Pre-monsoon surface pressure and summer monsoon rainfall over India

Summary The relationship between the surface air pressure field during the pre-monsoon months and the Indian summer monsoon rainfall is analysed using climate data from 105 stations situated in Eurasia between 0°–60° N and 20°–100° E. Moreover, grid-point data for the whole northern hemisphere are used. Pressure during April over an area around 50° N and 35° E is found to show a significant negative correlation with the subsequent monsoon rainfall. During May the pressure over a large part of the study area south of 40° N shows a significant correlation with its highest value in the heat low region over Pakistan. It is assumed that monitoring of pressure variations over this region may be useful in predicting monsoon rainfall, particularly the rainfall during the first half of the season. Certain limitations of the climate data in this region are also discussed.With 5 Figures     

Aerodynamic drag coefficient and roughness length for three seasons over a tropical western Indian station

Land Surface Processes Experiment (LASPEX) was conducted over semi-arid region of western India in 1997. As a part of this program, wind and temperature observations were taken using slow as well as fast response sensors over a semi-arid station Anand (22°35′N, 72°55′E) situated in Gujarat state of India. Turbulent parameters such as drag coefficient and sensible heat flux were estimated using eddy correlation method and aerodynamic roughness length was estimated using wind profiles. The analysis has been carried out for the data representing summer, monsoon and winter seasons. It was found that the wind speed does not exceed 5 ms^− 1 during the observational period considered in this study. Relationship of aerodynamic drag coefficient and roughness length with wind speed and stability has been investigated. Aerodynamic roughness length was greater in the stable conditions when the wind speed was low and it reduced drastically during convective conditions. The resulting values of aerodynamic roughness length and drag coefficient for the monsoon period agree well with values reported in literature over Indian subcontinent for homogeneous grass covered surfaces.     

Seasonal variation of lightning activity over the Indian subcontinent

The seasonal variation of lightning flash activity over the Indian subcontinent (0°N–35°N and 60°E–100°E) is studied using the quality checked monthly lightning flash data obtained from lightning imaging sensor on board the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite. This paper presents results of spatio-temporal variability of lightning activity over the Indian subcontinent. The study of seasonal total lightning flashes indicates that the lightning flash density values are in qualitative agreement with the convective activity observed over this region. Maximum seasonal total flash counts are observed during the monsoon season. The propagation of the inter-tropical convergence zone over this region is also confirmed. Synoptic conditions responsible for variation of lightning activity are also investigated with the help of an observed dataset. The mean monthly flash counts show a peak in the month of May, which is the month of maximum temperatures over this region. Maximum flash density (40.2 km^?2 season^?1) is observed during the pre-monsoon season at 25.2°N/91.6°E and the annual maximum flash density of 28.2 km^?2 year^?1 is observed at 33.2°N/74.6°E. The study of the inter-annual variability of flash counts exhibits bimodal nature with the first maximum in April/May and second maximum in August/September.     

Spatial and temporal relationships between global land surface air temperature anomalies and Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Summary Using the 60 year period (1931–1990) gridded land surface air temperature anomalies data, the spatial and temporal relationships between Indian summer monsoon rainfall and temperature anomalies were examined. Composite temperature anomalies were prepared in respect of 11 deficient monsoon years and 9 excess monsoon years. Statistical tests were carried out to examine the significance of the composites. In addition, correlation coefficients between the temperature anomalies and Indian summer monsoon rainfall were also calculated to examine the teleconnection patterns.There were statistically significant differences in the composite of temperature anomaly patterns between excess and deficient monsoon years over north Europe, central Asia and north America during January and May, over NW India during May, over central parts of Africa during May and July and over Indian sub-continent and eastern parts of Asia during July. It has been also found that temperature anomalies over NW Europe, central parts of Africa and NW India during January and May were positively correlated with Indian summer monsoon rainfall. Similarly temperature anomalies over central Asia during January and temperature anomalies over central Africa and Indian region during July were negatively correlated. There were secular variations in the strength of relationships between temperature anomalies and Indian summer monsoon rainfall. In general, temperature anomalies over NW Europe and NW India showed stronger correlations during the recent years. It has been also found that during excess (deficient) monsoon years temperature gradient over Eurasian land mass from sub-tropics to higher latitudes was directed equatowards (polewards) indicating strong (weak) zonal flow. This temperature anomaly gradient index was found to be a useful predictor for long range forecasting of Indian summer monsoon rainfall.With 12 Figures     

The Relationship Between some Large-scale Atmospheric Parameters and Rainfall over Southeast Asia: A Comparison with Features over India

Summary Monthly rainfall data for 135 stations for periods varying from 25 to 125 years are utilised to investigate the rainfall climatology over the southeast Asian monsoon regime. Monthly rainfall patterns for the regions north of equator show that maximum rainfall along the west coasts occurs during the summer monsoon period, while the maximum along the east coasts is observed during the northeast monsoon period. Over the Indonesian region (south of the equator) maximum rainfall is observed west of 125 °E during northern winter and east of 125 °E during northern summer. The spatial relationships of the seasonal rainfall (June to September) with the large scale parameters – the Subtropical Ridge (STR) position over the Indian and the west Pacific regions, the Darwin Pressure Tendency (DPT) and the Northern Hemisphere Surface Temperature (NHST) – reveal that within the Asian monsoon regime, not only are there any regions which are in-phase with Indian monsoon rainfall, but there are also regions which are out-of-phase. The spatial patterns of correlation coefficients with all the parameters are similar, with in-phase relationships occurring over the Indian region, some inland regions of Thailand, central parts of Brunei and the Indonesian region lying between 120° to 140 °E. However, northwest Philippines and some southern parts of Kampuchea and Vietnam show an out-of-phase relationship. Even the first Empirical Orthogonal Function of seasonal rainfall shows similar spatial configuration, suggesting that the spatial correlation patterns depict the most dominant mode of interannual rainfall variability. The influence of STR and DPT (NHST) penetrates (does not penetrate) upto the equatorial regions. Possible dynamic causes leading to the observed correlation structure are also discussed. Received October 10, 1996 Revised February 25, 1997     

Pattern characteristics of Indian monsoon rainfall using principal component analysis (PCA)

In the present study the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to determine the dominant rainfall patterns from rainfall records over India. Pattern characteristics of seasonal monsoon rainfall (June–September) over India for the period 1940 to 1990 are studied for 68 stations. The stations have been chosen on the basis of their correlation with all India seasonal rainfall after taking the ‘t’ Student distribution test (5% level). The PCA is carried out on the rainfall data to find out the nature of rainfall distribution and percentage of variance is estimated. The first principal component explains 55.50% of the variance and exhibits factor of one positive value throughout the Indian subcontinent. It is characterized by an area of large positive variation between 10°N and 20°N extending through west coast of India. These types of patterns mostly occur due to the monsoon depression in the head Bay of Bengal and mid-tropospheric low over west coast of India. The analysis identifies the spatial and temporal characteristics of possible physical significance. The first eight principal component patterns explain for 96.70% of the total variance.     

Variability of cloud liquid water and ice over South Asia from TMI estimates

In this study, the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission based Microwave Imager estimates (2A12) have been used to compare and contrast the characteristics of cloud liquid water and ice over the Indian land region and the ocean surrounding it, during the premonsoon (May) and monsoon (June–September) seasons. Based on the spatial homogeneity of rainfall, we have selected five regions for our study (three over ocean, two over land). Comparison across three ocean regions suggests that the cloud liquid water (CLW) over the orographically influenced Arabian Sea (close to the Indian west coast) behaves differently from the CLW over a trapped ocean (Bay of Bengal) or an open ocean (equatorial Indian Ocean). Specifically, the Arabian Sea region shows higher liquid water for a lower range of rainfall, whereas the Bay of Bengal and the equatorial Indian Ocean show higher liquid water for a higher range of rainfall. Apart from geographic differences, we also documented seasonal differences by comparing CLW profiles between monsoon and premonsoon periods, as well as between early and peak phases of the monsoon. We find that the CLW during the lean periods of rainfall (May or June) is higher than during the peak and late monsoon season (July–September) for raining clouds. As active and break phases are important signatures of the monsoon progression, we also analysed the differences in CLW during various phases of the monsoon, namely, active, break, active-to-break and break-to-active transition phases. We find that the cloud liquid water content during the break-to-active transition phase is significantly higher than during the active-to-break transition phase over central India. We speculate that this could be attributed to higher amount of aerosol loading over this region during the break phase. We lend credence to this aerosol-CLW/rain association by comparing the central Indian CLW with that over southeast Asia (where the aerosol loading is significantly smaller) and find that in the latter region, there are no significant differences in CLW during the different phases of the monsoon. While our hypothesis needs to be further investigated with numerical models, the results presented in this study can potentially serve as a good benchmark in evaluating the performance of cloud resolving models over the Indian region.     

The Indian summer monsoon drought of 2002 and its linkage with tropical convective activity over northwest Pacific

The Indian subcontinent witnessed a severe monsoon drought in 2002, which largely resulted from a major rainfall deficiency in the month of July. While moderate El Nino conditions prevailed during this period, the atmospheric convective activity was anomalously enhanced over northwest and north-central Pacific in the 10–20°N latitude belt; and heavy rainfall occurred over this region in association with a series of northward moving tropical cyclones. Similar out-of-phase rainfall variations over the Indian region and the northwest (NW) Pacific have been observed during other instances of El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The dynamical linkage corresponding to this out-of-phase rainfall variability is explored in this study by conducting a set of numerical experiments using an atmospheric general circulation model. The results from the model simulations lend credence to the role of the tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies in forcing the out-of-phase precipitation variability over the NW Pacific and the Indian monsoon region. It is seen that the ENSO induced circulation response reveals an anomalous pattern comprising of alternating highs and lows which extend meridionally from the equatorial region into the sub-tropic and mid-latitude regions of west-central Pacific. This meridional pattern is associated with an anomalous cyclonic circulation over NW Pacific, which is found to favor enhanced tropical cyclonic activity and intensified convection over the region. In turn, the intensified convection over NW Pacific induces subsidence and rainfall deficiency over the Indian landmass through anomalous east-west circulation in the 10–20°N latitude belt. Based on the present findings, it is suggested that the convective activity over NW Pacific is an important component in mediating the ENSO-monsoon teleconnection dynamics.     

Relationships between interannual variability in the Arabian Sea and Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Summary The interannual variability of the monthly mean upper layer thickness for the central Arabian Sea (5°N-15° N and 60° E-70° E) from a numerical model of the Indian Ocean during the period 1954–1976 is investigated in relation to Indian monsoon rainfall variability. The variability in the surface structure of the Somali Current in the western Arabian Sea is also briefly discussed. It is found that these fields show a great deal of interannual variability that is correlated with variability in Indian monsoon rainfall. Model upper layer thickness (H) is taken as a surrogate variable for thermocline depth, which is assumed to be correlated with sea surface temperature. In general, during the period 1967 to 1974, which is a period of lower than normal monsoon rainfall, the upper ocean warm water sphere is thicker (deeper thermocline which implies warmer surface water); in contrast, during the period 1954–1966, which is a period of higher than normal monsoon rainfall, the upper warm water sphere is thinner (shallower thermocline which implies cooler surface water). The filtered time series of uppper layer thickness indieates the presence of a quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) during the wet monsoon period, but this QBO signal is conspicuously absent during the dry monsoon period.Since model H primarily responds to wind stress curl, the interannual variability of the stress curl is investigated by means of an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The first three EOF modes represent more than 72% of the curl variance. The spatial patterns for these modes exhibit many elements of central Arabian Sea climatology. Features observed include the annual variation in the intensity of the summer monsoon ridge in the Arabian Sea and the annual zonal oscillation of the ridge during pre- and post-monsoon seasons. The time coefficients for the first EOF amplitude indicate the presence of a QBO during the wet monsoon period only, as seen in the ocean upper layer thickness.The variability in the model upper layer thickness is a passive response to variability in the wind field, or more specifically to variability in the Findlater Jet. When the winds are stronger, they drive stronger currents in the ocean and have stronger curl fields associated with them, driving stronger Ekman pumping. They transport more moisture from the southern hemisphere toward the Indian subcontinent, and they also drive a greater evaporative heat flux beneath the Findlater Jet in the Arabian Sea. It has been suggested that variability in the heat content of the Arabian Sea drives variability in Indian monsoon rainfall. The results of this study suggest that the opposite is true, that the northern Arabian Sea responds passively to variability in the monsoon system.With 10 Figures     

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.     

Surface and upper air temperatures over India in relation to monsoon rainfall

Summary The relationship between the all-India summer monsoon rainfall and surface/upper air (850, 700, 500 and 200 mb levels) temperatures over the Indian region and its spatial and temporal characteristics have been examined to obtain a useful predictor for the monsoon rainfall. The data series of all-India and subdivisional summer monsoon rainfall and various seasonal air temperatures at 73 surface observatories and 9 radiosonde stations (1951–1980) have been used in the analysis. The Correlation Coefficients (CCs) between all-India monsoon rainfall and seasonal surface air temperatures with different lags relative to the monsoon season indicate a systematic relationship.The CCs between the monsoon rainfall and surface-air temperature of the preceding MAM (pre-monsoon spring) season are positive over many parts of India and highly significant over central and northwestern regions. The average surface air temperature of six stations i.e., Jodhpur, Ahmedabad, Bombay, Indore, Sagar and Akola in this region (Western Central India, WCI) showed a highly significant CC of 0.60 during the period 1951–1980. This relationship is also found to be consistently significant for the period from 1950 to present, though decreasing in magnitude after 1975. WCI MAM surface air temperature has shown significant CCs with the monsoon rainfall over eleven sub-divisions mainly in northwestern India, i.e., north of 15 °N and west of 80 °E.Upper air temperatures of the MAM season at almost all the stations and all levels considered show positive CCs with the subsequent monsoon rainfall. These correlations are significant at some central and north Indian stations for the lower and middle tropospheric temperatures.The simple regression equation developed for the period 1951–1980 isy = – 183.20 + 8.83x, wherey is the all-India monsoon rainfall in cm andx is the WCI average surface air temperature of MAM season in °C. This equation is significant at 0.1% level. The suitability of this parameter for inclusion in a predictive regression model along with five other global and regional parameters has been discussed. Multiple regression analysis for the long-range prediction of monsoon rainfall, using several combinations of these parameters indicates that the improvement of predictive skill considerably depends upon the selection of the predictors.With 9 Figures     

The association of surface wind stresses over Indian Ocean with monsoon rainfall

Summary Variability of Indian summer monsoon rainfall is examined with respect to variability of surface wind stresses over Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean region extending from 40°–120° E, and 30° S–25° N, has been divided into 8 homogeneous subregions, viz (1) Arabian Sea (AS), (2) Bay of Bengal (BB), (3) West-equatorial Indian Ocean (WEIO), (4) Central-equatorial Indian Ocean (CEIO), (5) East-equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO), (6) South-west Indian Ocean (SWIO), (7) South-central Indian Ocean (SCIO), and (8) South-east Indian Ocean (SEIO). The period of study extends for 13 years from 1982–1994. Monthly NCEP surface wind stress data of five months – May through September, have been used in the study. The spatial variability of seasonal and monthly surface wind stresses shows very low values over CEIO and EEIO and very high values over AS, SWIO, and SEIO regions. On the seasonal scale, all India summer monsoon rainfall (AISMR) shows concurrent positive relationships with the surface wind stresses over AS, BB, WEIO, SWIO and SCIO and negative relationships with the surface wind stresses over EEIO and SEIO. The relationships of AISMR with the surface wind stresses over AS and WEIO are significant at 5% level. The concurrent relationships between monthly surface wind stresses over these 8 oceanic sub-regions and monthly subdivisional rainfalls over 29 sub-divisions have been studied. The rainfalls over the subdivisions in the central India and on the west coast of India are found to be significantly related with surface wind stresses over AS, SWIO, SCIO. Monthly subdivisional rainfalls of four subdivisions in the peninsular India show negative relationship with BB surface wind stresses. May surface wind stresses over AS, BB, WEIO, CEIO and SWIO have been found to be positively related with ensuing AISMR. The relationship with AS wind stresses is significant at 5% level and hence may be considered as a potential predictor of AISMR. Received May 21, 2001 Revised October 8, 2001     

从气象卫星资料揭示的青藏高原夏季对流云系的日变化

文中利用日本静止气象卫星观测的1981～1994年1天8次的TBB观测值和1978～1994年NOAA卫星观测的1天2次OLR观测值研究了青藏高原地区夏季对流云系季节变化以及对流云的日变化及其东西向移动规律,并对1994年的资料进行了个例分析。结果表明,青藏高原夏季对流云有极为明显的日变化,以00～05SUTC为最弱,15～17UTC最强。在季风雨爆发后的7月中旬到8月上旬在高原中部（30～32°N,90°E）、东部（30°N,97°E）和西部（30°N,85～87°E）有3个TBB低值中心,多年月平均对流中心区云顶高度可达9．6km,而旬对流中心个别地区平均可达13km。对流云区开始发展于东部地区,随后对流云中心逐步向西移动,并于7月中下旬达到最西,此时西部地区从多年平均而言可以有短暂的强对流发展。     

Lag-relationship between mid-tropospheric geopotential heights over the Northern Hemisphere and the Indian summer monsoon rainfall: Implications for forecasting

Summary In this study the relationship between mid-tropospheric geopotential heights over the Northern Hemisphere (20° N to 90° N, around the globe) and Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR: June to September total rainfall) have been examined. For this purpose, the monthly 500 hPa geopotential heights in a 2.5° lat./lon. grid over the Northern Hemisphere and the ISMR data for the period 1958 to 2003 have been used.The analysis demonstrates a dipole structure in the correlation pattern over the East Pacific Ocean in the month of January which intensifies in February and weakens in March.The average 500 hPa geopotential height over the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean during February (index one), has a significant positive relationship (r = 0.72) with the ISMR. In addition, the surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly over North-west Eurasia during January (index two) is found to be strongly related with the subsequent summer monsoon rainfall. These relationships are found to be consistent and robust during the period of analysis and these indices are found to be independent of each other.Hence, using index one and index two, a multiple linear regression model is developed for the prediction of the ISMR and the empirical relationships are verified on independent data. The forecast of the ISMR, using the above model, is found to be satisfactory.The dipole structure in the correlation pattern over the East Pacific region during February weakens once the ENSO (El-Nino and Southern Oscillation) events are excluded from the analysis. This suggests that the dipole type relationship between mid-tropospheric geopotential heights over the East Pacific Ocean and the ISMR may be a manifestation of the ENSO cycle.     

The evolution of Indian summer monsoon in 1997 and 1983

Summary During most El-Ni?o events the Indian summer monsoon rainfall has been below normal. El-Ni?o that occurred during 1997 was one of the strongest in the 20th century, but did not have an adverse impact on the Indian summer monsoon rainfall in 1997. This is despite the fact that most parameters observed in May 1997 suggested that the Indian summer monsoon rainfall may be below normal. This intriguing feature of the 1997 Indian summer monsoon rainfall has been examined by studying the evolution of various parameters from May to August. The behavior of the 1997 monsoon is related to its evolution during June and July, with westward migration of cloudbands from West Pacific that increased convection over Bay of Bengal. We find that there exists a significant correlation between convective activity over Bay of Bengal and winds over the Arabian Sea with the latter lagging convection over Bay of Bengal by about three days. The convective activity over Bay of Bengal induces stronger winds over the Arabian Sea and this in turn enhances advection of moisture into the Indian landmass and leads to increased precipitable water and strength of the monsoon. Using a simple thermodynamic model we show that increased precipitable water during July leads to increased rainfall. A similar behavior has also been noticed during the 1983 monsoon, with precursors indicating a possible poor monsoon but subsequent events changed the course of the monsoon. Received May 21, 2001 Revised October 10, 2001     

Outgoing long-wave radiation over the Tropical Pacific and Atlantic Ocean and Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Summary In this paper, the interannual variability of satellite derived outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) is examined in relation to the Indian summer monsoon rainfall (June to September total rainfall; ISMR). Monthly grid point OLR field over the domain i.e. the tropical Pacific and Atlantic region (30°N to 30°S, 110°E to 10°W) and the ISMR for the period 1974–2001 are used for the study. A strong and significant north–south dipole structure in the correlation pattern is found between the ISMR and the OLR field over the domain during January. This dipole is located over the west Pacific region with highly significant negative (positive) correlations over the South China Sea and surrounding region (around north-east Australia). The dipole weakens and moves northwestward during February and disappears in March. During the month of May, the OLR over the central Atlantic Ocean shows a significant positive relationship with the ISMR. These relationships are found to be consistent and robust during the period of analysis and can be used in the prediction of the ISMR.A multiple regression equation is developed, using the above results, for prediction of the ISMR and the empirical relationships are verified using an independent data set. The results are encouraging for the prediction of the ISMR. The composite annual cycle of the OLR, over the west Pacific regions during extreme ISMR is found to be useful in the prediction of extreme summer monsoon rainfall conditions over the Indian subcontinent.     

Western Himalayan snow cover and Indian monsoon rainfall: A re-examination with INSAT and NCEP/NCAR data

Summary ?This study presents the monthly climatology and variability of the INSAT (Indian National Satellite) derived snow cover estimates over the western Himalayan region. The winter/spring snow estimates over the region are related to the subsequent summer monsoon rainfall over India. The NCEP/NCAR data are used to understand the physical mechanism of the snow-monsoon links. 15 years (1986–2000) of recent data are utilized to investigate these features in the present global warming environment. Results reveal that the spring snow cover area has been declining and snow has been melting faster from winter to spring after 1993. Connections between snow cover estimates and Indian monsoon rainfall (IMR) show that spring snow cover area is negatively related with maximum during May, while snow melt during the February–May period is positively related with subsequent IMR, implying that smaller snow cover area during May and faster snow melt from winter to spring is conducive for good monsoon activity over India. NCEP/NCAR data further shows that the heat low over northwest India and the monsoon circulation over the Indian subcontinent, in particular the cross-equatorial flow, during May are intensified (weakened) when the snow cover area during May is smaller (extensive) and snow melts faster (slower) during the February–May period. The well-documented negative relationship between winter snow and summer rainfall seems to have altered recently and changed to a positive relationship. The changes observed in snow cover extent and snow depth due to global warming may be a possible cause for the weakening winter snow–IMR relationship. Received January 15, 2002; revised May 5, 2002; accepted June 23, 2002     

Northwest Pacific tropical cyclone activity and July rainfall over India

Summary In 2002, India had experienced one of the most severe droughts. The severe drought conditions were caused by the unprecedented deficient rainfall in July 2002, in which only 49% of the normal rainfall was received. One of the major circulation anomalies observed during July 2002, was the active monsoon trough over Northwest (NW) Pacific and enhanced typhoon activity over this region. The present study was designed to examine the long-term relationships between Tropical Cyclone (TC) activity over NW Pacific and monsoon rainfall over India in July. A statistically significant negative correlation between TC days over NW Pacific and July rainfall over India was observed. Spatial dependence of the relationship revealed that TCs forming over NW Pacific east of 150° E and moving northwards have an adverse effect on Indian monsoon rainfall. It was observed that TCs forming over the South China Sea and moving westwards may have a positive impact on monsoon rainfall over India. Enhanced TC activity over NW Pacific during July 2002 induced weaker monsoon circulation over the Indian region due to large-scale subsidence.     

Temperature variability over the Indian Ocean and its relationship with Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Summary The present study examines the long term trend in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Equatorial South India Ocean in the context of global warming for the period 1901–2002 and for a subset period 1971–2002. An attempt has also been made to identify the relationship between SST variations over three different ocean areas, and All-India and homogeneous region summer monsoon rainfall variability, including the role of El-Ni?o/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Annual sea surface temperatures of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Equatorial South India Ocean show a significant warming trend of 0.7 °C, 0.6 °C and 0.5 °C per hundred years, respectively, and a relatively accelerated warming of 0.16 °C, 0.14 °C and 0.14 °C per decade during the 1971–2002 period. There is a positive and statistically significant relationship between SSTs over the Arabian Sea from the preceding November to the current February, and Indian monsoon rainfall during the period 1901–2002. The correlation coefficient increases from October and peaks in December, decreasing from February to September. This significant relationship is also found in the recent period 1971–2002, whereas, during 1901–70, the relationship is not significant. On the seasonal scale, Arabian Sea winter SSTs are positively and significantly correlated with Indian monsoon rainfall, while spring SSTs have no significant positive relationship. Nino3 spring SSTs have a negative significant relationship with Indian monsoon rainfall and it is postulated that there is a combined effect of Nino3 and Arabian Sea SSTs on Indian monsoon. If the Nino3 SST effect is removed, the spring SSTs over the Arabian Sea also have a significant relationship with monsoon rainfall. Similarly, the Bay of Bengal and Equatorial South Indian Ocean spring SSTs are significantly and positively correlated with Indian monsoon rainfall after removing the Nino3 effect, and correlation values are more pronounced than for the Arabian Sea. Authors’ address: Dr. D. R. Kothawale, A. A. Munot, H. P. Borgaonkar, Climatology and Hydrometeorology divisions, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune 411008, India.     

A reappraisal of relationships between northern hemispheric surface air temperatures and Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Summary Zonally averaged surface air temperatures have been analysed to form time series of surface air temperature anomalies over the tropics (TTA), extratropics (ETA), the poles (PTA) and the whole northern hemisphere (NHTA) for the period 1901–1990. The temporal statistical relationships between these temperature time series and Indian monsoon rainfall over all India (AIR), northwest India (NWR) and peninsular India (PIR) have been examined for the above period.The northern hemispheric January–February (JF) temperature correlates significantly and positively with all the three monsoon rainfall series, the regional peninsular rainfall series (PIR) displaying the best correlation. The Strongest correlation is observed during 1951–1980 for both AIR and NWR but weakened in 1961–1990. For PIR, the highest correlation is observed during 1961–1990, remaining almost stable since 1951–1980. The JF series AIR monsoon relationship showed the highest correlation over the tropics during 1901–1940, over the polar region during 1941–1980 and over the northern hemisphere during 1951–1980. AIR and NWR moreover show a significant negative relationship with simultaneous, succeeding autumn and following year TTA series, while AIR and PIR monsoon rainfall series show significant positive association with the following year PTA series.The results also suggest that cooler January–February NHTA not only lead to a poor monsoon, but a poor monsoon also leads to warmer temperatures over the tropics and cooler temperatures over the polar region in the following year.With 1 Figure