The long-term change in the sea surface temperature (SST) of the Tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) and the underlying mechanisms are examined in detail by analysing multiple reanalysis datasets and historical simulations of a global climate model. A robust basin-wide warming signal was found in SST, with the highest long-term warming trend (~0.09 ± 0.015 °C decade⁻¹) seen over the north-western and equatorial Indian Ocean regions. The robust warming trend of TIO SST is a dominant warming signal of the global tropical oceans and is largely in phase with similar warming in western Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The central equatorial Indian Ocean and south TIO regions went through significant warming during recent decades. The weakened cross-equatorial flow and the associated cyclonic winds over the Arabian Sea region have resulted in equatorial westerlies with an enhanced loss of latent heat over the central and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean. The anomalous cyclonic wind stress curl, in turn, caused mixed layer stratifications in the western Indian Ocean. The advective heat transfer from the south-eastern Indian Ocean to the western Indian Ocean and reduced oceanic cooling by vertical processes, overcome the cooling by the net loss of surface heat fluxes, and favor surface warming the TIO.

通过分析多个再分析数据集和全球气候模式的历史模拟，详细研究了热带印度洋（TIO）的海表温度（SST）的长期变化及其潜在机理。在SST中发现了一个强有力的盆地范围变暖信号，其长期变暖趋势最高（〜0.09±0.015°C十年^-1）见于西北和赤道印度洋地区。TIO SST的强劲变暖趋势是全球热带海洋的主要变暖信号，并且与西太平洋和大西洋的类似变暖在很大程度上是同步的。近几十年来，赤道中部印度洋和南部TIO地区经历了明显的变暖。越过赤道的气流减弱以及阿拉伯海区域上伴随的气旋风导致了赤道西风，赤道中部和东部印度洋的潜热损失增加。反常的气旋风应力卷曲反过来在印度洋西部引起了混合层分层。从印度洋东南部到印度洋西部的对流换热，并通过垂直过程减少了海洋冷却，