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Eurasian snow conditions and summer monsoon rainfall over South and Southeast Asia: Assessment and comparison

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Abstract

This study reveals the complex nature of the connection between Eurasian snow and the following summer season’s monsoon rainfall by using four different indicators of snow conditions and correlating each of them to summer monsoon rainfall. Using 46 years of historical records of mean winter snow depth, maximum snow depth, and snow starting dates, and 27 years of snow area coverage from remote sensing observations over Eurasia, the authors found diverse correlation patterns between snow conditions and the following warm season’s rainfall over South and Southeast Asia. Some of the results contradict the well-known inverse relationships between snow and the summer monsoon. This study provides an easy comparison of results in that it shows the connections between Eurasian snow and monsoon rainfall by using different Eurasian snow indicators based on the best available historical records without discrimination of regional variations in snow conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Urban Analysis, California State University, Los Angeles, USA

    Hengchun Ye

  2. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Canada

    Zhenhao Bao

  3. University of Toronto Toronto, M3J1P3, Ontario, Canada

    Zhenhao Bao

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  1. Hengchun Ye
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  2. Zhenhao Bao
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Correspondence to Hengchun Ye.

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Ye, H., Bao, Z. Eurasian snow conditions and summer monsoon rainfall over South and Southeast Asia: Assessment and comparison. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 22, 877–888 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02918687

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02918687

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