关于亚洲夏季风爆发的动力学研究的若干近期进展

资料分析显示,与850 hPa风场相比,地面风的变化能更好地表征亚洲各季风系统的特征。基于地面风的季节性反转和降水的显著变化所构建的亚洲夏季风(ASM)爆发指数和等时线图表明:亚洲热带夏季风(TASM)在5月初首先在孟加拉湾(BOB)东南部爆发后不是向西传播,而是向东经中印半岛向东推进,于5月中到达中国南海(SCS),6月初到达热带西北太平洋。印度夏季风的表面低压系统源于近赤道阿拉伯海地区,于6月初到达印度西南部喀拉拉邦,印度夏季风随之爆发。亚洲副热带夏季风(STASM)5月初在西北太平洋日本本州东南的海区发生后向西南伸展,于6月初与南海季风降水区连接,形成东北—西南向雨带,夏季风在中国东南沿海登陆,日本的“梅雨”(Baiu)开始。6月中该雨带向北到达长江流域和韩国,江淮梅雨和韩国的“梅雨”(Changma) 开始。本文还回顾了亚洲热带夏季风爆发的动力学研究的若干近期进展。春季青藏高原和南亚海陆分布的联合强迫作用使海表温度(SST)在BOB中东部形成短暂但强盛的暖池,在高层南亚高压的抽吸作用下,常伴有季风爆发涡旋(MOV)发展,使冬季连续带状的副高脊线在孟加拉湾东部断裂,导致亚洲热带季风首先在BOB爆发。BOB东/西部有东/西风型垂直切变,利于激发/抑制对流活动,并增加/减少海洋向大气的表面感热加热,从而使得亚洲夏季风爆发的向西传播在BOB西海岸遇到屏障。季风爆发逐渐向东伸展引发南海和热带西太平洋夏季风相继爆发。季风降水释放的强大潜热使南亚高压发展西伸,纬向非对称位涡强迫显著增强;在阿拉伯半岛强烈的表面感热加热所诱发的中层阿拉伯反气旋的共同作用下,位于阿拉伯海近赤道的低压系统北移发展成为季风爆发涡旋,导致印度季风爆发。由此可见,历时约一个月的亚洲热带夏季风爆发的三个阶段(孟加拉湾、南海和印度季风爆发)是发生在特定的地理环境下受特定的动力—热力学规律驱动的接续过程。     

A study of mean boundary-layer structures over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal during active and break monsoon periods

Observations from research ships which took part in the Indo-Soviet Monsoon Experiment of 1977 (MONSOON 77) and the International Monsoon Experiments (MONEX 79) over the central Arabian Sea and the north central Bay of Bengal were analyzed to study the mean wind and temperature structure of the monsoon boundary layer during active and break conditions. Mean profiles of wind speed and direction along with virtual potential temperature obtained by averaging data from several research ships during 1977 and 1979 indicate that onset conditions were associated with substantial increases in wind speed over the Arabian Sea and a shift to strong southwest flow. Monsoon onset was also characterized by near-neutral to slightly unstable temperature profiles in the lowest kilometer. Break conditions in 1977 in which the monsoon trough moved northward and substantial (5 mb) pressure rises were noted over the Arabian Sea show wind speeds typically decreasing from approximately 18 m s^–1 during active conditions to roughly 8 m s ^–1. Temperature profiles during break conditions are similar to those observed in pre-monsoon conditions in that the boundary layer is observed to be generally much more stable up to 900 mb. Above 900 mb, profiles of virtual potential temperature show little variation.Analysis of latent and sensible heat fluxes during June 1977 calculated by the bulk aerodynamic method indicates values of latent heat flux during active conditions to be roughly two to three times larger than those during break conditions. Sensible heat flux shows an increase from approximately 20 to 80 W m ^–1 during the onset of the monsoon. Surface fluxes of water vapor indicate the importance of water vapor transport over the ship observation region in the central Arabian Sea during active conditions. Onset of the monsoon over the Arabian Sea is accompanied by an increase in the surface moisture flux by a factor of about two. Time histories of precipitable water show decreases of approximately 15% from active to break periods.     

Natural reduction of CO2 observed in the pre-monsoon period at the coastal station, Goa

Measurements of carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration were made at a coastal land station, Goa, on the west coast of India from March to June 2003 as part of the ARMEX (ARabian sea Monsoon Experiment) campaign. The observations show a systematic reduction (~120?mg?m^?3) of CO₂ concentration during the pre-monsoon months, March–May, during which no significant change in anthropogenic emissions takes place. CO₂ shoots up from 520 to 635?mg?m^?3 in June with the onset of the South West monsoon. Back trajectories show that the source of air mass gradually shifts from the coastal land mass to the open southern Arabian Sea during the pre-monsoon period. The observed reduction in CO₂ is explained in terms of earlier measurements in the Arabian Sea indicating maximum chlorophyll a (Sarupria and Bhargava in J Mar Sci 27:292–297, 1998) and minimum partial pressure of CO₂ (Sarma in J Geophys Res 108:3225, 2003) in the sea waters off the west coast of India during the pre-monsoon period, cleaner marine air mass advection from the open sea, and negligible local vertical CO₂ flux.     

Analysing temporal trends in the Indian Summer Monsoon and its variability at a fine spatial resolution

Temporal trends between 1951 and 2007 in annual Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) precipitation, frequency of severe drought years and onset date of ISM were analysed on a 0.25°?×?0.25° grid cell basis across India using APHRODITE daily gridded precipitation data. Locations which experienced temporal trends of increasing or decreasing inter-annual variation in annual ISM precipitation and onset date of ISM were detected using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test. A new method of defining local onset of ISM from daily precipitation data was developed to enable countrywide temporal trend analysis of onset date. India was characterised by a heterogeneous spatial distribution in the magnitude of inter-annual variation and location of significant temporal trends in the examined facets of ISM precipitation. A greater extent of the country experienced significant trends (p?<?0.05) of increasing inter-annual variation rather than simple increasing or decreasing trends in annual ISM precipitation and onset date of ISM. Field significance tests showed grid cells reporting significant trends were significant (p?<?0.05) at the global or field level (except trends of increasing, i.e. later, ISM onset date). This research provides finer spatial detail regarding trends and variation in annual ISM precipitation, severe drought years and onset date of ISM complementing recent studies on trends in extreme precipitation events over India to produce a comprehensive overview of recent behaviour of ISM precipitation. These findings will benefit water managers charged with managing water resources sustainably at a fine spatial scale (the watershed or basin level).     

On the relationship between Arabian Sea warm pool and formation of onset vortex over east-central Arabian Sea

The interannual variability in the formation of mini warm pool (MWP, SST ≥ 30.5°C) and its impact on the formation of onset vortex (OV) over the east-central Arabian Sea (ECAS) are addressed by analyzing the NCEP OIV 2-weekly SST data and NCEP–NCAR reanalysis 850 hPa wind fields from May to June (prior to the onset of monsoon) over the north Indian Ocean for a period of 12 years from 1992 to 2003. Strong interannual variability in the formation and intensification of MWP was observed. Further, the 850 hPa wind fields showed that OV developed into an intense system only during 1994, 1998 and 2001. It formed in the region north of the MWP and on the northern flank of the low-level jet axis, which approached the southern tip of India just prior to the onset of monsoon, similar to the vortex of MONEX-79. The area-averaged zonal kinetic energy (ZKE) over the ECAS (8–15°N, 65–75°E) as well as over the western Arabian Sea (WAS, 5°S–20°N, 50–70°E) showed a minimum value of 5–15 m² s^?2 prior to monsoon onset over Kerala (MOK), whereas a maximum value of 280 m² s^?2 (40–70 m² s^?2) was observed over the ECAS (WAS) during and after MOK. The study further examined the plausible reasons for the occurrence of MWP and OV.     

Seasonality of tropospheric ozone and water vapor over Delhi,India: a study based on MOZAIC measurement data

Tropospheric distributions of ozone (O₃) and water vapor (H₂O) have been presented based on the Measurements of OZone and water vapor by Airbus In-Service AirCraft (MOZAIC) data over the metro and capital city of Delhi, India during 1996–2001. The vertical mixing ratios of both O₃ and H₂O show strong seasonal variations. The mixing ratios of O₃ were often below 40 ppbv near the surface and higher values were observed in the free troposphere during the seasons of winter and spring. In the free troposphere, the high mixing ratio of O₃ during the seasons of winter and spring are mainly due to the long-range transport of O₃ and its precursors associated with the westerly-northwesterly circulation. In the lower and middle troposphere, the low mixing ratios of ∼20–30 ppbv observed during the months of July–September are mainly due to prevailing summer monsoon circulation over Indian subcontinent. The summer monsoon circulation, southwest (SW) wind flow, transports the O₃-poor marine air from the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. The monthly averages of rainfall and mixing ratio of H₂O show opposite seasonal cycles to that of O₃ mixing ratio in the lower and middle troposphere. The change in the transport pattern also causes substantial seasonal variation in the mixing ratio of H₂O of 3–27 g/kg in the lower troposphere over Delhi. Except for some small-scale anomalies, the similar annual patterns in the mixing ratios of O₃ and H₂O are repeated during the different years of 1996–2001. The case studies based on the profiles of O₃, relative humidity (RH) and temperature show distinct features of vertical distribution over Delhi. The impacts of long range transport of air mass from Africa, the Middle East, Indian Ocean and intrusions of stratospheric O₃ have also been demonstrated using the back trajectory model and remote sensing data for biomass burning and forest fire activities.     

A study on the variability of atmospheric and oceanic processes over the Arabian Sea during contrasting monsoons

Summary The atmospheric and oceanic conditions associated with the southwest monsoon during the contrasting monsoon years of 2002 and 2003 over the Arabian Sea have been analyzed in the present study. Early onset of southwesterlies and reduced net heat gain due to low solar radiation were responsible for low sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) over the Arabian Sea during 2002 pre-monsoon (particularly in May). Conversely, light winds and an increased net heat gain set up the pre-monsoon warming in 2003. The development and intensification of deep convection over a large area of the Arabian Sea prior to the onset of the monsoon was observed during 2003, but was absent in 2002. Weak cross equatorial flow and a weak low level jet over the Arabian Sea reduced moisture transport towards the Indian subcontinent in July 2002. This scenario helped to contribute to a prolonged break in monsoon conditions during July. However, no such break in conditions occurred during July 2003. In 2002, the summer monsoon cooling of the Arabian Sea occurred well before July, whereas in 2003 cooling occurred during July. Estimates of wind driven Ekman (horizontal) and vertical transports showed maximum values in the month of June (July) in 2002 (2003). These estimates clearly show the importance of horizontal and vertical advection in the summer cooling of the Arabian Sea. During the southwest monsoon period, the Arabian Sea was warmer in 2003 than in 2002. Late onset of the southwesterlies in June, late cooling of the Arabian Sea in July, and downwelling Rossby wave propagation were responsible for the warm SSTs in 2003. Weak wind stress curl in July dampened the westward propagating sea surface height anomaly signals (Rossby waves) before they reached the western Arabian Sea in 2002, whereas, in 2003 strong wind stress curl enhanced Rossby wave propagation. During the summer monsoon period, subsurface temperatures in the south central Arabian Sea were warmer in 2003 than in 2002, particularly in July and August. Strong Ekman convergence, solar penetration, and downwelling (downward velocities) are responsible for the enhanced subsurface warming in 2003.     

Local onset and demise of the Indian summer monsoon

This paper introduces an objective definition of local onset and demise of the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) at the native grid of the Indian Meteorological Department’s rainfall analysis based on more than 100 years of rain gauge observations. The variability of the local onset/demise of the ISM is shown to be closely associated with the All India averaged rainfall onset/demise. This association is consistent with the corresponding evolution of the slow large-scale reversals of upper air and ocean variables that raise the hope of predictability of local onset and demise of the ISM. The local onset/demise of the ISM also show robust internannual variations associated with El Nino and the Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean dipole mode. It is also shown that the early monsoon rains over northeast India has a predictive potential for the following seasonal anomalies of rainfall and seasonal length of the monsoon over rest of India.

     

福建入夏早晚异常的风场特征分析

本文以850 hPa、200 hPa月平均风场和西太平洋副热带高压脊线北抬至25°N日期资料及福建省25个代表站(县)5—7月的降水资料为基本分析素材。首先标定福建入夏异常的标准与年例,其次揭示850 hPa2、00 hPa 6月风场与异常年例的基本特征,进而探讨了对福建入夏早晚的影响关系。结果表明:在低层索马里-阿拉伯海区的越赤道气流强劲,南海至东亚低纬区域西南风偏大,西太平洋区域低纬度地区南风减弱、东风强劲,且东西风交汇区偏西;而在高层辐合区东风范围偏大,索马里-阿拉伯海区的区域东风风速强劲,青藏高原南侧和副高主体季节性位移的关键区以吹东风为主,东亚区域经向度小,位于青藏高原至我国东部区域范围内,形成一逆时针“距平”风环流;在此高低层风场特征的匹配下,有利于福建提早进入夏季;反之亦然。     

Conditions leading to the onset of the Indian monsoon: A satellite perspective

Summary The summer monsoon onset-2004 over the Kerala Coast (Southern tip of the Indian Peninsula) was monitored in real-time using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)/TMI derived total precipitable water vapor, wind speed and sea surface temperature (SST), National Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and QuikScat wind data. The 2004 onset was of a gradual type, with an early start (24 May), followed by slow growth to full strength (10 June). Hence, the unambiguous forecasting of such onsets becomes very difficult. The water vapor build up over the western Arabian Sea is one of the necessary conditions that gives us a lead time of two and half weeks for the onset of monsoon. The strength of the Hadley cell (monitored using NCEP meridional wind), which is associated with a large convective heat source is also used as a predictive parameter with a lead-time of two weeks. The other dynamical conditions considered are the early May propagation of the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) followed by a second MJO, which began in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and the kinetic energy over the South East Arabian Sea, with an early start around 24 May (50 m²/s²) and strengthening around 10 June (80 m²/s²). The setting of large-scale monsoon current using various satellite derived parameters and the distinct features for the year 2004 have been delineated.     

A study of vertical cloud structure of the Indian summer monsoon using CloudSat data

Precise specification of the vertical distribution of cloud optical properties is important to reduce the uncertainty in quantifying the radiative impacts of clouds. The new global observations of vertical profiles of clouds from the CloudSat mission provide opportunities to describe cloud structures and to improve parameterization of clouds in the weather and climate prediction models. In this study, four years (2007–2010) of observations of vertical structure of clouds from the CloudSat cloud profiling radar have been used to document the mean vertical structure of clouds associated with the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and its intra-seasonal variability. Active and break monsoon spells associated with the intra-seasonal variability of ISM have been identified by an objective criterion. For the present analysis, we considered CloudSat derived column integrated cloud liquid and ice water, and vertically profiles of cloud liquid and ice water content. Over the South Asian monsoon region, deep convective clouds with large vertical extent (up to 14 km) and large values of cloud water and ice content are observed over the north Bay of Bengal. Deep clouds with large ice water content are also observed over north Arabian Sea and adjoining northwest India, along the west coast of India and the south equatorial Indian Ocean. The active monsoon spells are characterized by enhanced deep convection over the Bay of Bengal, west coast of India and northeast Arabian Sea and suppressed convection over the equatorial Indian Ocean. Over the Bay of Bengal, cloud liquid water content and ice water content is enhanced by ~90 and ~200 % respectively during the active spells. An interesting feature associated with the active spell is the vertical tilting structure of positive CLWC and CIWC anomalies over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, which suggests a pre-conditioning process for the northward propagation of the boreal summer intra-seasonal variability. It is also observed that during the break spells, clouds are not completely suppressed over central India. Instead, clouds with smaller vertical extent (3–5 km) are observed due to the presence of a heat low type of circulation. The present results will be useful for validating the vertical structure of clouds in weather and climate prediction models.     

春季青藏高原表面感热加热的年际变化特征及其对印度夏季风爆发时间的影响

本文基于日本气象厅(JMA)的JRA-25再分析资料,分析了春季青藏高原表面感热加热年际变化的时空特征,及其对印度夏季风爆发过程的影响。EOF分析结果表明,春季高原感热加热的年际变化在高原中西部最为明显,这主要与局地地-气温差的年际变率有关。统计分析表明,当春季高原中西部表面感热偏强(弱)时,印度夏季风爆发偏早(晚),且高原中西部表面感热与ENSO事件无显著相关。春季高原中西部感热能够通过改变印度季风区对流层高层和低层的经向热力结构来影响印度夏季风的爆发时间。当春季高原中西部感热偏强时,造成的上升气流在高原以西的印度季风区北部下沉,通过绝热增暖引起局地对流层中上部的异常暖中心,令印度季风区对流层中上部平均温度经向梯度由冬至夏的季节性反转提早。同时,印度季风区北部的下沉运动能够抑制当地降水,令陆面温度升高,并通过非绝热过程造成对流层低层的异常暖中心,进一步增强了印度季风区的海陆热力对比。在印度季风区以北地区对流层高、低层异常增暖的共同作用下,印度夏季风提前爆发。     

Spatio-temporal Variability of Surface-layer Turbulent Fluxes Over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea During the ICARB Field Experiment

We report the spatio-temporal variability of surface-layer turbulent fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea (AS) during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases Radiation Budget (ICARB) field experiment. The meteorological component of ICARB conducted during March – May 2006 onboard the oceanic research vessel Sagar Kanya forms the database for the present study. The bulk transfer coefficients and the surface-layer fluxes are estimated using a modified bulk aerodynamic method, and then the spatio-temporal variability of these air-sea interface fluxes is discussed in detail. It is observed that the sensible and latent heat fluxes over the AS are marginally higher than those over the BoB, which we attribute to differences in the prevailing meteorological conditions over the two oceanic regions. The values of the wind stress, sensible and latent heat fluxes are compared with those obtained for the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) period. The variation of drag coefficient (C _D ), exchange coefficients of sensible heat and moisture (C _H = C _E ) and neutral drag coefficient (C _DN ) with wind speed is also discussed.

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中亚和南亚热力差异对塔里木盆地夏季降水的影响

利用美国国家环境预测中心/美国国家大气研究中心(NCEP/NCAR)再分析月平均资料和新疆83站降水资料,分析了1961~2010年南亚和中亚对流层中低层热力差异对塔里木盆地夏季降水的可能影响机制。研究结果表明,塔里木盆地夏季降水与中亚和南亚对流层中低层温度密切相关。当南亚对流层中低层偏暖,中亚偏冷时,500 h Pa中亚上空和蒙古上空分别为异常气旋和反气旋环流,在二者共同作用下,塔里木盆地上空盛行异常的偏南气流,有利于低纬海洋的暖湿气流北上,形成有利于降水的环流条件。同时阿拉伯海上空为异常反气旋环流,中亚上空为异常气旋环流,形成塔里木盆地夏季降水水汽的两步型输送,阿拉伯海水汽被输送至中亚和新疆地区。中亚对流层中低层温度变化主要影响500 h Pa环流,南亚对流层中低层温度变化在低纬水汽向北输送过程中扮演主要角色。青藏高原夏季风偏强时,600 h Pa高原北侧对应异常反气旋环流,异常偏北风引导高纬度冷空气南下,导致中亚区域对流层中低层偏冷,而南亚对流层中低层偏暖则与热带印度洋显著增暖密切相关。     

Probing for suitable climatology to estimate the predictability of monsoon onset over Kerala (MOK), India

Inter-annual variability in the onset of monsoon over Kerala (MOK), India, is investigated using daily temperature; mean sea level pressure; winds at 850, 500 and 200 hPa pressure levels; outgoing longwave radiation (OLR); sea surface temperature (SST) and vertically integrated moisture content anomaly with 32 years (1981–2013) observation. The MOK is classified as early, delayed, or normal by considering the mean monsoon onset date over Kerala to be the 1st of June with a standard deviation of 8 days. The objective of the study is to identify the synoptic setup during MOK and comparison with climatology to estimate the predictability of the onset type (early, normal, or delayed) with 5, 10, and 15 days lead time. The study reveals that an enhanced convection observed over the Bay of Bengal during early MOK is found to shift over the Arabian Sea during delayed MOK. An intense high-pressure zone observed over the western south Indian Ocean during early MOK shifts to the east during delayed MOK. Higher tropospheric temperature (TT) over the western Equatorial Ocean during early MOK and lower TT over the Indian subcontinent intensify the land–ocean thermal contrast that leads to early MOK. The sea surface temperature (SST) over the Arabian Sea is observed to be warmer during delayed than early MOK. During early MOK, the source of 850 hPa southwesterly wind shifts to the west equatorial zone while a COL region has been found during delayed MOK at that level. The study further reveals that the wind speed anomaly at the 200-hPa pressure level coincides inversely with the anomaly of tropospheric temperature.     

Characteristic Study of the Boundary Layer Parameters over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal Using the QuikSCAT Dataset

The marine atmospheric boundary layer （MABL） plays a vital role in the transport of momentum and heat from the surface of the ocean into the atmosphere. A detailed study on the MABL characteristics was carried out using high-resolution surface-wind data as measured by the QuikSCAT （Quick scatterometer） satellite. Spatial variations in the surface wind, frictional velocity, roughness parameter and drag coefficient for the different seasons were studied. The surface wind was strong during the southwest monsoon season due to the modulation induced by the Low Level Jetstream. The drag coefficient was larger during this season, due to the strong winds and was lower during the winter months. The spatial variations in the frictional velocity over the seas was small during the post-monsoon season （-0.2 m s^-1）. The maximum spatial variation in the frictional velocity was found over the south Arabian Sea （0.3 to 0.5 m s^-1） during the southwest monsoon period, followed by the pre-monsoon over the Bay of Bengal （0.1 to 0.25 m s^-1）. The mean wind-stress curl during the winter was positive over the equatorial region, with a maximum value of 1.5×10^-7 N m^-3, but on either side of the equatorial belt, a negative wind-stress curl dominated. The area average of the frictional velocity and drag coefficient over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal were also studied. The values of frictional velocity shows a variability that is similar to the intraseasonal oscillation （ISO） and this was confirmed via wavelet analysis. In the case of the drag coefficient, the prominent oscillations were ISO and quasi-biweekly mode （QBM）. The interrelationship between the drag coefficient and the frictional velocity with wind speed in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal was also studied.     

Mesoscale observational analysis of lifting mechanism of a warm-sector convective system producing the maximal daily precipitation in China mainland during pre-summer rainy season of 2015

A long-lived, quasi-stationary mesoscale convective system (MCS) producing extreme rainfall (maximum of 542 mm) over the eastern coastal area of Guangdong Province on 20 May 2015 is analyzed by using high-resolution surface observations, sounding data, and radar measurements. New convective cells are continuously initiated along a mesoscale boundary at the surface, leading to formation and maintenance of the quasi-linear-shaped MCS from about 2000 BT 19 to 1200 BT 20 May. The boundary is originally formed between a cold dome generated by previous convection and southwesterly flow from the ocean carrying higher equivalent potential temperature (θ _e) air. The boundary is subsequently maintained and reinforced by the contrast between the MCS-generated cold outflow and the oceanic higher-θ _e air. The cold outflow is weak (wind speed ≤ 5 m s ^?1), which is attributable to the characteristic environmental conditions, i.e., high humidity in the lower troposphere and weak horizontal winds in the middle and lower troposphere. The low speed of the cold outflow is comparable to that of the near surface southerly flow from the ocean, resulting in very slow southward movement of the boundary. The boundary features temperature contrasts of 2–3°C and is roughly 500-m deep. Despite its shallowness, the boundary appears to exert a profound influence on continuous convection initiation because of the very low level of free convection and small convection inhibition of the near surface oceanic air, building several parallel rainbands (of about 50-km length) that move slowly eastward along the MCS and produce about 80% of the total rainfall. Another MCS moves into the area from the northwest and merges with the local MCS at about 1200 BT. The cold outflow subsequently strengthens and the boundary moves more rapidly toward the southeast, leading to end of the event in 3 h.     

On the heat budget of the Arabian Sea

Summary The rate of oceanic heat storage of the upper 200m of the Arabian Sea is explained in terms of net air-sea heat flux (Q _F), heat change due to horizontal divergence and vertical motion (Q _V) and heat change due to lateral advection (Q _A). The analysis revealed that the heat storage of the Arabian Sea is mainly controlled byQ _V while the effect ofQ _A is much larger than expected. Parameterisation of summer cooling revealed that the depletion of energy from the mixed layer is mainly due to upwelling and horizontal advection though large amount of heat is accumulated due to net air-sea heat flux. The annual heat balance of the upper 200m of the Arabian Sea suggested large heat gain by air-sea exchange processes. About two third of this heat gain is compensated by horizontal advection and one third by vertical advection.With 4 Figures     

Evaporation over the Arabian Sea during two contrasting monsoons

Summary Monthly mean surface fields of different meteorological parameters and evaporation are studied for the 1979 (poor monsoon) and 1983 (good monsoon) monsoon seasons over the Arabian Sea, in order to understand the role of evaporation on the Indian monsoon rainfall. It is noticed that in general, the sea surface temperatures are higher in 1983 throughout the monsoon season than in 1979 in the Arabian Sea excepting western region. The mean rates of evaporation on a seasonal scale are found to be equal in both years (3.66×10¹⁰ and 3.59×10¹⁰ tons/day in 1979 and 1983, respectively). No coherence is observed between the evaporation and the west coast rainfall within a season. It is also noted that the pressure distribution over the Arabian Sea is even important to advect the moisture towards the west coast of India, through winds.With 10 Figures     

Water mass properties and transports in the Arabian Sea from Argo observations

The information acquired from Argo floats such as temperature and salinity profiles is used to study water mass properties in the Arabian Sea from 2002 to 2004. An examination of water mass structure at different locations reveals the presence of high salinity water of marginal seas in the Arabian Sea. During the southwest monsoon season, the impact of the early onset of southwesterlies is noticed in the upper ocean temperature and salinity structure over the Western Arabian Sea (WAS) during 2002. Surface density variations are found to be more during the southwest monsoon season due to strong wind forcing. Argo temperature and salinity profiles showed that the winter cooling and the formation of Arabian Sea High Salinity Water (ASHSW) over the Northern Arabian Sea (NAS) began during the second half of November within the upper 100 m depth. In the NAS, the Persian Gulf Water (PGW) salinity is above 36, as PGW moves towards the south along isopycnal layer of 26.6σ_θ (σ_θ is potential density) salinity decreases. It is observed that the PGW high salinity water is not continuously prominent over the WAS in 2002 and in 2003. In the WAS the 27.2σ_θ isopycnal layer depth, corresponding to Red Sea Water (RSW), did not exactly follow the pattern of isotherms as is seen in the northern and eastern Arabian Sea. The variability related to RSW salinity is due to the underwater currents. The present study also confirms that RSW is prominent in the southeast Arabian Sea at the potential density of 27.2 with a maximum in summer monsoon compared to other seasons. The observed peak in the salinity at 27.2 density level during the spring intermonsoon is due to the influence of winter time spreading of RSW to the south of Socotra in 2002. Westward movement of Argo floats in the region east of Socotra during the winter is evident in both the observations and model studies. Water mass properties change when they move away from their source region due to the consistent horizontal advection. The changes in the water mass properties along the Argo float trajectory are confirmed by comparing with the climatological mean monthly values from the World Ocean Atlas 2001 data set.