Intercomparison of tropical Indian Ocean circulation in ocean reanalysis and evaluation in CMIP6 climate models

In the present study, we assess the Tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) circulation features from the available ocean reanalysis products and the latest version of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) climate model simulations. We considered the following reanalysis products; Ocean Reanalysis System 5 (ORAS5), Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO), Global Ocean Data Assimilation System (GODAS), Ensemble Coupled Data Assimilation (ECDA), the Bluelink Reanalysis (BRAN) and Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) and compared them against in-situ observations and the satellite-derived Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR). The reanalysis products underestimate the strength and location of the Wyrtki Jets. The BRAN reanalysis performed well compared to the other products in representing the TIO surface zonal currents, followed by ORAS5. The vertical extension of subsurface zonal currents in the equatorial Indian Ocean and their seasonal maxima are well captured in ORAS5. Thus, our analysis suggests that the ORAS5 is a qualitative product to estimate the TIO circulation. We further evaluated the TIO current patterns simulated by CMIP6 models with in-situ data/ ORAS5. The majority of the models show discrepancies in simulating equatorial and south equatorial current systems with a mean bias of 0.1cms⁻¹ and 0.2cms^−1, respectively. NorESM2-MM, NorESM2-LM, CanESM5, CESM2-WACCM-FV2, and E3SM-1-ECA models showed a superior skill in reproducing the TIO circulation compared to the rest of the models. Our analysis highlights the importance of assessing various reanalysis products and coupled climate models in representing the circulation of the TIO and, consequently, their role in depicting regional weather and climate.