Abstract
Based on the Indian and Chinese precipitation data and the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis circulation data, the relationship between the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) onset and the Meiyu over the Yangtze River Valley has been discussed by the methods of correlation analysis and composite analysis. The results show that the date of ISM onset over Kerala in the southwestern coast of the Indian Peninsula is about two weeks earlier than the beginning of the Meiyu over the Yangtze River Valley. After the outbreak of ISM, the teleconnection mode sets up from the western coast of India via the Bay of Bengal (BOB) to the Yangtze River Valley and southern Japan. It is different both in time and space from the teleconnection mode which is from the northwest of India via the Tibetan Plateau to northern China. The former mode is defined as the “south” teleconnection of the Asian summer monsoon, forming in the period of ISM onset; while the latter mode is called the “north” teleconnection, mainly occurring in the Asian monsoon culminant period. During the process of the “south” teleconnection’s formation, the Asian monsoon circulation has experienced a series of important changes: ISM onset, the northward movement of the south Asia high (SAH), the onset vortex occurrence, the eastward extension of the stronger tropical westerly belt, and the northeastward jump of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH), etc. Consequently, since ISM sets up over Kerala, the whole Asian continent is covered by the upper SAH after about two weeks, while in the mid-and lower troposphere, a strong wind belt forms from the Arabian Sea via the southern India, BOB and the South China Sea (SCS), then along the western flank of WPSH, to the Yangtze River Valley and southern Japan. With the northward moving of the subtropical jet streams, the upper westerly jet stream and the low level jet have been coupled vertically over east Asia, while the Yangtze River Valley happens to locate in the ascending motion area between the upper jet stream and the low level jet, i.e. right of the entrance of the upper jet stream and left of the low level jet. Such a structure of the vertical circulation can trigger the Meiyu onset over the Yangtze River Valley.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chen L X. The configuration of the East Asian monsoon circulation and its medium-term oscillation. Acta Oceanol Sin (in Chinese), 1984, 6(6): 744–758
Tao S Y, Zhu W M, Zhao W. The interannual variability of Meiyu. Sci Atmos Sin (in Chinese), 1988, 12(Suppl): 13–21
Ding Y H, Li C Y. Evolution of the South China Sea Monsoon and Its Interaction with the Ocean (in Chinese). Beijing: China Meteorological Press, 1999. 1–4
Zhang R H. The role of Indian summer monsoon water vapor transportation on the summer rainfall amomalies in the northern part of China during the El Niño mature phase. Plateau Meteorol (in Chinese), 1999, 18(4): 567–574
Guo Q Y, Wang J Q. A comparative study on summer monsoon in China and India. J Trop Meteorol (in Chinese), 1988, 4(1): 53–60
Kripalani R H, Kulkarni A. Rainfall variability over southeast Asia—Connections with Indian monsoon and ENSO extremes: Nw perspectives. Int J Climatol, 1997, 17: 1155–1168
Kripalani R H, Kulkarni A, Singh S V. Association of the Indian summer monsoon with the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude circulation. Int J Climatol, 1997, 17: 1055–1067
Kripalani R H, Kulkarni A. Monsoon rainfall variations and teleconnections over South and East Asia. Int J Climatol, 2001, 21:603–616
Ye D Z, Tao S Y, Li M C. The abrupt change of circulation over Northern Hemisphere during June and October. Acta Meteorol Sin (in Chinese), 1958, 29(4): 249–263
Tao S Y, Ding Y H. Observational evidence of the influence of the Qignghai-Xizang Plateau on the occurrence of heavy rain and severe convective storms in China. Bull Amer Meteor Soc, 1981, 62: 23–30
Tao S Y, Chen L X. A Review of Recent Research on the East Asian Summer Monsoon in China. Monsoon Meteorology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987. 60–92
Kalnay. The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bull Amer Meteorol Soc, 1996, 77: 437–470
Xie P, Arkin P A. Global precipitation: A 17-year monthly analysis based on gauge observations, satellite estimates, and numerical model outputs. Bull Amer Meteorol Soc, 1997, 78: 2539–2558
Rajeevan M, Bhate J, Kale J D, et al. Development of a high resolution daily gridded rainfall data for the Indian region. Met Monogr Climatol, 2005, 22: 1–27
He J H, Sun C H, Liu Y Y, et al. Seasonal Transition Features of Large-Scale Moisture Transport in the Asian-Australian Monsoon Region. Adv Atmos Sci, 2007, 24(1): 1–14
Ding Q H, Wang B. Circumglobal teleconnection in the Northern Hemisphere summer. J Clim, 2005, 18: 3483–3505
Fasullo J, Webster P J. A hydrological definition of Indian Monsoon onset and withdrawal. J Clim, 2002, 16: 3200–3211
Joseoh P V, Sooraj K P, Rajan C K. The summer monsoon onset process over south Asia and an objective method for the data of monsoon onset over Kerala. Int J Climatol, 2006, 26: 1871–1893
Krishnamurti T N, Ardanuy P, Ramanathan Y, et al. On the onset vortex of the summer monsoon. Mon Weather Rev, 1981, 109:344–363
Liu Y Y, He J H, Liang J Y, et al. Features of Moisture Transport in Seasonal Transition over Asian-Australian Monsoon Regions (in Chinese). J Trop Meteorol, 2006, 22(2): 138–146
Cressman G P. Circulation of the West-Pacific jet stream. Mon Weather Rev, 1981, 109: 2450–246
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB403604)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, Y., Ding, Y. Teleconnection between the Indian summer monsoon onset and the Meiyu over the Yangtze River Valley. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 51, 1021–1035 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-008-0073-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-008-0073-9