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Interdecadal variations of the South Asian summer monsoon circulation variability and the associated sea surface temperatures on interannual scales

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Abstract

We investigate the interannual variability of the South Asian summer monsoon (SASM) circulation, which has experienced a significant interdecadal change since 2000. This change is primarily influenced by sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the tropical Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. During the pre-2000 period examined in this study (1979–99), the SASM is negatively correlated with eastern Pacific SSTs (the canonical ENSO mode) and positively correlated with the negative phase of the North Atlantic SST tripole (NAT). During the post-2000 period (2000–14), the SASM is negatively correlated with central Pacific SSTs and positively correlated with the positive phase of the NAT pattern. The associated Pacific SSTs change from the eastern to central region, leading to the rising (subsiding) branch of the Walker circulation moving westwards to the Maritime Continent in the latter period, which can impact the interannual variability of the SASM through modulating the wind field in the troposphere. In addition to Pacific SSTs, the NAT SSTs can propagate energy from the North Atlantic to the South Asian High (SAH) region through the wave activity flux, and then further impact the SASM via the SAH.

Because the SASM is intimately related with precipitation over the Asian region, we briefly discuss the features of the precipitation patterns associated with the SASM during the two periods. The westward shifting Walker circulation leads to the shrinking and weakened anomalous westerlies of the SASM in the lower level, inducing the Maritime Continent rainfall location to move westwards and more moisture to arrive in southern China from the Pacific Ocean in the latter period.

摘要

本文考察了南亚夏季风环流的年际变率特征,发现其在2000年前后发生了显著的年代际转变.该转变主要受热带太平洋和北大西洋海表温度的影响.2000年前(1979‒1999),南亚夏季风指数与东太平洋海温呈显著负相关,与负位相大西洋三极子型海温(负‒正‒负)呈显著正相关关系.2000年后(2000‒2014),南亚夏季风环流与中太平洋海温呈显著负相关,与正位相大西洋三极子型海温呈显著正相关.相关海温异常由东太平洋移至中太平洋区域,导致沃克环流的上升(下沉)支在后一时段西移到海洋性大陆附近,从而通过调节对流层上下层风场影响南亚夏季风的年际变率大小.此外,除了太平洋海温异常外,北大西洋三极子型海温异常亦可通过波列传播将能量由北大西洋输送至南亚高压区域,进而通过南亚高压调制南亚夏季风环流的变化.

由于南亚夏季风环流与亚洲季风区夏季降水有着紧密联系,因此,本文简要讨论了两个时段南亚夏季风环流影响相关降水场的变化特征.西移的沃克环流使得低层南亚夏季风环流的西风西缩减弱,从而导致海洋性大陆降水位置在后一时段西移,使得来自太平洋的更多水汽能到达中国南方.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41505070 and 41421004) and the CAS-PKU Joint Research Program.

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  1. Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Ya Gao, Huijun Wang & Dong Chen

  2. Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Ya Gao & Huijun Wang

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Gao, Y., Wang, H. & Chen, D. Interdecadal variations of the South Asian summer monsoon circulation variability and the associated sea surface temperatures on interannual scales. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 34, 816–832 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-017-6246-8

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