence of a high‐oxygen tongue that can be traced from 35°W to 10°W in the depth range of the eastward jet prevailing during the preceding year. On the basis of an advection‐diffusion balance, it is suggested that the oxygen decrease from 35°W to 10°W within the oxygen tongue is mainly balanced by lateral eddy diffusivity and oxygen consumption, with diapycnal turbulent diffusivity playing only a minor role.

The shallow subtropical–tropical cells (STC) of the Atlantic Ocean have been studied from the output fields of a 50-yr run of the German partner of the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (GECCO) consortium assimilation model. Comparison of GECCO with time-mean observational estimates of density and meridional currents at 10°S and 10°N, which represent the boundaries between the tropics and subtropics in GECCO, shows good agreement in transports of major currents. The variability of the GECCO wind stress in the interior at 10°S and 10°N remains consistent with the NCEP forcing, although temporary changes can be large. On pentadal and longer time scales, an STC loop response is found between the poleward Ekman divergence and STC-layer convergence at 10°S and 10°N via the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) at 23°W, where the divergence leads the EUC and the convergence, suggesting a “pulling” mechanism via equatorial upwelling. The divergence is also associated with changes in the eastern equatorial upper-ocean heat content. Within the STC layer, partial compensation of the western boundary current (WBC) and the interior occurs at 10°S and 10°N. For the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) at 10°S it is found that more than one-half of the variability in the upper limb can be explained by the WBC. The explained MOC variance can be increased to 85% by including the geostrophic (Sverdrup) part of the wind-driven transports.

The South Equatorial Undercurrent (SEUC) in the western to central tropical Atlantic is investigated by a combination of shallow floats, with a few acoustically tracked, shipboard current measurements and hydrography. Float trajectories show a well confined SEUC revealing large standing meanders near its western origin. Transports determined from 31 sections across the SEUC increase from 5.6 Sv at 35°W near the western boundary to 10.2 Sv 800 km farther east. Internal recirculations north and south of the SEUC were indicated by the float trajectories and a weak transport reduction farther along its eastward progression is observed. The deep part of the South Equatorial Current carries on both sides of the SEUC interior water masses westward, and supplies almost 5 Sv to the SEUC between 35°W and 28°W, or about half of the SEUC transport in the interior tropical Atlantic.

The shallow subtropical–tropical cells (STC) of the Atlantic Ocean have been studied from the output fields of a 50-yr run of the German partner of the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (GECCO) consortium assimilation model. Comparison of GECCO with time-mean observational estimates of density and meridional currents at 10°S and 10°N, which represent the boundaries between the tropics and subtropics in GECCO, shows good agreement in transports of major currents. The variability of the GECCO wind stress in the interior at 10°S and 10°N remains consistent with the NCEP forcing, although temporary changes can be large. On pentadal and longer time scales, an STC loop response is found between the poleward Ekman divergence and STC-layer convergence at 10°S and 10°N via the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) at 23°W, where the divergence leads the EUC and the convergence, suggesting a “pulling” mechanism via equatorial upwelling. The divergence is also associated with changes in the eastern equatorial upper-ocean heat content. Within the STC layer, partial compensation of the western boundary current (WBC) and the interior occurs at 10°S and 10°N. For the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) at 10°S it is found that more than one-half of the variability in the upper limb can be explained by the WBC. The explained MOC variance can be increased to 85% by including the geostrophic (Sverdrup) part of the wind-driven transports.

The South Equatorial Undercurrent (SEUC) in the western to central tropical Atlantic is investigated by a combination of shallow floats, with a few acoustically tracked, shipboard current measurements and hydrography. Float trajectories show a well confined SEUC revealing large standing meanders near its western origin. Transports determined from 31 sections across the SEUC increase from 5.6 Sv at 35°W near the western boundary to 10.2 Sv 800 km farther east. Internal recirculations north and south of the SEUC were indicated by the float trajectories and a weak transport reduction farther along its eastward progression is observed. The deep part of the South Equatorial Current carries on both sides of the SEUC interior water masses westward, and supplies almost 5 Sv to the SEUC between 35°W and 28°W, or about half of the SEUC transport in the interior tropical Atlantic.

The shallow subtropical–tropical cells (STC) of the Atlantic Ocean have been studied from the output fields of a 50-yr run of the German partner of the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (GECCO) consortium assimilation model. Comparison of GECCO with time-mean observational estimates of density and meridional currents at 10°S and 10°N, which represent the boundaries between the tropics and subtropics in GECCO, shows good agreement in transports of major currents. The variability of the GECCO wind stress in the interior at 10°S and 10°N remains consistent with the NCEP forcing, although temporary changes can be large. On pentadal and longer time scales, an STC loop response is found between the poleward Ekman divergence and STC-layer convergence at 10°S and 10°N via the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) at 23°W, where the divergence leads the EUC and the convergence, suggesting a “pulling” mechanism via equatorial upwelling. The divergence is also associated with changes in the eastern equatorial upper-ocean heat content. Within the STC layer, partial compensation of the western boundary current (WBC) and the interior occurs at 10°S and 10°N. For the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) at 10°S it is found that more than one-half of the variability in the upper limb can be explained by the WBC. The explained MOC variance can be increased to 85% by including the geostrophic (Sverdrup) part of the wind-driven transports.

The South Equatorial Undercurrent (SEUC) in the western to central tropical Atlantic is investigated by a combination of shallow floats, with a few acoustically tracked, shipboard current measurements and hydrography. Float trajectories show a well confined SEUC revealing large standing meanders near its western origin. Transports determined from 31 sections across the SEUC increase from 5.6 Sv at 35°W near the western boundary to 10.2 Sv 800 km farther east. Internal recirculations north and south of the SEUC were indicated by the float trajectories and a weak transport reduction farther along its eastward progression is observed. The deep part of the South Equatorial Current carries on both sides of the SEUC interior water masses westward, and supplies almost 5 Sv to the SEUC between 35°W and 28°W, or about half of the SEUC transport in the interior tropical Atlantic.

Equatorial zonal currents and associated oxygen distributions are studied using shipboard hydrographic data, trajectories from isopycnic floats drifting at about 300 m depth, and velocity time series from the upper 1100 m obtained at two equatorial moorings located at 35°W and 23°W. Mean profiles of zonal velocity measured by moored acoustic Doppler current profilers yielded a westward flowing Equatorial Intermediate Current (EIC) below the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) at both locations. The EIC consists of two westward current cores at about 250 and 450 m. The upper core of the EIC deepens by about 30 m from 23°W, where it has a mean velocity of 6 ± 2 cm s−1, to 35°W, where the mean is 5 ± 3 cm s−1. The lower core of the EIC is about twice as strong with 12 ± 1 cm s−1 at 23°W and 9 ± 2 cm s−1 at 35°W. The flow below the EUC is characterized by substantial interannual variability. From May to December 2005 a strong, zonally coherent eastward jet occurred at 300 to 350 m depth, found to be an expression of shallow stacked jets superimposed on the mean EIC. Shipboard hydrographic observations in June–July 2006 revealed the existence of a high‐oxygen tongue that can be traced from 35°W to 10°W in the depth range of the eastward jet prevailing during the preceding year. On the basis of an advection‐diffusion balance, it is suggested that the oxygen decrease from 35°W to 10°W within the oxygen tongue is mainly balanced by lateral eddy diffusivity and oxygen consumption, with diapycnal turbulent diffusivity playing only a minor role.

A new version of SODA, which covers the time period 1958–2005, is used to analyze decadal variability of the Pacific Subtropical Cell (STC) circulation. The analysis is based on transport time series across 9°S and 9°N. At the interannual time scale, STC convergence anomalies decrease during El Niños and increase during La Niñas through Sverdrup transport convergence changes. At decadal time scales, the assimilation shows a reduction of interior STC convergence of about 8 Sv from the 1960s to the 1990s and a subsequent rebound into the early 2000s by a similar amount, in agreement with the STC tendencies reported earlier from geostrophic section analysis, and associated with the occurrence and intensity of ENSO events among the decades analyzed. The results are compared with, and differ significantly from, those obtained by the German ECCO (GECCO) assimilation.

The Pacific Subtropical Cell (STC) circulation is being analyzed from transport time series across 9°S and 9°N, obtained from the German ECCO (GECCO) assimilation results for the period 1952–2002. In this estimate, the interior Pacific STC convergence shows significantly less decadal slowdown from the 1960's to the 1990's (∼5Sv), than in previous estimates based on hydrographic sections. In the GECCO results, about half of this STC convergence decrease is compensated by an increase in the equatorward transport of the western boundary currents. Overall, the STC varies primarily on interannual time scale, with relatively short time lags between STC convergence and transport variations of the Equatorial Undercurrent at 140°W.

The Pacific Subtropical Cell (STC) circulation is being analyzed from transport time series across 9°S and 9°N, obtained from the German ECCO (GECCO) assimilation results for the period 1952–2002. In this estimate, the interior Pacific STC convergence shows significantly less decadal slowdown from the 1960's to the 1990's (∼5Sv), than in previous estimates based on hydrographic sections. In the GECCO results, about half of this STC convergence decrease is compensated by an increase in the equatorward transport of the western boundary currents. Overall, the STC varies primarily on interannual time scale, with relatively short time lags between STC convergence and transport variations of the Equatorial Undercurrent at 140°W.

The Pacific Subtropical Cell (STC) circulation is being analyzed from transport time series across 9°S and 9°N, obtained from the German ECCO (GECCO) assimilation results for the period 1952–2002. In this estimate, the interior Pacific STC convergence shows significantly less decadal slowdown from the 1960's to the 1990's (∼5Sv), than in previous estimates based on hydrographic sections. In the GECCO results, about half of this STC convergence decrease is compensated by an increase in the equatorward transport of the western boundary currents. Overall, the STC varies primarily on interannual time scale, with relatively short time lags between STC convergence and transport variations of the Equatorial Undercurrent at 140°W.