Indian Ocean Dipole

…the phenomenon known as the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which refers to the year to year temperature differences between the eastern and western portions of that body of water. The IOD alternates between three phases—positive, negative, and neutral—each of which generally occurs every three to five years. During the neutral…

…to do with the positive Indian Ocean Dipole, or IOD, and that’s a normal climate phenomenon similar to El Niño, which can also affect Australian fire seasons. But with a positive IOD, it results in less rain in Australia, and differences in temperature can occur as well. However, the effect…