The 26-day oscillation observed in the satellite sea surface temperature measurements in the equatorial western Indian Ocean

A 26-d oscillation in SST data is observed in the western Indian Ocean, from 52 to 60 deg E and in the vicinity of the equator. The SST data used in this study are obtained from the NOAA 9 satellite and are for the years 1987 and 1988. This fluctuation of SST at a period near 26-d is found to be antisymmetric about the equator and is trapped within the equatorial waveguide latitude; furthermore, the variance decreases at a faster rate toward the equator than poleward. These characteristics are consistent with the latitudinal structure for the mixed Rossby-gravity (or Yanai) waves as predicted from linear wave theory. The temporal variation of this 26-d oscillation is most energetic during the summer season (July to September), with maximum values of 0.4 C and 0.8 C found during August of 1987 and 1988, respectively. This observation agrees with temporal variation of Yanai waves inferred from drifting buoy observations and numerical studies of the Indian Ocean. Thus it is concluded that the Yanai wave is responsible for the 26-d fluctuation observed in the SST data in this region.