Differential Heating in the Indian Ocean Differentially Modulates Precipitation in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins

This dataset provides an assessment of the differential heating in the Indian Ocean (IO) and the subsequent modulation of the Ganges and Brahmaputra precipitation. Indo-Pacific sea surface temperature dynamics play a prominent role in Asian summer monsoon variability. Using 28 years of remote sensing observations, we demonstrate that (i) the tropical west-east differential heating in the IO influences the Ganges precipitation and (ii) the north-south differential heating in the IO influences the Brahmaputra precipitation. The El Niño phase induces warming in the warm pool of the IO and exerts more influence on Ganges precipitation than Brahmaputra precipitation. The analyses indicate that both the magnitude and position of the sea [...]