Seasonal and Intraseasonal Modulation of Tropical Cyclogenesis Environment over the Bay of Bengal during the Extended Summer Monsoon

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 2914-2930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wataru Yanase ◽  
Masaki Satoh ◽  
Hiroshi Taniguchi ◽  
Hatsuki Fujinami
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Tropical Cyclogenesis ◽  
Composite Analysis ◽  
Absolute Vorticity

Abstract The environmental field of tropical cyclogenesis over the Bay of Bengal is analyzed for the extended summer monsoon season (approximately May–November) using best-track and reanalysis data. Genesis potential index (GPI) is used to assess four possible environmental factors responsible for tropical cyclogenesis: lower-tropospheric absolute vorticity, vertical shear, potential intensity, and midtropospheric relative humidity. The climatological cyclogenesis is active within high GPI in the premonsoon (~May) and postmonsoon seasons (approximately October–November), which is attributed to weak vertical shear. The genesis of intense tropical cyclone is suppressed within the low GPI in the mature monsoon (approximately June–September), which is due to the strong vertical shear. In addition to the climatological seasonal transition, the authors’ composite analysis based on tropical cyclogenesis identified a high GPI signal moving northward with a periodicity of approximately 30–40 days, which is associated with boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO). In a composite analysis based on the BSISO phase, the active cyclogenesis occurs in the high GPI phase of BSISO. It is revealed that the high GPI of BSISO is attributed to high relative humidity and large absolute vorticity. Furthermore, in the mature monsoon season, when the vertical shear is climatologically strong, tropical cyclogenesis particularly favors the phase of BSISO that reduces vertical shear effectively. Thus, the combination of seasonal and intraseasonal effects is important for the tropical cyclogenesis, rather than the independent effects.

scholarly journals A Poisson Regression Index for Tropical Cyclone Genesis and the Role of Large-Scale Vorticity in Genesis

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 2335-2357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K. Tippett ◽  
Suzana J. Camargo ◽  
Adam H. Sobel
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Poisson Regression ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Functional Dependence ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Tropical Cyclogenesis ◽  
Tropical Cyclone Genesis ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Absolute Vorticity ◽  
Low Level

Abstract A Poisson regression between the observed climatology of tropical cyclogenesis (TCG) and large-scale climate variables is used to construct a TCG index. The regression methodology is objective and provides a framework for the selection of the climate variables in the index. Broadly following earlier work, four climate variables appear in the index: low-level absolute vorticity, relative humidity, relative sea surface temperature (SST), and vertical shear. Several variants in the choice of predictors are explored, including relative SST versus potential intensity and satellite-based column-integrated relative humidity versus reanalysis relative humidity at a single level; these choices lead to modest differences in the performance of the index. The feature of the new index that leads to the greatest improvement is a functional dependence on low-level absolute vorticity that causes the index response to absolute vorticity to saturate when absolute vorticity exceeds a threshold. This feature reduces some biases of the index and improves the fidelity of its spatial distribution. Physically, this result suggests that once low-level environmental vorticity reaches a sufficiently large value, other factors become rate limiting so that further increases in vorticity (at least on a monthly mean basis) do not increase the probability of genesis. Although the index is fit to climatological data, it reproduces some aspects of interannual variability when applied to interannually varying data. Overall, the new index compares positively to the genesis potential index (GPI), whose derivation, computation, and analysis is more complex in part because of its dependence on potential intensity.

Bimodal Character of Cyclone Climatology in the Bay of Bengal Modulated by Monsoon Seasonal Cycle*

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 1033-1046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Li ◽  
Weidong Yu ◽  
Tim Li ◽  
V. S. N. Murty ◽  
Fredolin Tangang
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Heat Content ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Humidity Effect ◽  
Conventional View ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Relative Humidity Effect

Abstract The annual cycle of tropical cyclone (TC) frequency over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) exhibits a notable bimodal character, different from a single peak in other basins. The causes of this peculiar feature were investigated through the diagnosis of a genesis potential index (GPI) with the use of the NCEP Reanalysis I dataset during the period 1981–2009. A methodology was developed to quantitatively assess the relative contributions of four environmental parameters. Different from a conventional view that the seasonal change of vertical shear causes the bimodal feature, it was found that the strengthened vertical shear alone from boreal spring to summer cannot overcome the relative humidity effect. It is the combined effect of vertical shear, vorticity, and SST that leads to the GPI minimum in boreal summer. It is noted that TC frequency in October–November is higher than that in April–May, which is primarily attributed to the difference of mean relative humidity between the two periods. In contrast, more supercyclones (category 4 or above) occur in April–May than in October–November. It is argued that greater ocean heat content, the first branch of northward-propagating intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) associated with the monsoon onset over the BoB, and stronger ISO intensity in April–May are favorable environmental conditions for cyclone intensification.

scholarly journals Variations in O<sub>3</sub>, CO, and CH<sub>4</sub> over the Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon season: Ship-borne measurements and model simulations

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imran A. Girach ◽  
Narendra Ojha ◽  
Prabha R. Nair ◽  
Andrea Pozzer ◽  
Yogesh K. Tiwari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Ozone Production ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Summer Monsoon Season ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Mixing Ratios

Abstract. We present ship-borne measurements of surface ozone, carbon monoxide and methane over the Bay of Bengal (BoB), the first time such measurements have been taken during the summer monsoon season, as a part of the Continental Tropical Convergence Zone (CTCZ) experiment during 2009. O3, CO, and CH4 mixing ratios exhibited significant spatial and temporal variability in the ranges of 8–54 nmol mol−1, 50–200 nmol mol−1, and 1.57–2.15 µmol mol−1, with means of 29.7 ± 6.8 nmol mol−1, 96 ± 25 nmol mol−1, and 1.83 ± 0.14 µmol mol−1, respectively. The average mixing ratios of trace gases over northern BoB (O3: 30 ± 7 nmol mol−1, CO: 95 ± 25 nmol mol−1, CH4: 1.86 ± 0.12 µmol mol−1), in airmasses from northern or central India, did not differ much from those over central BoB (O3: 27 ± 5 nmol mol−1, CO: 101 ± 27 nmol mol−1, CH4: 1.72 ± 0.14 µmol mol−1), in airmasses from southern India. Spatial variability is observed to be most significant for CH4. The ship-based observations, in conjunction with backward air trajectories and ground-based measurements over the Indian region, are analyzed to estimate a net ozone production of 1.5–4 nmol mol−1 day−1 in the outflow. Ozone mixing ratios over the BoB showed large reductions (by ~ 20 nmol mol−1) during four rainfall events. Temporal changes in the meteorological parameters, in conjunction with ozone vertical profiles, indicate that these low ozone events are associated with downdrafts of free-tropospheric ozone-poor airmasses. While the observed variations in O3 and CO are successfully reproduced using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem), this model overestimates mean concentrations by about 20 %, generally overestimating O3 mixing ratios during the rainfall events. Analysis of the chemical tendencies from model simulations for a low-O3 event on August 10, 2009, captured successfully by the model, shows the key role of horizontal advection in rapidly transporting ozone-rich airmasses across the BoB. Our study fills a gap in the availability of trace gas measurements over the BoB, and when combined with data from previous campaigns, reveals large seasonal amplitude (~ 39 and ~ 207 nmol mol−1 for O3 and CO, respectively) over the northern BoB.

scholarly journals Relative Roles of Background Moisture and Vertical Shear in Regulating Interannual Variability of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillations

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (19) ◽  
pp. 7009-7025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Deng ◽  
Tim Li
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Moisture Condition ◽  
Intensity Index ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillations

Abstract The interannual variability of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) is investigated using observed outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and ERA-Interim data for the period of 1980–2012. It is found that the interannual variability of BSISO intensity is much stronger in the tropical western Pacific (TWP) than the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO). A BSISO intensity index is defined based on a multivariate EOF analysis in TWP. It is found that strong BSISO years are associated with El Niño–like sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Pacific, anomalous easterly shear, and enhanced background moisture condition in the region. Using a 2.5-layer atmospheric model with a specified idealized background mean state, the authors further examine the relative roles of background moisture and vertical shear fields in modulating the BSISO intensity. Sensitivity numerical experiments indicate that the background moisture change is most important in regulating the BSISO intensity, whereas the background vertical shear change also plays a role.

scholarly journals Genesis of Tropical Storm Eugene (2005) from Merging Vortices Associated with ITCZ Breakdowns. Part II: Roles of Vortex Merger and Ambient Potential Vorticity

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 1980-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanh Q. Kieu ◽  
Da-Lin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Potential Vorticity ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Tropical Cyclogenesis ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Absolute Vorticity ◽  
Surface Heat Fluxes ◽  
Vortex Merger ◽  
Bottom Upward

Abstract In this study, the roles of merging midlevel mesoscale convective vortices (MCVs) and convectively generated potential vorticity (PV) patches embedded in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in determining tropical cyclogenesis are examined by calculating PV and absolute vorticity budgets with a cloud-resolving simulation of Tropical Storm Eugene (2005). Results show that the vortex merger occurs as the gradual capture of small-scale PV patches within a slow-drifting MCV by another fast-moving MCV, thus concentrating high PV near the merger’s circulation center, with its peak amplitude located slightly above the melting level. The merging phase is characterized by sharp increases in surface heat fluxes, low-level convergence, latent heat release (and upward motion), lower tropospheric PV, surface pressure falls, and growth of cyclonic vorticity from the bottom upward. Melting and freezing appear to affect markedly the vertical structures of diabatic heating, convergence, absolute vorticity, and PV, as well the production of PV during the life cycle of Eugene. Results also show significant contributions of the horizontal vorticity to the magnitude of PV and its production within the storm. The storm-scale PV budgets show that the above-mentioned amplification of PV results partly from the net internal dynamical forcing between the PV condensing and diabatic production and partly from the continuous lateral PV fluxes from the ITCZ. Without the latter, Eugene would likely be shorter lived after the merger under the influence of intense vertical shear and colder sea surface temperatures. The vorticity budget reveals that the storm-scale rotational growth occurs in the deep troposphere as a result of the increased flux convergence of absolute vorticity during the merging phase. Unlike the previously hypothesized downward growth associated with merging MCVs, the most rapid growth rate is found in the bottom layers of the merger because of the frictional convergence. It is concluded that tropical cyclogenesis from merging MCVs occurs from the bottom upward.

scholarly journals Characteristics of a persistent "pool of inhibited cloudiness" and its genesis over the Bay of Bengal associated with the Asian summer monsoon

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1247-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anish Kumar M. Nair ◽  
K. Rajeev ◽  
S. Sijikumar ◽  
S. Meenu
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Spatial Gradient ◽  
Dynamical Response ◽  
Monsoon Circulation ◽  
Asian Summer

Abstract. Using spatial and vertical distributions of clouds derived from multi-year spaceborne observations, this paper presents the characteristics of a significant "pool of inhibited cloudiness" covering an area of >106 km2 between 3–13° N and 77–90° E over the Bay of Bengal (BoB), persisting throughout the Asian summer monsoon season (ASM). Seasonal mean precipitation rate over the "pool" is <3 mm day−1 while that over the surrounding regions is mostly in the range of 6–14 mm day−1. Frequency of occurrence of clouds in this "pool" is ~20–40 % less than that over the surrounding deep convective regions. Zonal and meridional cross sections of the altitude distribution of clouds derived from CloudSat data reveal a vault-like structure at the "pool" with little cloudiness below ~7 km, indicating that this "pool" is almost fully contributed by the substantially reduced or near-absence of low- and middle-level clouds. This suggest the absence of convection in the "pool" region. Spaceborne scatterometer observations show divergence of surface wind at the "pool" and convergence at its surroundings, suggesting the existence of a mini-circulation embedded in the large-scale monsoon circulation. Reanalysis data shows a mini-circulation extending between the surface and ~3 km altitude, but its spatial structure does not match well with that inferred from the above observations. Sea surface at the south BoB during ASM is sufficiently warm to trigger convection, but is inhibited by the subsidence associated with the mini-circulation, resulting in the "pool". This mini-circulation might be a dynamical response of the atmosphere to the substantial spatial gradient of latent heating by large-scale cloudiness and precipitation at the vast and geographically fixed convective zones surrounding the "pool". Subsidence at the "pool" might contribute to the maintenance of convection at the above zones and be an important component of ASM that is overlooked hitherto.

scholarly journals Weakening Trend of the Tropical Easterly Jet Stream of the Boreal Summer Monsoon Season 1950–2009

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (23) ◽  
pp. 9408-9414 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Abish ◽  
P. V. Joseph ◽  
Ola M. Johannessen
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Equatorial Indian Ocean ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Jet Stream ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Summer Monsoon Season ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Tropical Easterly Jet

Recent research has reported that the tropical easterly jet stream (TEJ) of the boreal summer monsoon season is weakening. The analysis herein using 60 yr (1950–2009) of data reveals that this weakening of the TEJ is due to the decreasing trend in the upper tropospheric meridional temperature gradient over the area covered by the TEJ. During this period, the upper troposphere over the equatorial Indian Ocean has warmed due to enhanced deep moist convection associated with the rapid warming of the equatorial Indian Ocean. At the same time, a cooling of the upper troposphere has taken place over the Northern Hemisphere subtropics including the Tibetan anticyclone. The simultaneous cooling of the subtropics and the equatorial heating has caused a decrease in the upper tropospheric meridional thermal gradient. The consequent reduction in the strength of the easterly thermal wind has resulted in the weakening of the TEJ.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of the Northward Movement of Submonthly Scale Vortices over the Bay of Bengal during the Boreal Summer

2006 ◽  
Vol 134 (8) ◽  
pp. 2251-2265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoru Yokoi ◽  
Takehiko Satomura
Keyword(s):  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Meridional Wind ◽  
Relative Vorticity ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Meridional Component ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Budget Analysis ◽  
Vorticity Anomaly

Abstract Mechanisms of the northward movement of submonthly scale vortices over the Bay of Bengal during the boreal summer (May–September) are studied with the use of a vorticity budget analysis applied to the ECMWF 40-yr Re-Analysis (ERA-40) data. To quantitatively evaluate the contribution from each term that constitutes the vorticity anomaly equation to the movement of the vortices, a vector measure, termed the forcing vector (FV), is used in the present study. Because the axis of the submonthly scale relative vorticity anomaly does not tilt meridionally below the 200-hPa level, the mechanisms of the northward movement of a composite submonthly scale vortex integrated from the surface to the 100-hPa level [the barotropic component (BTC)] are studied. The barotropic vortex moves northwestward, with northward speeds of 0.9° day−1. The meridional component of the FV (MFV), which represents the contribution to the meridional component of the movement, reveals that the primary and secondary terms that contribute to the northward movement are the advection of the vortex by the environmental meridional wind, and the tilting effect of the environmental horizontal vorticity vector by the vertical pressure velocity anomaly associated with the vortex, respectively. The former term works mainly in the lower troposphere, while the latter operates in the middle and upper troposphere. The first baroclinic component (FBCC) of the vortex in the troposphere also moves northwestward with almost the same northward speed as the BTC. Mechanisms of the northward movement of the FBCC are also clarified in the present study through examination of the MFV. The primary contributing term is the same as that of the BTC, while the tilting term hinders the northward movement of the FBCC. For the FBCC, the secondary contributing term is the advection of the planetary vorticity by the meridional wind anomaly associated with the horizontal convergence and divergence anomalies in the lower and upper troposphere, respectively. The present study also discusses the phase relation between the BTC and the FBCC from the viewpoint of their northward movement in an environment of easterly vertical shear.

scholarly journals Subseasonal Dispersal of Freshwater in the Northern Bay of Bengal in the 2013 Summer Monsoon Season

2018 ◽  
Vol 123 (9) ◽  
pp. 6330-6348 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Sree Lekha ◽  
J. M. Buckley ◽  
A. Tandon ◽  
D. Sengupta
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Summer Monsoon Season ◽  
Northern Bay Of Bengal
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