Interannual variability of sea level in the tropical and north Indian Ocean

A 4.5-layer ocean model with thermodynamics and mixed-layer physics is used to investigate dynamics of sea-level interannual variabilities in the tropical and north Indian Ocean from 1958 to 1998. Sea-level variability In the tropical Indian Ocean is forced primarily by the wind variability. In the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, sea-level change results largely from remote forcing from the equatorial ocean. Local winds in the Bay of Bengal, however, play a crucial role for the sea-level interannual change in the Bay during some years, when the wind anomalies are strong there.