Topographic Trapping of the Leeuwin Current and Its Impact on the 2010/11 Ningaloo Niño

Topographic trapping of the Leeuwin Current (LC) along Australia's west coast significantly influences the intensity and variability of the LC, with continental shelf topography enhancing its strength by up to 28% compared to scenarios without a shelf. This effect is critical in modulating ocean temperatures during events like the 2010/11 Ningaloo Niño, where the presence of shelf-slope topography traps positive sea level anomalies near the coast, intensifying SST warming by approximately 26% from September 2010 to March 2011. The study used high-resolution ocean general circulation models with varied bottom topographies to isolate these effects, revealing that shelf-slope topography reduces the radiation of Rossby waves and strengthens LC variability, thereby playing a pivotal role in regional climate dynamics.

Feng, X., Shinoda, T., & Han, W. (2023). Topographic Trapping of the Leeuwin Current and Its Impact on the 2010/11 Ningaloo Niño. Journal of Climate, 36(6), 1587–1603. https://doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-22-0218.1