scholarly journals The South Asian Monsoon Circulation in Moist Isentropic Coordinates

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 5253-5270
Author(s):  
T. P. Sabin ◽  
Olivier M. Pauluis
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
South Asian Monsoon ◽  
Equivalent Potential Temperature ◽  
South Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
The South ◽  
Equivalent Potential ◽  
Isentropic Coordinates

AbstractThe atmospheric circulation during the South Asian summer monsoon season is analyzed in moist isentropic coordinates. The horizontal mass transport is sorted in terms of its equivalent potential temperature and is separated into the upper- and lower-tropospheric contributions. This technique makes it possible to trace the transport of air parcels over long distances, identify regions of convective motion in the tropics, and assess the impacts of diabatic processes. The goal here is to assess the thermodynamic characteristics of the atmospheric overturning associated with the South Asian monsoon and to connect this thermodynamic structure to horizontal transport. The monsoon is associated with a low-level inflow of warm and moist air, compensated by an upper-tropospheric outflow at high potential temperature. The South Asian monsoon differs, however, from other monsoonal systems in two important ways. First, the ascending air exhibits an unusually high equivalent potential temperature, which results in global lifting of the tropopause during the boreal summer. Second, on a seasonal basis the main monsoon regions appear to be shielded from dry air intrusion from the extratropical regions.

Observational Evaluation of a Convective Quasi-Equilibrium View of Monsoons

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (16) ◽  
pp. 4416-4428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Nie ◽  
William R. Boos ◽  
Zhiming Kuang
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
South Asian Monsoon ◽  
Quasi Equilibrium ◽  
Tropospheric Temperature ◽  
The South ◽  
Layer Potential ◽  
The North

Abstract Idealized dynamical theories that employ a convective quasi-equilibrium (QE) treatment for the diabatic effects of moist convection have been used to explain the location, intensity, and intraseasonal evolution of monsoons. This paper examines whether observations of the earth’s regional monsoons are consistent with the assumption of QE. It is shown here that in local summer climatologies based on reanalysis data, maxima of free-tropospheric temperature are, indeed, nearly collocated with maxima of subcloud equivalent potential temperature, θeb, in all monsoon regions except the North and South American monsoons. Free-tropospheric temperatures over North Africa also exhibit a strong remote influence from the South Asian monsoon. Consistent with idealized dynamical theories, peak precipitation falls slightly equatorward of the maxima in θeb and free-tropospheric temperature in regions where QE seems to hold. Vertical structures of temperature and wind reveal two types of monsoon circulations. One is the deep, moist baroclinic circulation clearly seen in the South Asian monsoon. The other is of mixed type, with the deep moist circulation superimposed on a shallow dry circulation closely associated with boundary layer temperature gradients. While the existence of a shallow dry circulation has been documented extensively in the North African monsoon, here it is shown to also exist in Australia and southern Africa during the local summer. Analogous to moist QE theories for the deep circulation, the shallow circulation can be viewed in a dry QE framework in which shallow ascent occurs just equatorward of the peak boundary layer potential temperature, θb, providing a unified system where the poleward extents of deep and shallow circulations are bounded by maxima in θeb and θb, respectively.

scholarly journals Dominant patterns of interaction between the tropics and mid-latitudes in boreal summer: causal relationships and the role of timescales

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 519-539
Author(s):  
Giorgia Di Capua ◽  
Jakob Runge ◽  
Reik V. Donner ◽  
Bart van den Hurk ◽  
Andrew G. Turner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
Tropical Convection ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
South Asian Monsoon ◽  
Convective Activity ◽  
The South ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Patterns Of Interaction

Abstract. Tropical convective activity represents a source of predictability for mid-latitude weather in the Northern Hemisphere. In winter, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant source of predictability in the tropics and extratropics, but its role in summer is much less pronounced and the exact teleconnection pathways are not well understood. Here, we assess how tropical convection interacts with mid-latitude summer circulation at different intra-seasonal timescales and how ENSO affects these interactions. First, we apply maximum covariance analysis (MCA) between tropical convective activity and mid-latitude geopotential height fields to identify the dominant modes of interaction. The first MCA mode connects the South Asian monsoon with the mid-latitude circumglobal teleconnection pattern. The second MCA mode connects the western North Pacific summer monsoon in the tropics with a wave-5 pattern centred over the North Pacific High in the mid-latitudes. We show that the MCA patterns are fairly insensitive to the selected intra-seasonal timescale from weekly to 4-weekly data. To study the potential causal interdependencies between these modes and with other atmospheric fields, we apply the causal discovery method PCMCI at different timescales. PCMCI extends standard correlation analysis by removing the confounding effects of autocorrelation, indirect links and common drivers. In general, there is a two-way causal interaction between the tropics and mid-latitudes, but the strength and sometimes sign of the causal link are timescale dependent. We introduce causal maps that show the regionally specific causal effect from each MCA mode. Those maps confirm the dominant patterns of interaction and in addition highlight specific mid-latitude regions that are most strongly connected to tropical convection. In general, the identified causal teleconnection patterns are only mildly affected by ENSO and the tropical mid-latitude linkages remain similar. Still, La Niña strengthens the South Asian monsoon generating a stronger response in the mid-latitudes, while during El Niño years the Pacific pattern is reinforced. This study paves the way for process-based validation of boreal summer teleconnections in (sub-)seasonal forecast models and climate models and therefore works towards improved sub-seasonal predictions and climate projections.

scholarly journals Boreal summer sub-seasonal variability of the South Asian monsoon in the Met Office GloSea5 initialized coupled model

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 2035-2059 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Jayakumar ◽  
A. G. Turner ◽  
S. J. Johnson ◽  
E. N. Rajagopal ◽  
Saji Mohandas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Seasonal Variability ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
South Asian Monsoon ◽  
The South

scholarly journals Synoptic Preconditions for Extreme Flooding during the Summer Asian Monsoon in the Mumbai Area

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Lomazzi ◽  
Dara Entekhabi ◽  
Joaquim G. Pinto ◽  
Giorgio Roth ◽  
Roberto Rudari
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Value Added ◽  
South Asian Monsoon ◽  
Flood Events ◽  
The South ◽  
Synoptic Conditions

Abstract The summer monsoon season is an important hydrometeorological feature of the Indian subcontinent and it has significant socioeconomic impacts. This study is aimed at understanding the processes associated with the occurrence of catastrophic flood events. The study has two novel features that add to the existing body of knowledge about the South Asian monsoon: 1) it combines traditional hydrometeorological observations (rain gauge measurements) with unconventional data (media and state historical records of reported flooding) to produce value-added century-long time series of potential flood events and 2) it identifies the larger regional synoptic conditions leading to days with flood potential in the time series. The promise of mining unconventional data to extend hydrometeorological records is demonstrated in this study. The synoptic evolution of flooding events in the western-central coast of India and the densely populated Mumbai area are shown to correspond to active monsoon periods with embedded low pressure centers and have far-upstream influences from the western edge of the Indian Ocean basin. The coastal processes along the Arabian Peninsula where the currents interact with the continental shelf are found to be key features of extremes during the South Asian monsoon.

scholarly journals The remote response of the South Asian Monsoon to reduced dust emissions and Sahara greening during the middle Holocene

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1243-1271
Author(s):  
Francesco S. R. Pausata ◽  
Gabriele Messori ◽  
Jayoung Yun ◽  
Chetankumar A. Jalihal ◽  
Massimo A. Bollasina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Dust Emission ◽  
Northern Africa ◽  
South Asian Monsoon ◽  
The South ◽  
Airborne Dust ◽  
Orbital Parameters ◽  
Humid Period

Abstract. Previous studies based on multiple paleoclimate archives suggested a prominent intensification of the South Asian Monsoon (SAM) during the mid-Holocene (MH, ∼6000 years before present). The main forcing that contributed to this intensification is related to changes in the Earth's orbital parameters. Nonetheless, other key factors likely played important roles, including remote changes in vegetation cover and airborne dust emission. In particular, northern Africa also experienced much wetter conditions and a more mesic landscape than today during the MH (the so-called African Humid Period), leading to a large decrease in airborne dust globally. However, most modeling studies investigating the SAM changes during the Holocene overlooked the potential impacts of the vegetation and dust emission changes that took place over northern Africa. Here, we use a set of simulations for the MH climate, in which vegetation over the Sahara and reduced dust concentrations are considered. Our results show that SAM rainfall is strongly affected by Saharan vegetation and dust concentrations, with a large increase in particular over northwestern India and a lengthening of the monsoon season. We propose that this remote influence is mediated by anomalies in Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures and may have shaped the evolution of the SAM during the termination of the African Humid Period.

Characteristics of Precipitating Convective Systems in the South Asian Monsoon

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Romatschke ◽  
Robert A. Houze
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
South Asian Monsoon ◽  
Western Himalayas ◽  
The South ◽  
Convective Systems ◽  
Large Systems

Abstract Eight years of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) data show how convective systems of different types contribute to precipitation of the South Asian monsoon. The main factor determining the amount of precipitation coming from a specific system is its horizontal size. Convective intensity and/or number of embedded convective cells further enhance its precipitation production. The precipitation of the monsoon is concentrated in three mountainous regions: the Himalayas and coastal ranges of western India and Myanmar. Along the western Himalayas, precipitation falls mainly from small, but highly convective systems. Farther east along the foothills, systems are more stratiform. These small and medium systems form during the day, as the monsoon flow is forced upslope. Nighttime cooling leads to downslope flow and triggers medium-sized systems at lower elevations. At the mountainous western coasts of India and Myanmar, small and medium systems are present throughout the day, as an orographic response to the southwesterly flow, with a slight superimposed diurnal cycle. Medium systems are favored over the eastern parts of the Arabian Sea and large systems are favored over the Bay of Bengal when an enhanced midlevel cyclonic circulation occurs over the northern parts of these regions. The systems forming upstream of coastal mountains over the Bay of Bengal are larger than those over the Arabian Sea, probably because of the moister conditions over the bay. The large systems over the bay exhibit a pronounced diurnal cycle, with systems forming near midnight and maximizing in midday.

Climate response of the south Asian monsoon system to West Asia, Tibetan Plateau and local dust emissions

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 6245-6264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charu Singh ◽  
Dilip Ganguly ◽  
Puneet Sharma ◽  
Shiwansha Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
South Asian Monsoon ◽  
Climate Response ◽  
The South ◽  
Dust Emissions ◽  
Monsoon System ◽  
Local Dust
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