Indian Niño attracts rare marine creatures to Similan Islands, affects droughts

 

 

If you have ever wondered why rare marine creatures, from tiger sharks to round ribbon-tail ray and Omura whales, have been sighted around the Similan Islands national park in the past several months, the answer is a phenomenon called the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).

 

The IOD, also known as the Indian Niño, is an irregular oscillation of sea surface temperatures in which the western Indian Ocean becomes alternately warmer (positive phase) and then colder (negative phase) than the eastern part of the ocean.

 

The positive phase sees higher than average surface temperatures and increased precipitation in the western Indian Ocean. The negative phase causes the opposite conditions, with warmer water and greater precipitation in the eastern Indian Ocean, and cooler and drier conditions in the west.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/indian-nino-attracts-rare-marine-creatures-to-similan-islands-affects-droughts/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2020-01-04

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Australia says this is a time in between La Nina and El Nino.

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/outlook/