The Energetics of Asian Summer Monsoon

—?In this paper, we examine the large-scale balances of kinetic energy, vorticity, angular momentum, heat and moisture over the Asian summer monsoon region. The five year (1986–1990) uninitialized daily analyses for the summer season comprising June, July and August (JJA), produced at the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) under the aegis of Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) have been considered to carry out the study.¶The following features characterize the Asian summer monsoon domain. It acts as the source of kinetic energy as well as vorticity, and sink of heat and moisture. Kinetic energy and vorticity are produced in the monsoon region and transported horizontally. On the contrary, heat and moisture are transported into the monsoon region. The zonal and meridional components of adiabatic generation of kinetic energy contribute to the production of kinetic energy over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, respectively. The horizontal advection of relative vorticity is balanced by sub-grid scale generation. The angular momentum generated due to pressure torque (east-west pressure gradient) is balanced by the flux convergence of omega momentum. Further, the angular momentum budget delineates that flux convergence of relative momentum is necessary to maintain the surface westerlies against the friction. The horizontal convergence of heat and moisture facilitates enhancement of diabatic heating, and also leads to the formation of diabatic heat sources, which are crucial to sustain the summer monsoon circulation.     

The Role of Radiative Transfer in Maintaining the Indian Summer Monsoon Circulation

—The radiative-convective feedback and land-sea thermal forcing play significant roles in maintenance of the summer monsoon circulation over the Indian sub-continent. In this study, the role of radiative transfer in maintaining the monsoon circulation is examined with numerical sensitivity experiments. For this purpose, a sixteen layer primitive equation limited area model is used to perform numerical simulations with and without atmospheric radiative transfer processes parameterized in the model. The initial values and boundary conditions for the numerical integrations of the model are derived from operational analyses of the ECMWF, UK. The results show that the radiative transfer is essential in maintaining the intensity of the low level Somali Jet as well as the upper level Tropical Easterly Jet (TEJ) over the Indian sub-continent and adjoining seas. The meridional circulation over the region is also well simulated. As a result, enough moisture transports from the warm equatorial region to simulate more realistic orographic precipitation in the windward side of the mountains along the West coast of India. Without radiative transfer processes in the model atmosphere the simulated monsoon circulation weakens, moisture transport decreases and the precipitation lessens.     

赤道MJO活动对南海夏季风爆发的影响

利用1979—2013年NCEP/DOE再分析资料的大气多要素日平均资料、美国NOAA日平均向外长波辐射资料和ERSST月平均海温资料,分析赤道大气季节内振荡(简称MJO)活动对南海夏季风爆发的影响及其与热带海温信号等的协同作用.结果表明,赤道MJO活动与南海夏季风爆发密切联系,MJO的湿位相(即对流活跃位相)处于西太平洋位相时,有利于南海夏季风爆发,而MJO湿位相处于印度洋位相时,则不利于南海夏季风爆发.赤道MJO活动影响南海夏季风爆发的物理过程主要是大气对热源响应的结果,当MJO湿位相处于西太平洋位相时,一方面热带西太平洋对流加强使潜热释放增加,导致处于热源西北侧的南海—西北太平洋地区对流层低层由于Rossby响应产生气旋性环流异常,气旋性环流异常则有利于西太平洋副热带高压的东退,另一方面菲律宾附近热源促进对流层高层南亚高压在中南半岛和南海北部的建立,使南海地区高层为偏东风,从而有利于南海夏季风建立;当湿位相MJO处于印度洋位相时,热带西太平洋对流减弱转为大气冷源,情况基本相反,不利于南海夏季风建立.MJO活动、孟加拉湾气旋性环流与年际尺度海温变化协同作用,共同对南海夏季风爆发迟早产生影响,近35年南海夏季风爆发时间与海温信号不一致的年份,基本上是由于季节转换期间的MJO活动特征及孟加拉湾气旋性环流是否形成而造成,因此三者综合考虑对于提高季风爆发时间预测水平具有重要意义.     

A Study on the Performance of the NCMRWF Analysis and Forecasting System During Asian Summer Monsoon: Thermodynamic Aspects

—The thermodynamic characteristics of the Asian summer monsoon are examined with a global analysis-forecast system. In this study, we investigated the large-scale balances of heat and moisture by making use of operational analyses as well as forecast fields for June, July and August (JJA), 1994. Apart from elucidating systematic errors in the temperature and moisture fields, the study expounds the influence of these errors on the large-scale budgets of heat and moisture over the monsoon region. The temperature forecasts of the model delineate predominant cooling in the middle and lower tropospheres over the monsoon region. Similarly, the moisture forecasts evince a drying tendency in the lower troposphere. However, certain sectors of moderate moistening exist over the peninsular India and adjoining oceanic sectors of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.¶The broad features of the large-scale heat and moisture budgets represented by the analysis/forecast fields indicate good agreement with the observed aspects of the summer monsoon circulation. The model forecasts fail to retain the analyzed atmospheric variability in terms of the mean circulation, which is indicated by underestimation of various terms of heat and moisture budgets with an increase in the forecast period. Further, the forecasts depict an anomalous diabatic cooling layer in the lower middle troposphere of the monsoon region which inhibits vertical transfer of heat and moisture from the mixed layer of the atmospheric boundary layer to the middle troposphere. In effect, the monsoon circulation is considerably weakened with an increase in the forecast period. The treatment of shallow convection and the use of interactive clouds in the model can reduce the cooling bias considerably.     

Study of Dynamical Structure of an Unusual Monsoon Depression formed over the Bay of Bengal during August 2006

Monsoon depressions, the main rain-producing systems over the Indian region along and near their tracks, are found to intensify the monsoon circulation by organizing low-level convergence. The normal track of the monsoon depressions is along the position of the monsoon trough at the surface, i.e., northwestward from the Head Bay of Bengal. Most of the monsoon depressions dissipate within one or two days after landfall. An unusual monsoon depression formed in the Bay of Bengal during the 1^st week of August 2006 causing heavy to very heavy rainfall over Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat States of India. The track of this depression was anomalously southward from the mean track of the August depressions. It maintained its intensity during its longer travel. This paper addresses some of the dynamical characteristics of the depression in relation to its southward/westward track and longer travel. It is observed that horizontal advection of absolute vorticity above 550 hPa (below 600 hPa) along west (east) of the depression and maximum divergence of absolute vorticity below 400 hPa dominated for the westward movement of the depression. Increased moisture supply from the Arabian Sea (after the landfall of the depression) helped to maintain the intensity of the system throughout its long travel. The energy conversion terms revealed the strengthening of the zonal flow at higher levels prior to the formation of the depression.     

Possible mechanism of the effect of convection over Asian-Australian "land bridge" on the East Asian summer monsoon onset

The Asian-Australian "land bridge" is an area with the most vigorous convection in Asian monsoon region in boreal spring, where the onset and march of convection are well associated with the onset of East Asian summer monsoon. The convection occurs over Indo-China Peninsula as early as mid-April, which exerts critical impact on the evolution of monsoon circulation. Before mid-April there are primarily sensible heatings to the atmosphere over Indo-China Peninsula and Indian Peninsula, so the apparent heating ratios over them decrease with height. However, after mid-April it changes into latent heating over Indo-China Peninsula due to the onset of convection, and the apparent heating ratio increases with height in mid- and lower troposphere. The vertical distribution of heating ratio and its differences between Indo-China Peninsula and Indian Peninsula are the key factors leading to the splitting of boreal subtropical high belt over the Bay of Bengal. Such mechanism is strongly supported by the fact that the evolution of the vertical heating ratio gradient above Indo-China Peninsula leads that of 850 hPa vorticity over the Bay of Bengal. Convections over Indo-China Peninsula and its surrounding areas further increase after the splitting. Since then, there is a positive feedback lying among the convective heating, the eastward retreat of the subtropical high and the march of monsoon, which is a possible mechanism of the advance of summer monsoon and convection from Indo-China Peninsula to South China Sea.     

Possible mechanism of the effect of convection over Asian-Australian “land bridge” on the East Asian summer monsoon onset

The Asian-Australian “land bridge” is an area with the most vigorous convection in Asian monsoon region in boreal spring, where the onset and march of convection are well associated with the onset of East Asian summer monsoon. The convection occurs over Indo-China Peninsula as early as mid-April, which exerts critical impact on the evolution of monsoon circulation. Before mid-April there are primarily sensible heatings to the atmosphere over Indo-China Peninsula and Indian Peninsula, so the apparent heating ratios over them decrease with height. However, after mid-April it changes into latent heating over Indo-China Peninsula due to the onset of convection, and the apparent heating ratio increases with height in mid-and lower troposphere. The vertical distribution of heating ratio and its differences between Indo-China Peninsula and Indian Peninsula are the key factors leading to the splitting of boreal subtropical high belt over the Bay of Bengal. Such mechanism is strongly supported by the fact that the evolution of the vertical heating ratio gradient above Indo-China Peninsula leads that of 850 hPa vorticity over the Bay of Bengal. Convections over Indo-China Peninsula and its surrounding areas further increase after the splitting. Since then, there is a positive feedback lying among the convective heating, the eastward retreat of the subtropical high and the march of monsoon, which is a possible mechanism of the advance of summer monsoon and convection from Indo-China Peninsula to South China Sea.     

A Study of Mean Winter Circulation Characteristics and Energetics over Southeastern Asia

A mean climatology is studied to examine atmospheric circulation characteristics to assess the wintertime (December, January, February and March - DJFM) synoptic weather system affecting northern India. The main objective is to study the mean circulation and mean energetics distribution pertaining to the winter season, which are embedded with an eastward moving synoptic weather system in westerlies, called Western Disturbances (WDs). Forty years (1958–1997) of uninitialized daily re-analysis data of the National Center for Environmental Prediction - National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP- NCAR, henceafter NCEP), U.S. has been considered for this study. Winter circulations are considered over the domain 15°S–45°N and 30°E–120°E. This domain is considered particularly to illustrate the impact of wintertime synoptic weather system Western Disturbances (WDs), which travel towards the east over the western Himalayas during winter and yield an enormous amount of precipitation in the form of snow. Large-scale balances of kinetic energy, vorticity, angular momentum, heat and moisture budget terms are analyzed. The main findings of the study show that strong rising motion in the extratropical region brings a significant amount of precipitation over the region of study. Also, horizontal flux of kinetic energy converges in the tropical region and diverges over the extratropical region. It is seen that both the zonal and meridional component of kinetic energy contributes to the production of kinetic energy in the upper troposphere. Vorticity budget shows that wintertime circulation over the western Himalayas is characterized by a negative generation of vorticity. The relative and planetary vorticity advection contributes to the horizontal transport of vorticity. The moisture flux transported into the region shows that in the middle tropospheric levels moisture undergoes phase transformation due to turbulent exchange and hence releases latent heat.     

Zonal propagation of kinetic energy and convection in the South China Sea and Indian monsoon regions in boreal summer

As early as in the 1980s, Chinese scientists hadfirst proposed that there exits two summer monsoonsystems in Asia, namely the East Asian summer mon-soon (EASM) and the Indian summer monsoon(ISM)[1-4]. The two monsoon systems are quite dif-ferent in characteristics. Since then, such issue andconclusion had been documented and approved by alot of studies in the past two decades, and was appliedin the guideline of the South China Sea summer mon-soon experiment (SCSMEX), which was undertak…     

The kinetic energy budget of monsoon circulation over the Indian region during ISMEX-1973

A kinetic energy budget over the Indian region is computed for the period 4–9 July 1973, when a twin monsoon depression-one in the Bay of Bengal and another in the Arabian sea were the dominant synoptic features. The generation term caused by the cross-contour flow is a dominant source to the kinetic energy. The dissipation term is computed as a residual and is a major sink for the kinetic energy. The horizontal flux divergence is also a sink term but is much smaller in magnitude than other major source and sink terms. From the results it may be inferred that the generation term is the most important for the maintenance of monsoon disturbances.     

从经向气流看亚澳季风的季节区域特征

利用1979～2003年的NCEP/NCAR再分析资料探讨了亚澳季风区经向气流的季节性分支和结构特征. 结果表明,亚澳季风区经向气流的垂直斜压结构由冬到夏发生季节性转向,即从冬季时的低层北风、高层南风转换为夏季时的低层南风、高层北风. 季节反向的经向气流主体偏向北半球,其区域差异性在对流层中低层更为显著. 以印度半岛和中南半岛为界,亚洲热带季风区中低层经向气流在冬夏季均呈现三通道特征,与此相应,亚澳季风区自西向东存在三支相对独立的经向环流分支,且冬夏季的差异均很显著,如冬季的中心高度自西向东递减、夏季的经向跨度自西向东递增等.     

Some aspects of the life history,structure and movement of monsoon depressions

Summary Monsoon depression is one of the most important synoptic scale disturbances on the quasi-stationary planetary scale monsoon trough over the Indian region during the summer monsoon season (June to September). Salient features of the climatology of the depressions with regard to frequency of cyclogenesis, life expectancy, horizontal scale and tracks are discussed. Rainfall aspects of the depressions are discussed in some detail and the role of local, dynamical and sub-synoptic scale factors are brought out. Work done on the life history such as formation, intensification and maintenance of depressions has been reviewed based on synoptical and theoretical approaches. Structure of the depression based on composited, synoptical and dynamical studies is discussed. Wind circulation, thermal and moisture patterns, vertical motion field, vorticity budget etc., of a recent case study are brought out in some detail. The problem of movement of the depression against the low level basic westerly wind is briefly discussed and the results of several numerical and climatological prediction models are presented.     

青藏高原热状况和海温异常对亚洲季风季节转换年际变化的影响

本文根据季节转换前后副高脊面附近经向温度梯度变号的本质，利用相关分析和合成分析等方法研究了季节转换年际变化与外部影响因子的联系. 结果表明，冬春季青藏高原热状况和ENSO（El Nio/Southern Oscillation，厄尔尼诺/南方涛动）是决定亚洲季风区季节转换年际变化的主要因素. 当冬、春季海温呈现El Nio异常时，Walker环流减弱，于是西太平洋暖池区对流活动受到抑制，而赤道东太平洋对流活动加强则强迫赤道印度洋地区产生绝热下沉运动，使得印度洋地区大气偏暖，结果增大了南北向温度梯度，季节转换往往偏晚. 反之，季节转换偏早. 初春高原上空对流层中高层的气温异常对于判断季节转换迟早有很好的指示意义.     

A Note on the Maintenance of Asian Summer Monsoon Circulation

In this paper, the maintenance of Asian summer monsoon circulation is compared in the National Centres for Environmental Prediction/National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), India operational analysis. The time mean summer monsoon circulation is bifurcated into stable mean and transient eddy components. The mean component of the summer monsoon circulation is elucidated through the study of large-scale balances of kinetic energy, heat and moisture. Although the balance requirements are fairly satisfied by both NCEP/NCAR and NCMRWF fields, a major difference is noticed. Strong monsoon circulation is evinced by NCEP/NCAR over the Oceanic regions and NCMRWF over the landmass. The various mean budgets under consideration indicated this feature invariably.     

Two types of summertime heating over the Asian large-scale orography and excitation of potential-vorticity forcing I. Over Tibetan Plateau

Based on numerical simulation, this study explored the characteristics and interactions of surface sensible heating and atmospheric latent heating over the main part of the Tibetan Plateau, i.e., terrain at elevations >2 km in summer. The impacts of these two types of heating on local vertical motion and monsoonal meridional circulation were compared. Theoretical analysis and numerical experimentation demonstrated that by changing the configuration of the upper-tropospheric air temperature and circulation, the two types of heating could generate both minimum absolute vorticity and abnormal potential vorticity forcing near the tropopause, enhance the meridional circulation of the Asian summer monsoon, and produce an eastward- propagating Rossby wave train within the mid-latitude westerly flow. Consequently, the manifestations of these features were shown to influence the circulation of the Northern Hemisphere.     

孟加拉湾夏季风爆发的判断指标及其年际特征

利用高低层大气环流、OLR（向外长波辐射）、CMAP降水、SST（海表温度）等资料分析了孟加拉湾地区3—5月多年气候平均大气环流及不同要素的演变特征,定义了一个新的孟加拉湾夏季风（BOBSM,下同）爆发指标为孟加拉湾地区（5°N—15°N,90°E—97.5°E）850 hPa和200 hPa纬向风区域平均的变化同时满足U850 > 3 m·s^-1和U200 < -5 m·s^-1,并持续5天的第一天即作为BOBSM爆发日期.该季风指数有明确的天气学意义,可以反映孟加拉湾低层西南风持续稳定和南亚高压在青藏高原建立早晚的特征.文章进一步分析了BOBSM爆发的年际特征及其前兆海洋信号特征,结果表明：1981—2010年BOBSM爆发的平均日期为5月10日,季风爆发有显著的年际波动,爆发最早在1999年（4月11日）和最晚在1968年（6月1日）,年代际尺度上表现为由爆发偏晚至偏早的变化趋势;BOBSM爆发早（晚）与热带印度洋地区850 hPa的越赤道气流和西风异常加强（减弱）,以及200 hPa青藏高原南亚高压的季节性建立偏早（晚）等密切联系;前期冬季赤道西太平洋的海温冷（暖）变化对BOBSM爆发早（晚）有很好的指示意义,前期冬季海温偏高（低）有利于季风偏早（晚）,其影响的主要途径是通过热源变化激发纬向垂直环流及其热带印度洋和太平洋低层环流异常,进而影响季风爆发早晚.     

Multi-scale variability of the tropical Indian Ocean circulation system revealed by recent observations

The tropical Indian Ocean circulation system includes the equatorial and near-equatorial circulations, the marginal sea circulation, and eddies. The dynamic processes of these circulation systems show significant multi-scale variability associated with the Indian Monsoon and the Indian Ocean dipole. This paper summarizes the research progress over recent years on the tropical Indian Ocean circulation system based on the large-scale hydrological observations and numerical simulations by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology(SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Results show that:(1) the wind-driven Kelvin and Rossby waves and eastern boundary-reflected Rossby waves regulate the formation and evolution of the Equatorial Undercurrent and the Equatorial Intermediate Current;(2) the equatorial wind-driven dynamics are the main factor controlling the inter-annual variability of the thermocline in the eastern Indian Ocean upwelling;(3) the equatorial waves transport large amounts of energy into the Bay of Bengal in forms of coastal Kelvin and reflected free Rossby waves. Several unresolved issues within the tropical Indian Ocean are discussed:(i) the potential effects of the momentum balance and the basin resonance on the variability of the equatorial circulation system, and(ii) the potential contribution of wind-driven dynamics to the life cycle of the eastern Indian Ocean upwelling. This paper also briefly introduces the international Indian Ocean investigation project of the SCSIO, which will advance the study of the multi-scale variability of the tropical Indian Ocean circulation system, and provide a theoretical and data basis to support marine environmental security for the countries around the Maritime Silk Road.     

Major moisture sources for Western and Southern India and their role on synoptic‐scale rainfall events

Although the identification of the moisture sources of a region is of prominent importance to characterize precipitation, the origin and amount of moisture towards the Indian Subcontinent and its relationship with the occurrence of precipitation are still not completely understood. In this article, the origin of the atmospheric water arriving to the Western and Southern India during a period of 5 years (1 January 2000–31 December 2004) is investigated by using a Lagrangian diagnosis method. This methodology computes budgets of evaporation minus precipitation by calculating changes in the specific humidity of thousands of air particles aimed to the study area following the observed winds. During the summer monsoon, the main supply of moisture is the Somali Jet, which crosses the equator by the West Indian Ocean. The recycling process is the main water vapour source in winter. Two additional moisture sources located over northwestern India and the Bay of Bengal are identified. A 30% increase in the moisture flux from the Indian Ocean has been related to the occurrence of strong precipitation in the area, and at the end of the monsoon, the recycling became a significant contribution to the last part of the wet season of Western and Southern India. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Results of the studies of monsoon circulation with radon as a tracer

Radon-222 activity levels have been measured at deck level in regions of the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon periods of 1973, 1977, and 1979, as part of the Monex programme. The aim of the measurements was to find the source regions of the monsoon air and the variations in its composition under different synoptic conditions. The radon data confirm that the monsoon air is predominantly of southern-hemisphere origin, with a small continental component. The continental component, as indicated by radon values, increases at higher latitudes and seems to vary with different circulation patterns in the synoptic scale. The use of radon as a tracer in monsoon studies is thus demonstrated.     

Simulation of South-Asian Summer Monsoon in a GCM

Major characteristics of Indian summer monsoon climate are analyzed using simulations from the upgraded version of Florida State University Global Spectral Model (FSUGSM). The Indian monsoon has been studied in terms of mean precipitation and low-level and upper-level circulation patterns and compared with observations. In addition, the model's fidelity in simulating observed monsoon intraseasonal variability, interannual variability and teleconnection patterns is examined. The model is successful in simulating the major rainbelts over the Indian monsoon region. However, the model exhibits bias in simulating the precipitation bands over the South China Sea and the West Pacific region. Seasonal mean circulation patterns of low-level and upper-level winds are consistent with the model's precipitation pattern. Basic features like onset and peak phase of monsoon are realistically simulated. However, model simulation indicates an early withdrawal of monsoon. Northward propagation of rainbelts over the Indian continent is simulated fairly well, but the propagation is weak over the ocean. The model simulates the meridional dipole structure associated with the monsoon intraseasonal variability realistically. The model is unable to capture the observed interannual variability of monsoon and its teleconnection patterns. Estimate of potential predictability of the model reveals the dominating influence of internal variability over the Indian monsoon region.