BAROTROPIC AND BAROCLINIC PATTERNS OF ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATIONS RELATED TO MONSOON TYPES*

In the context of 1982-1994 NCEP/NCAR wind at 12-level isobaric surfaces on a global basis calculation is made of the barotropic(mass-weighed vertical mean) and baroclinic components(difference between the actual wind at each level and barotropic component) of atmospheric flow fields,followed by dealing with the distribution features of barotropic and baroelinie patterns globally in winter and summer,alongside with the classification of global monsoons according to the surface barotropic/baroclinic patterns.Evidence suggests that the seasonal variation of both components will lead to the reversal of a prevailing wind between winter and summer,thus causing a related monsoon:the baroclinie flow pattern is indicative of a thermal circulation driven by atmospheric inhomogeneous heating chiefly from land-sea thermal contrast whilst the barotropic counterpart represents the result mainly from dynamic effects,which is helpful to the understanding of monsoon nature.And further study shows that the classical monsoon regions in tropical Asia,Africa and South America fall into a baroclinic category,those in the bi-hemispheric subtropical Pacific into a barotropic type and the East Asian subtropical monsoon generated underthe joint action of both the patterns falls into a mixed category.