Abstract
Atmospheric teleconnections between the tropical Atlantic and the African continent, extending to the Indian Ocean basin, modulate the interannual variability of precipitation in highly vulnerable and densely populated regions like the Sahel and the Indian peninsula. Additionally, increasing evidence supports the notion that in the Atlantic basin low-latitude, wind-driven convection cells contribute to the transport of heat and salt potentially interacting with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Nevertheless, while the progress in our understanding of high latitude oceanography has been remarkable, the nature and causes of the variability of tropical Atlantic complex dynamics are poorly understood. Alone, observations and interpretations of Atlantic tropical variability have been controversial. Debate about interpretations of both trends and natural cycles within the observational data set is expected because the instrumental record is not long enough and too sparse. Furthermore, tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have been identified as a major source of errors in coupled general circulation models. It is therefore extremely difficult to discern the interannual variability signal, which is potentially linked both to the Atlantic Ocean internal dynamics and to the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), from longer period oscillations such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and secular trends perhaps related to anthropogenic activity. Here we explore recent research opportunities and challenges that the scientific community is facing in the Tropical Atlantic and we suggest possible avenues of collaboration between atmospheric scientists and physical and paleo-oceanographers, linking modeling efforts and oceanographic observational campaigns with the goal of promoting a coordinated and multi-disciplinary research effort in this region.