Response of the Indian monsoon to a warming Indian ocean

The Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) has been declining since the middle of the last century. However, recently (since about 2002) it is reported to have revived. For these observed changes in the ISMR, several explanations have been reported. Among these explanations, the warming of the Indian Ocean is considered a major one. However, we still do not fully understand the response of the atmosphere to this warming. Here we report that warming in the Indian Ocean (focusing on the eastern side of it where the sea surface temperatures are climatologically very warm) drives atmospheric responses that oppose Indian summer monsoon circulation and reduces ISMR.