The influence of subseasonal wind variability on Tropical Instability Waves in the Pacific

Tropical Instability Waves are a prominent feature in analyses of tropical Pacific sea surface temperature and sea level height variability, and may p lay a significant role in the heat, salt and momentum budgets of the equato rial oceans. Here we show that they may be strongly influenced by forcing f rom the atmosphere. In experiments with an ocean GCM we find that a phase s hift, in the subseasonal wind forcing gives rise to a corresponding phase s hift in the TIWs, indicating a systematic influence of the high frequency w ind forcing.