scholarly journals Comparative Evaluation of Two Ensembles for Long-Range Forecasting of Monsoon Rainfall

2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (9) ◽  
pp. 2893-2907 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Goswami ◽  
K. C. Gouda

Abstract It is now well known that changes in initial conditions can give rise to substantial changes in the forecasts even at the long range. Ensemble averaging of forecasts from different initial conditions provides an efficient way of assessing and reducing uncertainties in the forecasts due to inherent uncertainties in the initial conditions. However, the procedure for generating the ensemble of forecasts has to be based on careful consideration. Although there now exist several well-tested frameworks for ensemble forecasting at the short range, the procedure for and impact of ensemble forecasting on long-range forecasting of monsoons remain relatively less explored. In particular, the procedure for the choice of the ensemble for long-range forecasting of monsoons needs special considerations. The Indian summer monsoon is characterized by a number of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) whose phases and amplitudes can significantly affect the monsoon forecast and that can be adequately sampled only using initial states spread over time scales comparable to the characteristic time scales of these ISOs. It is shown that use of initial states spread over a longer period (such as 1 April–1 May) results in a better ensemble average for long-range forecasting of Indian summer monsoon than that from an ensemble of closely packed states with a shorter lead. An optimized configuration for long-range forecasting of monsoons using a variable resolution general circulation model is adopted. The climatological monthly mean SST field is used to assess realizable skill, as use of observed SST provides only potential skill. Then five-member wide-lead (1 April–1 May) ensemble average forecasts are compared with five-member compact-lead (27 April–1 May) ensemble average forecasts for 24 (1980–2003) hindcasts; it is shown that the skill of the wide-lead ensemble average is superior to that of the compact-lead ensemble at different spatial and temporal scales in spite of the longer lead of the former.

2015 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 778-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Alessandri ◽  
Andrea Borrelli ◽  
Annalisa Cherchi ◽  
Stefano Materia ◽  
Antonio Navarra ◽  
...  

Abstract Ensembles of retrospective 2-month dynamical forecasts initiated on 1 May are used to predict the onset of the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) for the period 1989–2005. The subseasonal predictions (SSPs) are based on a coupled general circulation model and recently they have been upgraded by the realistic initialization of the atmosphere with initial conditions taken from reanalysis. Two objective large-scale methods based on dynamical-circulation and hydrological indices are applied to detect the ISM onset. The SSPs show some skill in forecasting earlier-than-normal ISM onsets, while they have difficulty in predicting late onsets. It is shown that significant contribution to the skill in forecasting early ISM onsets comes from the newly developed initialization of the atmosphere from reanalysis. On one hand, atmospheric initialization produces a better representation of the atmospheric mean state in the initial conditions, leading to a systematically improved monsoon onset sequence. On the other hand, the initialization of the atmosphere allows some skill in forecasting the northward-propagating intraseasonal wind and precipitation anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean. The northward-propagating intraseasonal modes trigger the monsoon in some early-onset years. The realistic phase initialization of these modes improves the forecasts of the associated earlier-than-normal monsoon onsets. The prediction of late onsets is not noticeably improved by the initialization of the atmosphere. It is suggested that late onsets of the monsoon are too far away from the start date of the forecasts to conserve enough memory of the intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) anomalies and of the improved representation of the mean state in the initial conditions.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 2075-2089 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chakraborty ◽  
R. S. Nanjundiah ◽  
J. Srinivasan

Abstract. A theory is proposed to determine the onset of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) in an Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM). The onset of ISM is delayed substantially in the absence of global orography. The impact of orography over different parts of the Earth on the onset of ISM has also been investigated using five additional perturbed simulations. The large difference in the date of onset of ISM in these simulations has been explained by a new theory based on the Surface Moist Static Energy (SMSE) and vertical velocity at the mid-troposphere. It is found that onset occurs only after SMSE crosses a threshold value and the large-scale vertical motion in the middle troposphere becomes upward. This study shows that both dynamics and thermodynamics play profound roles in the onset of the monsoon.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uppara Umakanth ◽  
Ramesh K. Vellore ◽  
R. Krishnan ◽  
Ayantika Dey Choudhury ◽  
Jagat S. H. Bisht ◽  
...  

Abstract Anomalous interactions between the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) circulation and subtropical westerlies are known to trigger breaks in the ISM on subseasonal time-scales, characterised by a pattern of suppressed rainfall over central-north India, and enhanced rainfall over the foothills of the central–eastern Himalayas (CEH). An intriguing feature during ISM breaks is the formation of a mid-tropospheric cyclonic circulation anomaly extending over the subtropical and mid-latitude areas of the Asian continent. This study investigates the mechanism of the aforesaid Asian continental mid-tropospheric cyclonic circulation (ACMCC) anomaly using observations and simplified model experiments. The results of our study indicate that the ACMCC during ISM breaks is part of a larger meridional wave train comprising of alternating anticyclonic and cyclonic anomalies that extend poleward from the monsoon region to the Arctic. A lead–lag analysis of mid-tropospheric circulation anomalies suggests that the meridional wave-train generation is linked to latent heating (LH) anomalies over the CEH foothills, Indo-China, and the Indian landmass during ISM breaks. By conducting sensitivity experiments using a simplified global atmospheric general circulation model forced with satellite-derived three-dimensional LH, it is demonstrated that the combined effects of the enhanced LH over the CEH foothills and Indo-China and decreased LH over the Indian landmass during ISM breaks are pivotal for generating the poleward extending meridional wave train and the ACMCC anomaly. At the same time, the spatial extent of the mid-latitude cyclonic anomaly over Far-East Asia is also influenced by the anomalous LH over central–eastern China. While the present findings provide interesting insights into the role of LH anomalies during ISM breaks on the poleward extending meridional wave train, the ACMCC anomaly is found to have important ramifications on the daily rainfall extremes over the Indo-China region. It is revealed from the present analysis that the frequency of extreme rainfall occurrences over Indo-China shows a twofold increase during ISM break periods as compared to active ISM conditions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nachiketa Acharya ◽  
Surajit Chattopadhyay ◽  
U. C. Mohanty ◽  
S. K. Dash ◽  
L. N. Sahoo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
K C GOUDA ◽  
S Joshi ◽  
Nagaraj Bhat

Abstract Using an initial manifold approach, an ensemble forecast methodology is shown to simultaneously increase lead and realizable skill in long-range forecasting of monsoon over continental India. Initial manifold approach distinguishes the initial states that have coherence from a collection of unrelated states. In this work, an optimized and validated variable resolution general circulation model is being adopted for long range forecasting of monsoon using the multi-lead ensemble methodology. In terms of realizable skill (as against potential) at resolution (~ 60km) and lead (2–5 months) considered here the present method performs very well. The skill of the improved methodology is significant, capturing 9 of the 12 extreme years of monsoon during 1980–2003 in seasonal (June-August) scale. 8-member ensemble average hindcasts carried out for realizable skill with lead of 2 (for June) to 5 (for August) months and an optimum ensemble is presented.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 3943-3958 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Srinivas ◽  
Jasti S. Chowdary ◽  
Yu Kosaka ◽  
C. Gnanaseelan ◽  
Anant Parekh ◽  
...  

Abstract This study discusses the impact of the Pacific–Japan (PJ) pattern on Indian summer monsoon (ISM) rainfall and its possible physical linkages through coupled and uncoupled pathways. Empirical orthogonal function analysis of 850-hPa relative vorticity over the western North Pacific (WNP) is used to extract the PJ pattern as the leading mode of circulation variability. The partial correlation analysis of the leading principal component reveals that the positive PJ pattern, which features anticyclonic and cyclonic low-level circulation anomalies over the tropical WNP and around Japan respectively, enhances the rainfall over the southern and northern parts of India. The northwestward propagating Rossby waves, in response to intensified convection over the Maritime Continent reinforced by low-level convergence in the southern flank of westward extended tropical WNP anticyclone, increase rainfall over southern peninsular India. Meanwhile, the anomalous moisture transport from the warm Bay of Bengal due to anomalous southerlies at the western edge of the low-level anticyclone extending from the tropical WNP helps to enhance the rainfall over northern India. The atmospheric general circulation model forced with climatological sea surface temperature confirms this atmospheric pathway through the westward propagating Rossby waves. Furthermore, the north Indian Ocean (NIO) warming induced by easterly wind anomalies along the southern periphery of the tropical WNP–NIO anticyclone enhances local convection, which in turn feeds back to the WNP convection anomalies. This coupled nature via interbasin feedback between the PJ pattern and NIO is confirmed using coupled model sensitivity experiments. These results are important in identifying new sources of ISM variability/predictability on the interannual time scale.


2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 2915-2930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepthi Achuthavarier ◽  
V. Krishnamurthy

Abstract Three regionally coupled experiments are conducted to examine the role of Indian and Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) in Indian summer monsoon intraseasonal variability using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction’s Climate Forecast System, a coupled general circulation model. Regional coupling is employed by prescribing daily mean or climatological SST in either the Indian or the Pacific basin while allowing full coupling elsewhere. The results are compared with a fully coupled control simulation. The intraseasonal modes are isolated by applying multichannel singular spectrum analysis on the daily precipitation anomalies. It is found that the amplitude of the northeastward-propagating mode is weaker when the air–sea interaction is suppressed in the Indian Ocean. The intraseasonal mode is not resolved clearly when the Indian Ocean SST is reduced to daily climatology. Intraseasonal composites of low-level zonal wind, latent heat flux, downward shortwave radiation, and SST provide a picture consistent with the proposed mechanisms of air–sea interaction for the northward propagation. The Pacific SST variability does not seem to be critical for the existence of this mode. The northwestward-propagating mode is obtained in the cases where the Indian Ocean was prescribed by daily mean or daily climatological SST. Intraseasonal SST composites corresponding to this mode are weak.


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