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.     

夏季风爆发前后中国区域对流层顶高度变化特征

利用2008—2014年全国高垂直分辨率的L波段探空资料,统计分析了东亚夏季风爆发前后我国不同区域对流层顶高度变化特征。研究表明:夏季风爆发后,对流层顶高值区向北推进,最大值位于青藏高原南部及其东南部地区;对流层顶高度的向南梯度和向东梯度大值区均由爆发前的30°~40°N北移至40°~50°N;受地面加热和垂直运动的影响,中国东北部和中东部在夏季风爆发后对流层升温,平流层-对流层过渡层降温,大气温度梯度增加,对流层顶上升,其中中国东北部在夏季风爆发前,大气温度廓线为双峰结构,易出现双对流层顶,第一对流层顶较低;中国南部整层大气温度廓线在夏季风爆发后略有增加,对流层顶有所下降。     

青藏高原冬季积雪异常对东,南亚夏季风影响的初步数值模拟研究

利用一个耦合了简化的简单生物圈模式的大气环流谱模式（ＳＳｉＢ－ＧＣＭ），初步探讨了青藏高原冬季积雪异常对东、南亚夏季季风环流和降水的影响及其机理。结果表明，高原地区积雪增加将使随后地夏季东、南来季风明显减弱，主要表现为东、南亚季风区降水减少，索马里急流、印度季风的印度西南气流弱弱。另外，还提出欧亚大陆雪盖与整个高原雪盖和高原东部雪盖对东、南亚夏季风影响的敏感问题。与欧亚大陆雪盖相比，高原雪盖是影响     

Mixing heights and ventilation coefficients for urban centres in India

Monthly mean afternoon (maximum) and early morning (minimum) mixing heights have been calculated for the winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons for eleven stations in India, with the assumption of a dry adiabatic lapse rate in the mixing layer. The morning mixing heights have been calculated by adding +5 °C to the surface minimum temperature except for the monsoon season for which a value of +3 °C has been utilized to account for the urban heat island effect. The spatial variation of mean maximum mixing heights over India has also been studied by isopleth analysis. The morning and afternoon ventilation coefficients have been calculated for the eleven stations under consideration. The spatial distribution of afternoon ventilation coefficients has also been studied. The optimum siting industries to minimize our pollution has been discussed.     

Variability of Summer Monsoon Rainfall in India on Inter-Annual and Decadal Time Scales

Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall(ISMR)exhibits a prominent inter-annual variability known as troposphere biennial oscillation.A season of deficient June to September monsoon rainfall in India is followed by warm sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean and cold SST anomalies over the western Pacific Ocean.These anomalies persist until the following monsoon,which yields normal or excessive rainfall.Monsoon rainfall in India has shown decadal variability in the form of 30 year epochs of alternately occurring frequent and infrequent drought monsoons since1841,when rainfall measurements began in India.Decadal oscillations of monsoon rainfall and the well known decadal oscillations in SSTs of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans have the same period of approximately 60 years and nearly the same temporal phase.In both of these variabilities,anomalies in monsoon heat source,such as deep convection,and middle latitude westerlies of the upper troposphere over south Asia have prominent roles.     

Monsoon circulation interaction with Western Ghats orography under changing climate

In this study, the authors have investigated the likely future changes in the summer monsoon over the Western Ghats (WG) orographic region of India in response to global warming, using time-slice simulations of an ultra high-resolution global climate model and climate datasets of recent past. The model with approximately 20-km mesh horizontal resolution resolves orographic features on finer spatial scales leading to a quasi-realistic simulation of the spatial distribution of the present-day summer monsoon rainfall over India and trends in monsoon rainfall over the west coast of India. As a result, a higher degree of confidence appears to emerge in many aspects of the 20-km model simulation, and therefore, we can have better confidence in the validity of the model prediction of future changes in the climate over WG mountains. Our analysis suggests that the summer mean rainfall and the vertical velocities over the orographic regions of Western Ghats have significantly weakened during the recent past and the model simulates these features realistically in the present-day climate simulation. Under future climate scenario, by the end of the twenty-first century, the model projects reduced orographic precipitation over the narrow Western Ghats south of 16°N that is found to be associated with drastic reduction in the southwesterly winds and moisture transport into the region, weakening of the summer mean meridional circulation and diminished vertical velocities. We show that this is due to larger upper tropospheric warming relative to the surface and lower levels, which decreases the lapse rate causing an increase in vertical moist static stability (which in turn inhibits vertical ascent) in response to global warming. Increased stability that weakens vertical velocities leads to reduction in large-scale precipitation which is found to be the major contributor to summer mean rainfall over WG orographic region. This is further corroborated by a significant decrease in the frequency of moderate-to-heavy rainfall days over WG which is a typical manifestation of the decrease in large-scale precipitation over this region. Thus, the drastic reduction of vertical ascent and weakening of circulation due to ??upper tropospheric warming effect?? predominates over the ??moisture build-up effect?? in reducing the rainfall over this narrow orographic region. This analysis illustrates that monsoon rainfall over mountainous regions is strongly controlled by processes and parameterized physics which need to be resolved with adequately high resolution for accurate assessment of local and regional-scale climate change.     

Role of orography in modulating space–time scales of convection over South Asia

Propagation of convective systems in the meridional direction during boreal summer is responsible for active and break phases of monsoon over south Asia. This region is unique in the world in its characteristics of monsoon variability and is in close proximity of mountains like the Himalayas. Here, using an atmospheric general circulation model, we try to understand the role of orography in determining spatial and temporal scales of these convective systems. Absence of orography (noGlOrog) decreased the simulated seasonal mean precipitation over India by 23 % due to delay in onset by about a month vis-a-vis the full-mountain case. In noGlOrog, poleward propagations were absent during the delayed period prior to onset. Post-onset, both simulations had similar patterns of poleward propagations. The spatial and temporal scales of propagating clouds bands were determined using wavelet analysis. These scales were found to be different in full-mountain and no-mountain experiments in June–July. However, after the onset of monsoon in noGlOrog, these scales become similar to that with orography. Simulations with two different sets of convection schemes confirmed this result. Further analysis shows that the absence (presence) of meridional propagations during early (late) phase of summer monsoon in noGlOrog was associated with weaker (stronger) vertical shear of zonal wind over south Asia. Our study shows that orography plays a major role in determining the time of onset over the Indian region. However, after onset, basic characteristics of propagating convective systems and therefore the monthly precipitation over India, are less sensitive to the presence of orography and are modulated by moist convective processes.     

Northeast monsoon rainfall variability over south peninsular India and its teleconnections

Rainfall over south peninsular India during the northeast (NE) monsoon season (Oct–Dec) shows significant interannual variation. In the present study, we relate the northeast monsoon rainfall (NEMR) over south peninsular India with the major oscillations like El Ni?o Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation (EQUINOO) in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. For establishing the teleconnections, sea surface temperature, outgoing long wave radiation, and circulation data have been used. The present study reveals that the positive phase of ENSO, IOD, and EQUINOO favor the NEMR to be normal or above normal over southern peninsular India. The study reveals that the variability of NEMR over south peninsula can be well explained by its relationship with positive phase of ENSO, IOD, and EQUINOO.     

季节转换期间副热带高压带形态变异及其机制的研究Ⅰ:副热带高压结构的气候学特征

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料研究了季节转换期间副热带高压结构的气候特征。在亚、非季风区 ,冬季副热带高压带是相对对称的 ,具有脊线连续的带状结构 ,脊面随高度增加向南倾斜 ;夏季副热带高压带中低层是间断的 ,高层是连续的 ,脊面随高度增加向北倾斜。副热带高压脊面倾斜受热成风关系的制约 ,总是倾向暖区。 5月份副热带高压形态变异最显著 ,不同地域副热带高压的结构、性质存在较大差异。夏季型副热带高压于 5月初首先出现在孟加拉湾东部 ,5月第 3候稳定建立在孟加拉湾东部、中南半岛及南海西部地区 ;5月第 4～ 5候在南海建立 ;6月第 1～ 2候在印度中部建立。夏季型副热带高压建立的 3个阶段与亚洲夏季风爆发的 3个阶段存在着较好的对应关系。孟加拉湾夏季风的建立在很大程度上取决于高空副热带高压脊面附近经向温度梯度的反转。对流层中上层副热带高压脊面附近经向温度梯度可以作为表征亚洲夏季风爆发的指标     

Propagation and mechanisms of the quasi-biweekly oscillation over the Asian summer monsoon region

The propagation and underlying mechanisms of the boreal summer quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) over the entire Asian monsoon region are investigated, based on ECMWF Interim reanalysis (ERA-Interim) data, GPCP precipitation data, and an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM). Statistical analyses indicate that the QBWO over the Asian monsoon region derives its main origin from the equatorial western Pacific and moves northwestward to the Bay of Bengal and northern India, and then northward to the Tibetan Plateau (TP) area, with a baroclinic vertical structure. Northward propagation of the QBWO is promoted by three main mechanisms: barotropic vorticity, boundary moisture advection, and surface sensible heating (SSH). It is dominated by the barotropic vorticity effect when the QBWO signals are situated to the south of 20°N. During the propagation taking place farther north toward the TP, the boundary moisture advection and SSH are the leading mechanisms. We use an AGCM to verify the importance of SSH on the northward propagation of the QBWO. Numerical simulations confirm the diagnostic conclusion that the equatorial western Pacific is the source of the QBWO. Importantly, the model can accurately simulate the propagation pathway of the QBWO signals over the Asian monsoon region. Simultaneously, sensitivity experiments demonstrate that the SSH over northern India and the southern slope of the TP greatly contributes to the northward propagation of the QBWO as far as the TP area.     

南海季风低压的综合结构及其降水

本文对5个西行路径的南海季风低压进行了合成结构分析,结果发现它在热力结构与动力结构方面均与台风(包括其前期的热带低压)和印度季风低压有很大不同。降水区主要集中在低压东北部100—200公里处。      

South Asian summer monsoon precipitation variability: Coupled climate model simulations and projections under IPCC AR4

Summary South Asian summer monsoon precipitation and its variability are examined from the outputs of the coupled climate models assessed as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment. Out of the 22 models examined, 19 are able to capture the maximum rainfall during the summer monsoon period (June through September) with varying amplitude. While two models are unable to reproduce the annual cycle well, one model is unable to simulate the summer monsoon season. The simulated inter-annual variability from the 19 models is examined with respect to the mean precipitation, coefficient of variation, long-term trends and the biennial tendency. The model simulated mean precipitation varies from 500 mm to 900 mm and coefficient of variation from 3 to 13%. While seven models exhibit long-term trends, eight are able to simulate the biennial nature of the monsoon rainfall. Six models, which generate the most realistic 20th century monsoon climate over south Asia, are selected to examine future projections under the doubling CO₂ scenario. Projections reveal a significant increase in mean monsoon precipitation of 8% and a possible extension of the monsoon period based on the multi-model ensemble technique. Extreme excess and deficient monsoons are projected to intensify. The projected increase in precipitation could be attributed to the projected intensification of the heat low over northwest India, the trough of low pressure over the Indo-Gangetic plains, and the land–ocean pressure gradient during the establishment phase of the monsoon. The intensification of these pressure systems could be attributed to the decline in winter/spring snowfall. Furthermore, a decrease of winter snowfall over western Eurasia is also projected along with an increase of winter snowfall over Siberia/eastern Eurasia. This projected dipole snow configuration during winter could imply changes in mid-latitude circulation conducive to subsequent summer monsoon precipitation activity. An increase in precipitable water of 12–16% is projected over major parts of India. A maximum increase of about 20–24% is found over the Arabian Peninsula, adjoining regions of Pakistan, northwest India and Nepal. Although the projected summer monsoon circulation appears to weaken, the projected anomalous flow over the Bay of Bengal (Arabian Sea) will support oceanic moisture convergence towards the southern parts of India and Sri Lanka (northwest India and adjoining regions). The ENSO-Monsoon relationship is also projected to weaken.     

On the Spatio-Temporal Variations of the Tropopause Height over India and Indian Summer Monsoon Activity

The spatio-temporal variation of the tropopause height (TH) over the Indian region (5°N-35°N, 70°E-95°E) has been studied using monthly mean TH data, for 22-year period, 1965 to 1986. The study revealed that the stations south of 20° showed maximum TH in April / May and minimum in September. This variation in TH has been attributed to the corresponding variation of average sea surface temperature (SST) over ± 20° latitudinal belt over Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Further the stations north of 20°N showed maximum in June and minimum in October/ November. This maximum in TH has primarily been attributed to the increased insolation and convection. Furthermore it is noticed that the anomaly of TH moved northwards during the period April to July.The interannual variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon Activity (ISMA) has been studied in relation to all India mean TH (at 12 GMT) for six months April through September. The composites of mean TH for good and bad monsoon years showed that     

A study on the decreasing trend in tropical easterly jet stream (TEJ) and its impact on Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Using the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis wind and temperature data (1948–2011) and India Meteorological Department (IMD) rainfall data, a long-term trend in the tropical easterly jet stream and its effect on Indian summer monsoon rainfall has been explained in the present study. A decreasing trend in zonal wind speed at 100 mb (maximum decrease), 150 mb, and 200 mb (minimum) is observed. The upper-level (100, 150, and 200 mb) zonal wind speed has been correlated with the surface air temperature anomaly index (ATAI) in the month of May, which is taken as the difference in temperature anomaly over land (22.5°N–27.5°N, 80°E–90°E) and Ocean (5°S–0°S, 75°E–85°E). Significant high correlation is observed between May ATAI and tropical easterly jet stream (TEJ) which suggests that the decreasing land–sea temperature contrast could be one major reason behind the decreasing trend in TEJ. The analysis of spatial distribution of rainfall over India shows a decreasing trend in rainfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, central Indian region, and western coast of India. Increasing trend in rainfall is observed over south peninsular and northeastern part of India. From the spatial correlation analysis of zonal wind with gridded rainfall, it is observed that the correlation of rainfall is found to be high with the TEJ speed over the regions where the decreasing trend in rainfall is observed. Similarly, from the analysis of spatial correlation between rainfall and May ATAI, positive spatial correlation is observed between May ATAI and summer monsoon rainfall over the regions such as south peninsular India where the rainfall trend is positive, and negative correlation is observed over the places such as Jammu and Kashmir where negative rainfall trend is observed. The decreased land–sea temperature contrast in the pre-monsoon month could be one major reason behind the decreased trend in TEJ as well as the observed spatial variation in the summer monsoon rainfall trend. Thus, the study explained the long-term trend in TEJ and its relation with May month temperature over the Indian Ocean and land region and its effect on the trend and spatial distribution of Indian summer monsoon rainfall.     

Effect of offshore troughs on the South India erratic summer monsoon rainfall in June 2017

The onset and advance of southwest monsoon are accompanied by the appearance of the offshore trough along the southwest coast of India. This offshore trough escorts a deluge of rainfall to the southwest coast, and sometimes rainfall band moves eastward further into south India. These broad observations were noticed during the summer monsoon of June 2017. Meteorological agencies and media had reported a huge amount of rainfall over the southwest coast of India during the month. But, in the far interior of south India, rainfall was less. Due to the less rainfall, water resources depleted, which affected local farmers and common man of south India. The confused views of the common man on southwest coast rainfall could be due to lack of understanding related to various factors affecting rainfall over the same region. This article is an endeavor to address the preliminary understanding of the southwest coast rainfall during June 2017, with more stress on offshore troughs. The study begins with area-averaged rainfall statistics over south, southwest, and southeast India by employing satellite and rain gauge merged rainfall datasets. Area averaged analysis revealed offshore trough contributed 80 % of rainfall over the South West India, 68 % over South East India, contributing to an overall 75 % over south India in 2017. To identify offshore trough position and strength in the reanalysis and model simulations, a new method called VSV (Vertical Shear of Vorticity) method was introduced. The computed offshore troughs were categorized into Active, Normal, and Feeble based on the strength of meridional gradient of mean sea level pressure and 850 hPa horizontal winds. The contribution due to each category of the offshore trough over different sub-regions was investigated to find out the effect of the offshore trough to total rainfall. Dynamic and thermodynamic features of these categories of the offshore trough were investigated by using proxies like equivalent potential temperature and moisture flux convergence. We found that during active offshore trough an eastward propagation of rain bands persists, which was explained by using moisture flux convergence and equivalent potential temperature at different levels of the atmosphere.     

Atmospheric circulation characteristics during some El-Nino years in relation to Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Summary Based on observed rainfall data of India Meteorological Department (IMD), correlation coefficients (CCs) have been computed between Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) and sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over different Nino regions and standardised pressure difference between Tahiti and Darwin. Significant positive CCs are found between the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) in winter and subsequent June rainfall over India. Concurrent with and subsequent to Indian summer monsoon, SOI shows significant positive CC with the mean rainfall of July to September (JAS). Significant negative CCs are found between JAS mean rain and the concurrent and following SST anomalies over Nino-3.4 region. On the basis of these correlations, it is proposed that the entire period of summer monsoon from June to September could be divided into two sub-periods such as: early summer (June) and mid-late summer (July to September) monsoon for prediction of ISMR in the extended range.In order to examine the characteristics of atmospheric circulation during some El-Nino years, divergent flow at 200hPa and omega field at 500hPa based on NCEP/NCAR reanalysis have been studied in detail. Major significant southward shift of upper level divergent field from India are related to El-Nino and this shift may be responsible for causing droughts during several El-Nino years over India. Also vertical wind fields at 500hPa show sinking motion over large parts of India and west Pacific and ascending motion over southern Indian Ocean, central and eastern Pacific during major drought years.     

Air-Sea Interaction over the Indian Ocean During the Two Contrasting Monsoon Years 1987 and 1988 Studied with Satellite Data

Summary The air-sea interaction processes over the tropical Indian Ocean region are studied using sea surface temperature data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer sensor onboard the NOAA series of satellites. The columnar water-vapour content, low-level atmospheric humidity, precipitation, wind speed, and back radiation from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager on board the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program are all examined for two contrasting monsoon years, namely 1987 (deficit rainfall) and 1988 (excess rainfall). From these parameters the longwave radiative net flux at the sea surface and the ocean-air moisture flux are derived for further analysis of the air-sea interaction in the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the south China Sea and the southern Indian Ocean. An analysis of ten-day and monthly mean evaporation rates over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal shows that the evaporation was higher in these areas during the low rainfall year (1987) indicating little or no influence of this parameter on the ensuing monsoon activity over the Indian subcontinent. On the other hand, the evaporation in the southern Indian Ocean was higher during July and September 1988 when compared with the same months of 1987. The evaporation rate over the south Indian Ocean and the low-level cross-equatorial moisture flux seem to play a major role on the ensuing monsoon activity over India while the evaporation over the Arabian Sea is less important. Since we have only analysed one deficit/ excess monsoon cycle the results presented here are of preliminary nature. Received November 5, 1997 Revised March 20, 1998     

青藏高原近地层低压系统移动路径及其特征

利用ECMWF 600 hPa高度场加密逐月再分析资料,分析了强、弱季风年高原近地层低压系统的移动路径及其特征。研究结果表明：低压系统于4月在青海省西南部形成,5月沿西南方向移入西藏地区,此后低压系统呈南北向波动西移,直至到达“西至点”后转向东退于10月衰减消散;强季风年低压系统中心强度总体上较弱季风年强。强季风年低压系统移动路径偏北,南北向波动振幅较小,弱季风年低压系统移动路径偏南,南北向波动振幅较大,呈“V”形分布;孕育初生阶段低压系统的形成过程在弱季风年出现“反复”现象;发展成熟阶段高原近地层低压系统南侧印度上空低压系统形成,并且强季风年较弱季风年形成时间偏迟,位置偏南;衰减消亡阶段高原近地层低压系统西北侧的高压系统减弱消散,10月东伸高压脊的脊点在弱季风年较强季风年偏东。     

Seasonal variations in the vertical structure of water vapor optical depth in the lower troposphere over a tropical station

Spatio-temporal variations of water vapor optical depth in the lower troposphere (450-3850 m) over Punt (18o32’N, 73o51’E, 559 m Above Mean Sea Level), India have been studied over a period of five years. The mean ver-tical structure showed that the moisture content is greatest at the lowest level and decreases with increasing altitude, except in the south-west monsoon season (June to September) where an increase upto 950 m has been found. Optical depths are maximum in the monsoon season. The increase from pre-monsoon (March-May) to monsoon season in moisture content on an average is by about 58% in the above altitude range. The temporal variations in surface Rela-tive Humidity and optical depth at 450 m show positive correlation. The amplitude of seasonal oscillation is the larg-est at 1465 m altitude. The time-height cross-sections of water vapor optical depths in the lower troposphere showed a contrast between years of good and bad monsoon.     

1958年7月亚洲东南部西南季风区和太平洋信风区平均流场和平均经圈环流

亚洲东南部西南季风区和太平洋信风区环流特点有显著的不同。在季风区有南部下沉、北部高原地区上升的垂直季风环流,高层有东风急流,下层有达400毫巴高度的深厚的西南气流。在信风区、低纬度则存在着典型的Hadley环流,高层有夏季太平洋中部副热带西风急流,下部有东北信风,东风随高度减弱。 季风垂直环流的存在,进一步说明了季风形成的因子。