Thermal Controls on the Asian Summer Monsoon

Wu, Guoxiong; Liu, Yimin; He, Bian; Bao, Qing; Duan, Anmin; Jin, Fei‐Fei

doi:10.1038/srep00404

Cited by 669 publications

(564 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The sustained western Indian Ocean warming has°C Changing land-sea thermal contrast. As pointed out earlier, changes in the land-sea thermal contrast impact the strength of the monsoon 16,[17][18][19] . Studies show that over the northern hemisphere, the surface temperatures over land increase more rapidly than over sea, under increasing greenhouse gases 19 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Ideally, such a scenario should strengthen the South Asian monsoon 16,[17][18][19] . Figure 4a,b shows the climatological mean and trends of surface temperatures over the Indian Ocean and the South Asian monsoon domain, during summer.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An increase in the land-sea thermal contrast should ideally increase the strength of the monsoon [17][18][19] . Also, the sea surface temperatures (SST) over the Indian Ocean have shown a warming trend over the last several decades [20][21][22] , potentially enhancing the supply of moisture to the monsoon regions and increasing the rainfall amounts 23 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Drying of Indian subcontinent by rapid Indian Ocean warming and a weakening land-sea thermal gradient

et al. 2015

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There are large uncertainties looming over the status and fate of the South Asian summer monsoon, with several studies debating whether the monsoon is weakening or strengthening in a changing climate. Our analysis using multiple observed datasets demonstrates a significant weakening trend in summer rainfall during 1901-2012 over the central-east and northern regions of India, along the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basins and the Himalayan foothills, where agriculture is still largely rain-fed. Earlier studies have suggested an increase in moisture availability and land-sea thermal gradient in the tropics due to anthropogenic warming, favouring an increase in tropical rainfall. Here we show that the land-sea thermal gradient over South Asia has been decreasing, due to rapid warming in the Indian Ocean and a relatively subdued warming over the subcontinent. Using long-term observations and coupled model experiments, we provide compelling evidence that the enhanced Indian Ocean warming potentially weakens the land-sea thermal contrast, dampens the summer monsoon Hadley circulation, and thereby reduces the rainfall over parts of South Asia.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Drying of Indian subcontinent by rapid Indian Ocean warming and a weakening land-sea thermal gradient

et al. 2015

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“…It is not difficult to understand the existence of regional differences in the plateau uplift. Many recent studies with numerical simulations were exactly aimed at revealing the climatic and environmental effects of different sub-regional uplift of the TP [11,12,[75][76][77]. With the topography of southern or northern TP, western or eastern Asia, and even Africa being taken into consideration, these studies examined the role of sub-regional uplift in the formation and evolution of the Asian monsoon climate.…”

Section: Forms Of Tectonic Uplift and Regional Differences Of The Asimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subsequently, the work by Boos and Kuang [11] was challenged. Wu et al [77] pointed out that though their numerical experiments removed the main body of the TP and retained only the Himalayas and adjacent narrow terrain, the surface sensible heat flux of the Himalayas was retained as well, To examine the effect of the uplift of southern TP…”

Section: Effects Of Himalayan-tibetan Plateau Sub-regional Uplift On mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the Tibetan Plateau uplift on the Asian monsoon-arid environment evolution

2013

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As one of the most important geological events in Cenozoic era, the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has had profound influences on the Asian and global climate and environment evolution. During the past four decades, many scholars from China and abroad have studied climatic and environmental effects of the TP uplift by using a variety of geological records and paleoclimate numerical simulations. The existing research results enrich our understanding of the mechanisms of Asian monsoon changes and interior aridification, but so far there are still a lot of issues that need to be thought deeply and investigated further. This paper attempts to review the research on the influence of the TP uplift on the Asian monsoon-arid environment, summarize three types of numerical simulations including bulk-plateau uplift, phased uplift and sub-regional uplift, and especially to analyze regional differences in responses of climate and environment to different forms of tectonic uplifts. From previous modeling results, the land-sea distribution and the Himalayan uplift may have a large effect in the establishment and development of the South Asian monsoon. However, the formation and evolution of the monsoon in northern East Asia, the intensified dryness north of the TP and enhanced Asian dust cycle may be more closely related to the uplift of the main body, especially the northern part of the TP. In this review, we also discuss relative roles of the TP uplift and other impact factors, origins of the South Asian monsoon and East Asian monsoon, feedback effects and nonlinear responses of climatic and environmental changes to the plateau uplift. Finally, we make comparisons between numerical simulations and geological records, discuss their uncertainties, and highlight some problems worthy of further studying.Tibetan Plateau, tectonic uplift, Asian monsoon, inland aridity, environmental evolution, geological record, numerical simulation Citation:Liu X D, Dong B W.

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Thermodynamic and dynamic effects on regional monsoon rainfall changes in a warmer climate

Endo

2014

Geophysical Research Letters

128

102

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This study investigates thermodynamic and dynamic effects on regional monsoon rainfall changes in a warmer climate, by using 20 climate model outputs in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) Phase 5. In a warmer climate, rainfall is projected to increase in most monsoon regions. However, the rates of increase are quite different among the monsoon regions. A diagnosis based on a linearized moisture budget equation reveals that the regional differences of the rainfall change are largely explained by differences in the dynamic effect. In the Asian monsoon regions, monsoon circulation slows down at a much lower rate than in the other monsoon regions; in addition, surface evaporation increases at a higher rate, resulting in a much larger increase in rainfall. These features are commonly found in both CMIP Phase 3 and Phase 5 model projections.

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Thermal Controls on the Asian Summer Monsoon

Cited by 669 publications

References 38 publications

Drying of Indian subcontinent by rapid Indian Ocean warming and a weakening land-sea thermal gradient

Drying of Indian subcontinent by rapid Indian Ocean warming and a weakening land-sea thermal gradient

Influence of the Tibetan Plateau uplift on the Asian monsoon-arid environment evolution

Thermodynamic and dynamic effects on regional monsoon rainfall changes in a warmer climate

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