Characteristics of the Onset of the Asian Summer Monsoon and the Importance of Asian-Australian "Land Bridge"

Based on summarizing previous achievements and characteristics of Asian summer monsoon and the role using data as long and new as possible, the onset of Asian-Australian ＂land bridge＂ in the onset of summer monsoon are further discussed. In particular, the earliest onset area of Asian summer monsoon is comparatively analyzed, and the sudden and progressive characteristics of the onset of summer monsoon in different regions are discussed, Furthermore, the relationships among such critical events during the onset of Asian summer monsoon as the splitting of subtropical high belt over the Bay of Bengal （BOB）, the initiation of convection over Indo-China Peninsula, the westward advance, reestablishment of South Asian High, and the rapid northward progression of convection originated from Sumatra in early summer are studied. The important impact of the proper collocation of she latent heating over Indo-China Peninsula and the sensible heating over Indian Peninsula on the splitting of the subtropical high belt, the deepening of BOB trough, the activating of Sri Lanka vortex （twin vortexes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres）, and the subsequent onset of South China Sea summer monsoon are emphasized.

Atmospheric Circulation Characteristics Associated with the Onset of Asian Summer Monsoon

The onset of the Asian summer monsoon has been a focus in the monsoon study for many years. In this paper, we study the variability and predictability of the Asian summer monsoon onset and demonstrate that this onset is associated with specific atmospheric circulation characteristics. The outbreak of the Asian summer mol）~soon is found to occur first over the southwestern part of the South China Sea （SCS） and the Malay Peninsula region, and the monsoon onset is closely related to intra-seasonal oscillations in the lower atmosphere. These intra-seasonal oscillations consist of two low-frequency vortex pairs, one located to the east of the Philippines and the other over the tropical eastern Indian Ocean. Prior to the Asian summer monsoon onset, a strong low-frequency westerly emerges over the equatorial Indian Ocean and the low-frequency vortex pair develops symmetrically along the equator. The formation and evolution of these low-frequency vortices are important and serve as a good indicator for the Asian summer monsoon onset. The relationship between the northward jumps of the westerly jet over East Asia and the Asian summer monsoon onset over SCS is investigated. It is shown that the northward jump of the westerly jet occurs twice during the transition from winter to summer and these jumps are closely related to the summer monsoon development. The first northward jump （from 25°-28°N to around 30°N） occurs on 8 May on average, about 7 days ahead of the summer monsoon onset over the SCS. It is found that the reverse of meridional temperature gradient in the upper-middle troposphere （500-200 hPa） and the enhancement and northward movement of the subtropical jet in the Southern Hemispheric subtropics are responsible for the first northward jump of the westerly jet.

Asian Summer Monsoon Onset in Simulations and CMIP5 Projections Using Four Chinese Climate Models

The reproducibility and future changes of the onset of the Asian summer monsoon were analyzed based on the simulations and projections under the Representative Concentration Pathways （RCP） scenario in which anthropogenic emissions continue to rise throughout the 21 st century （i.e. RCP8.5） by all realizations from four Chinese models that participated in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5）. Delayed onset of the monsoon over the Arabian Sea was evident in all simulations for present-day climate, which was associated with a too weak simulation of the low-level Somali jet in May. A consistent advanced onset of the monsoon was found only over the Arabian Sea in the projections, where the advanced onset of the monsoon was accompanied by an increase of rainfall and an anomalous anticyclone over the northern Indian Ocean. In all the models except FGOALS-g2, the enhanced low-level Somali jet transported more water vapor to the Arabian Sea, whereas in FGOALS-g2 the enhanced rainfall was determined more by the increased wind convergence. Furthermore, and again in all models except FGOALS-g2, the equatorial SST warming, with maximum increase over the eastern Pacific, enhanced convection in the central West Pacific and reduced convection over the eastern Indian Ocean and Maritime Continent region, which drove the anomalous anticyclonic circulation over the western Indian Ocean. In contrast, in FGOALS-g2, there was minimal （near-zero） warming of projected SST in the central equatorial Pacific, with decreased convection in the central West Pacific and enhanced convection over the Maritime Continent. The broader-scale differences among the models across the Pacific were related to both the differences in the projected SST pattern and in the present-day simulations.

DETERMINATION OF SOUTH CHINA SEA MONSOON ONSET AND EAST ASIAN SUMMER MONSOON INDEX

Results of the definition of South China Sea summer monsoon onset date and East Asian summermonsoon index in recent years are summarized in this paper. And more questions to be resolved are introducedlater.

THE ANALYSIS OF MECHANISM OF IMPACT OF AEROSOLS ON EAST ASIAN SUMMER MONSOON INDEX AND ONSET

RegCM4.3, a high-resolution regional climate model, which includes five kinds of aerosols(dust, sea salt,sulfate, black carbon and organic carbon), is employed to simulate the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) from 1995 to 2010 and the simulation data are used to study the possible impact of natural and anthropogenic aerosols on EASM.The results show that the regional climate model can well simulate the EASM and the spatial and temporal distribution of aerosols. The EASM index is reduced by about 5% by the natural and anthropogenic aerosols and the monsoon onset time is also delayed by about a pentad except for Southeast China. The aerosols heat the middle atmosphere through absorbing solar radiation and the air column expands in Southeast China and its offshore areas. As a result, the geopotential height decreases and a cyclonic circulation anomaly is generated in the lower atmosphere. Northerly wind located in the west of cyclonic circulation weakens the low-level southerly wind in the EASM region. Negative surface radiative forcing due to aerosols causes downward motion and an indirect meridional circulation is formed with the low-level northerly wind and high-level southerly wind anomaly in the north of 25° N in the monsoon area, which weakens the vertical circulation of EASM. The summer precipitation of the monsoon region is significantly reduced,especially in North and Southwest China where the value of moisture flux divergence increases.

Thermal contrast between the Tibetan Plateau and tropical Indian Ocean and its relationship to the South Asian summer monsoon

The land-sea thermal contrast is an important driver for monsoon interannual variability and the monsoon onset.The thermal contrast between the Tibetan Plateau and the tropical Indian Ocean at the mid-upper troposphere is proposed as a thermal contrast index(TCI)for South Asian monsoon.The authors investigate the TCI associated with South Asian summer monsoon(SASM)intensity and SASM onset.It is observed that the TCI considering the Tibetan Plateau and tropical Indian Ocean demonstrates a stronger and closer correlation with SASM intensity(0.87)than either the Tibetan Plateau(0.42)or tropical Indian Ocean(-0.60)singly.It is implied that the TCI could preferably represent the impact of land-sea thermal condition on SASM activity.Further analysis reveals that the evolution of TCI is related to the SASM onset.The TCI is almost always larger in early onset years than it is in late onset years during the period before SASM onset.In addition,the change of the pentad-by-pentad increment of TCI leads the SASM variation.The correlation coefficient between the TCI increment and SASM index reaches a maximum when the TCI increment leads by 15 pentads.The results of this study show that the TCI plays an important role in SASM activities and is a potential indicator for SASM onset forecasting.

Vortex genesis over the Bay of Bengal in spring and its role in the onset of the Asian Summer Monsoon

Physical processes associated with onset of the 1998 Asian summer monsoon were examined in detail using multi-source datasets. We demonstrated that strong ocean-atmosphere-land interaction in the northern Indian Ocean and tropical Asian area during spring is a fundamental factor that induces the genesis and development of a monsoon onset vortex over the Bay of Bengal （BOB）, with the vortex in turn triggering onset of the Asian summer monsoon. In spring, strong surface sensible heat- ing over India and the Indochina Peninsula is transferred to the atmosphere, forming prominent in situ cyclonic circulation, with anticyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea and northern BOB where the ocean receives abundant solar radiation. The corresponding surface winds along the North Indian Ocean coastal areas cause the ocean to produce the in situ offshore cur- rents and upwelling, resulting in sea surface temperature （SST） cooling. With precipitation on the Indochina Peninsula in- creasing from late April to early May, the offshore current disappears in the eastern BOB or develops into an onshore current, leading to SST increasing. A southwest-northeast oriented spring BOB warm pool with SST 〉31℃forms in a band from the southeastern Arabian Sea to the eastern BOB. In early May, the Somali cross-equatorial flow forms due to the meridional SST gradient between the two hemispheres, and surface sensible heat over the African land surface. The Somali flow overlaps in phase with the anticyclone over the northern Arabian Sea in the course of its inertial fluctuation along the equator. The con- vergent cold northerlies on the eastern side of the anticyclone cause the westerly in the inertial trough to increase rapidly, so that enhanced sensible heat is released from the sea surface into the atmosphere. The cyclonic vorticity forced by such sensible heating is superimposed on the inertial trough, leading to its further increase in vorticity strength. Since atmospheric inertial motion is destroyed, the flow deviates from the inertial track in an intensified cyclonic curvature, and then turns northward to- ward the warm pool in the northern BOB. It therefore converges with the easterly flow on the south side of the anticyclone over the northern BOB, forming a cyclonic circulation center east of Sri Lanka. Co-located with the cyclonic circulation is a generation of atmospheric potential energy, due to lower tropospheric heating by the warm ocean. Eventually the BOB mon- soon onset vortex （MOV） is generated east of Sri Lanka. As the MOV migrates northward to the warm pool it develops quickly such that the zonal oriented subtropical high is split over the eastern BOB. Thus, the tropical southwesterly on the southern and eastern sides of the MOV merges into the subtropical westerly in the north, leading to active convection over the eastern BOB and western Indochina Peninsula and onset of the Asian summer monsoon.

Seasonal and Intraseasonal Variations of East Asian Summer Monsoon Precipitation Simulated by a Regional Air-Sea Coupled Model

The performance of a regional air-sea coupled model, comprising the Regional Integrated Environment Model System （RIEMS） and the Princeton Ocean Model （POM）, in simulating the seasonal and intraseasonal variations of East Asian summer monsoon （EASM） rainfall was investigated. Through comparisons of the model results among the coupled model, the uncoupled RIEMS, and observations, the impact of air-sea coupling on simulating the EASM was also evaluated. Results showed that the regional air sea coupled climate model performed better in simulating the spatial pattern of the precipitation climatology and produced more realistic variations of the EASM rainfall in terms of its amplitude and principal EOF modes. The coupled model also showed greater skill than the uncoupled RIEMS in reproducing the principal features of climatological intraseasonal oscillation （CISO） of EASM rainfall, including its dominant period, intensity, and northward propagation. Further analysis indicated that the improvements in the simulation of the EASM rainfall climatology and its seasonal variation in the coupled model were due to better simulation of the western North Pacific Subtropical High, while the improvements of CISO simulation were owing to the realistic phase relationship between the intraseasonal convection and the underlying SST resulting from the air-sea coupling.

Subseasonal features of the Asian summer monsoon in the NCEP climate forecast system

The operational climate forecast system （CFS） of the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction provides climate predictions over the world, and CFS products are becoming an important source of information for regional climate predictions in many Asian countries where monsoon climate dominates. Recent studies have shown that, on monthly-to-seasonal time-scales, the CFS is highly skillful in simulating and predicting the variability of the Asian monsoon. The higher-frequency variability of the Asian summer monsoon in the CFS is analyzed, using output from a version with a spectral triangular truncation of 126 waves in horizontal and 64 sigma layers in vertical, focusing on synoptic, quasi-biweekly, and intraseasonal time-scales. The onset processes of different regional monsoon components were investigated within Asia. Although the CFS generally overestimates variability of monsoon on these time-scales, it successfully captures many major features of the variance patterns, especially for the synoptic timescale. The CFS also captures the timing of summer monsoon onsets over India and the Indo-China Peninsula. However, it encounters difficulties in simulating the onset of the South China Sea monsoon. The success and failure of the CFS in simulating the onset of monsoon precipitation can also be seen from the associated features of simulated atmospheric circulation processes. Overall, the CFS is capable of simulating the synoptic-to-intraseasonal variability of the Asian summer monsoon with skills. As for seasonal-tointerannual time-scales shown previously, the model is expected to possess a potential for skillful predictions of the high-frequency variability of the Asian monsoon.

Structure and Propagation Characteristics of Climatological Mean Kinetic Energy of Disturbance of Intraseasonal Oscillation in Asian Summer Monsoon Zone

[Objective] The research aimed to study the structure and propagation characteristics of climatological mean kinetic energy of disturbance of intraseasonal oscillation in Asian summer monsoon zone. [Method] When South China Sea monsoon started to break out, the kinetic energy of intraseasonal oscillation disturbance in the monsoon zone was analyzed, especially the researches about the variation of South China Sea monsoon, the development of Indian monsoon and the advancement of East Asian monsoon. [Result] The developed process of Asian summer monsoon had the close relationship with the kinetic energy activity of 30-60 d low-frequency oscillation disturbance. The kinetic energy of disturbance explained the eruption, occurrence, development and termination of monsoon from the energy angle. It was found that the kinetic energy of disturbance in Arabian Sea zone, Bay of Bengal and South China Sea area was the strongest, especially in Arabian Sea zone. It illustrated that Arabian Sea zone (Somali jet) was the biggest energy source of Asian monsoon. The starting mark of monsoon eruption in the whole Asia was the abrupt eruption of South China Sea monsoon. The eruption of South China Sea monsoon in the middle dekad of May was the westward transmission result of kinetic energy of disturbance on the east sea surface of Philippines. The kinetic energy of disturbance in East Asian monsoon zone had the seasonal northward advancement in summer. The high kinetic energy center of disturbance in Indian monsoon zone changed from one to two. They were respectively in Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. [Conclusion] The research provided the theory basis for analyzing the atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation.

Comparison of the Structure and Evolution of Intraseasonal Oscillations Before and After Onset of the Asian Summer Monsoon

High-resolution satellite-derived data and NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data are used to investigate intraseasonal oscillations （ISO） over the tropical Indian Ocean.A composite evolution of the ISO life cycle is constructed,including the initiation,development,and propagation of rainfall anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean.The characteristics of ISO over the tropical Indian Ocean are profoundly different before and after the onset of the Indian summer monsoon.Positive precipitation anomalies before monsoon onset appear one phase earlier than those after monsoon onset.Before monsoon onset,precipitation anomalies associated with ISO first initiate in the western tropical Indian Ocean and then propagate eastward along the equator.After monsoon onset,convective anomalies propagate northward over the Indian summer monsoon region after an initial eastward propagation over the equatorial Indian Ocean.Surface wind convergence and air-sea interaction play critical roles in initiating each new cycle of ISO convection.

Analysis of Basic Features of the Onset of the Asian Summer Monsoon

In this paper, a relatively systematic climatological research on the onset of the Asian tropical summer monsoon （ATSM） was carried out. Based on a unified index of the ATSM onset, the advance of the whole ATSM was newly made and then the view that the ATSM firstly breaks out over the tropical eastern Indian Ocean and the middle and southern Indo-China Peninsula was further documented, which was in the 26th pentad （about May 10）, then over the South China Sea （SCS） in the 28th pentad. It seems that the ATSM onset over the two regions belongs to the different stages of the same monsoon system. Then, the onset mechanism of ATSM was further investigated by the comprehensive analysis on the land-sea thermodynamic contrast, intraseasonal oscillation, and so on, and the several key factors which influence the ATSM onset were put forward. Based on these results, a possible climatological schematic map that the ATSM firstly breaks out over the tropical eastern Indian Ocean, the Indo-China Peninsula, and the SCS was also presented, namely seasonal evolution of the atmospheric circulation was the background of the monsoon onset; the enhancement and northward advance of the convections, the sensible heating and latent heating over the Indo-China Peninsula and its neighboring areas, the dramatic deepening of the India-Burma trough, and the westerly warm advection over the eastern Tibetan Plateau were the major driving forces of the summer monsoon onset, which made the meridional gradient of the temperature firstly reverse over this region and ascending motion develop. Then the tropical monsoon and precipitation rapidly developed and enhanced. The phase-lock of the 30-60-day and 10-20-day low frequency oscillations originated from different sources was another triggering factor for the summer monsoon onset. It was just the common effect of these factors that induced the ATSM earliest onset over this region.

Possible mechanism of the effect of convection over Asian-Australian “land bridge” on the East Asian summer monsoon onset

The Asian-Australian “land bridge” is an area with the most vigorous convection in Asian monsoon region in boreal spring, where the onset and march of convection are well associated with the onset of East Asian summer monsoon. The convection occurs over Indo-China Peninsula as early as mid-April, which exerts critical impact on the evolution of monsoon circulation. Before mid-April there are primarily sensible heatings to the atmosphere over Indo-China Peninsula and Indian Peninsula, so the apparent heating ratios over them decrease with height. However, after mid-April it changes into latent heating over Indo-China Peninsula due to the onset of convection, and the apparent heating ratio increases with height in mid- and lower troposphere. The vertical distribution of heating ratio and its differences between Indo-China Peninsula and Indian Peninsula are the key factors leading to the splitting of boreal subtropical high belt over the Bay of Bengal. Such mechanism is strongly supported by the fact that the evolution of the vertical heating ratio gradient above Indo-China Peninsula leads that of 850 hPa vorticity over the Bay of Bengal. Convections over Indo-China Peninsula and its surrounding areas further increase after the splitting. Since then, there is a positive feedback lying among the convective heating, the eastward retreat of the subtropical high and the march of monsoon, which is a possible mechanism of the advance of summer monsoon and convection from Indo-China Peninsula to South China Sea.

The onset and advance of the Asian summer monsoon

Based on the daily outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data from National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites, the Cli- mate Prediction Center’s merged analysis of pre- cipitation (CMAP) data and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for At- mospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis dataset, the mean intraseasonal variability of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) is investigated by using power spectrum analysis, band-pass filter, and diagnostic analyses. The processes of the onset and advance of monsoon over the southern part of Indo- china Peninsula, the east coast of Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea and the Indian subcontinent are explored. It is found that there is an abrupt change in OLR, precipitation and zonal wind during the onset and advance of the ASM. It is also indicated that the southern part of Indochina Peninsula and the adja- cent Andaman Sea is the region where the earliest onset of the ASM occurs in the 2nd pentad of May.

A Diagnostic Study of the Influence of Early Spring Soil Moisture in Southeastern China on Interannual Variability of the East Asian Subtropical Summer Monsoon Onset

The effect of soil moisture(SM)on the onset of East Asian subtropical summer monsoon(EASSM)is investigated based on multiple sets of reanalysis data in the period of 1981–2010.It is found that the EASSM is characterized by persistent 2-m s^(−1) southerly winds for about 3 months in spring at 850 hPa over the subtropical region of East Asia.Considering this feature of the meridional winds,we define the EASSM onset date,and obtain that the climatological onset date is pentad 17.7,around 26 March.On the interannual timescale,the onset date of EASSM exhibits statistically significant correlation with the SM in southeastern China in the month preceding the onset,with wetter(drier)conditions being associated with later(earlier)onset.The physical process by which the preceding SM affects the EASSM onset is further explored by examining the surface energy balance as well as its impacts.Positive(negative)SM anomalies in southeastern China in the month before onset may induce negative(positive)surface temperature anomalies.The decreased(increased)surface temperature in southeastern China before the EASSM onset weakens(strengthens)the zonal sea–land thermal contrast in the surface and low-level atmosphere in the subtropical East Asia.The zonal sea–land thermal contrast in wetter(drier)years induces anomalous northerly(southerly)winds over southeastern China,which tends to delay(advance)the zonal thermal seasonal transition in spring and is conducive to a later(earlier)onset of EASSM.These results are helpful for understanding and prediction of the variability of EASSM and the EASSM onset.

The northern boundary of the Asian summer monsoon and division of westerlies and monsoon regimes over the Tibetan Plateau in present-day

Precipitation patterns and their variations over the Tibetan Plateau(TP) are mainly dominated by the Asian summer monsoon, westerlies, and their interactions. The exact extent of the Asian summer monsoon’s influence, however, remains undetermined. Referencing the climatological northern boundary index of the East Asian summer monsoon, we demonstrate that the 300 mm precipitation isoline from May to September can be utilized as an indicator of the northern boundary of the Asian summer monsoon over the TP, allowing for an analysis of the spatial distribution characteristics of the climatological and interannual northern boundary. Our results indicate that the climatological northern boundary of the Asian summer monsoon over the TP lies along the eastern Qilian Mountains-Tanggula Mountains-Qiangtang Plateau-Gangdise Mountains-Western Himalayas during 2001–2020. This position corresponds well with the position of the convergence of westerly(westerlies) and southerly wind(monsoon) in the lower troposphere, representing the interface between dry and wet regions in the rainy season over the TP. There is a significant positive correlation between changes in the zonal/meridional water vapor budget and variations in precipitation to the north/south of the climatological northern boundary, respectively. Additionally, a close relationship exists between the interannual fluctuation range of the northern boundary and the distribution of vegetation across the TP. Compared to the northern boundary of the summer monsoon defined by meteorological criteria, which is established based on 5-day(pentad)mean precipitation(exceeding 4 mm day^(-1)), our climatological northern boundary offers a more objective portrayal of the region that experiences persistent influence from the summer monsoon. These indicate that climatological northern boundary has a clear significance for natural geographical distribution such as the westerlies-monsoon circulation, ecology, and climate. Based on the interannual fluctuation range of the northern boundary, we divided the TP into domains of westerlies, monsoon, and westerliesmonsoon transition. This study could serve as a foundation for further investigation into the interactions between westerlies and monsoon, variations in precipitation patterns and hydrological-ecological systems over the TP.

Recent Advances in Understanding Multi-scale Climate Variability of the Asian Monsoon

Studies of the multi-scale climate variability of the Asian monsoon are essential to an advanced understanding of the physical processes of the global climate system.In this paper,the progress achieved in this field is systematically reviewed,with a focus on the past several years.The achievements are summarized into the following topics:(1)the onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon;(2)the East Asian summer monsoon;(3)the East Asian winter monsoon;and(4)the Indian summer monsoon.Specifically,new results are highlighted,including the advanced or delayed local monsoon onset tending to be synchronized over the Arabian Sea,Bay of Bengal,Indochina Peninsula,and South China Sea;the basic features of the record-breaking mei-yu in 2020,which have been extensively investigated with an emphasis on the role of multi-scale processes;the recovery of the East Asian winter monsoon intensity after the early 2000s in the presence of continuing greenhouse gas emissions,which is believed to have been dominated by internal climate variability(mostly the Arctic Oscillation);and the accelerated warming over South Asia,which exceeded the tropical Indian Ocean warming,is considered to be the main driver of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall recovery since 1999.A brief summary is provided in the final section along with some further discussion on future research directions regarding our understanding of the Asian monsoon variability.

Climatology and Interannual Variability of the Southeast Asian Summer Monsoon

In this paper, results from a pilot study for the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment are reported. Based on analyses of 9 years of pentad and monthly mean data, the climatology of subseasonal features and interannual variability of the Southeast Asian monsoon (SEAM) are documented. The present analysis is focused on the sudden onset of the South China Sea monsoon and its relation to the atmospheric and oceanic processes on the entire Asian monsoon region. \ \ It is found that the onset of the SEAM occurs around mid-May, signaling the earliest stage of the entire Asian summer monsoon system. The establishment of monsoon rainfall over the South China Sea is abrupt, being accompanied by substantial changes in the large scale atmospheric circulation and sea surface temperature in the adjacent oceans. The onset and fluctuations of SEAM involve the interaction and metamorphosis of the large scale convection over the Indo-China, the South China Sea and the southern Bay of Bengal. Results show that the onset time of the SEAM differs greatly from one year to another. The delayed (advanced) onset of the monsoon may be related to basin-wide warm (cold) events of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. We also present evidence showing that the SEAM fluctuations in May may foreshadow the development of the full-scale Asian summer monsoon during the subsequent months.

The effects of asymmetric potential vorticity forcing on the instability of South Asia High and Indian summer monsoon onset

Based on the theory of potential vorticity(PV),the unstable development of the South Asia High(SAH)due to diabatic heating and its impacts on the Indian Summer Monsoon(ISM)onset are studied via a case diagnosis of 1998.The Indian Summer Monsoon onset in 1998 is related to the rapidly strengthening and northward moving of a tropical cyclone originally located in the south of Arabian Sea.It is demonstrated that the rapid enhancement of the cyclone is a consequence of a baroclinic development characterized by the phase-lock of high PV systems in the upper and lower troposphere.Both the intensification of the SAH and the development of the zonal asymmetric PV forcing are forced by the rapidly increasing latent heat released from the heavy rainfall in East Asia and South East Asia after the onsets of the Bay of Bengal(BOB)monsoon and the South China Sea(SCS)monsoon.High PV moves southwards along the intensified northerlies on the eastern side of the SAH and travels westwards on its south side,which can reach its northwest.Such a series of high PV eddies are transported to the west of the SAH continuously,which is the main source of PV anomalies in the upper troposphere over the Arabian Sea from late spring to early summer.A cyclonic curvature on the southwest of the SAH associated with increasing divergence,which forms a strong upper tropospheric pumping,is generated by the anomalous positive PV over the Arabian Sea on 355 K.The cyclone in the lower troposphere moves northwards from low latitudes of the Arabian Sea,and the upper-layer high PV extends downwards and southwards.Baroclinic development thus occurs and the tropical low-pressure system develops into an explosive vortex of the ISM,which leads to the onset of the ISM.In addition,evolution of subtropical anticyclone over the Arabian Peninsula is another important factor contributing to the onset of the ISM.Before the onset,the surface sensible heating on the Arabian Peninsula is very strong.Consequently the subtropical anticyclone which dominated the Arabian Sea in spring retreats westwards to the Arabian Peninsula and intensifies rapidly.The zonal asymmetric PV forcing develops gradually with high PV eddies moving southwards along northerlies on the eastern side of the anticyclone,and a high PV trough is formed in the middle troposphere over the Arabian Sea,which is favorable to the explosive barotropic development of the tropical cyclone into the vortex.Results from this study demonstrate that the ISM onset,which is different from the BOB and the SCS monsoon onset,is a special dynamical as well as thermodynamic process occurring under the condition of fully coupling of the upper,middle,and lower tropospheric circulations.

A climatological northern boundary index for the East Asian summer monsoon and its interannual variability

A long-term perspective on the spatial variation of the northern boundary of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) and the related physical mechanisms is important for understanding past climate change in Asia and for predicting future changes. However, most of the meteorological definitions of the EASM northern boundary do not correspond well to the actual geographical environment, which is problematic for paleoclimatic research. Here, we use monthly CMAP and GPCP precipitation data to define a new EASM northern boundary index by using the concept of the global monsoon, which is readily applicable to paleoclimatic research. The results show that the distribution of the 2 mm day^(-1) precipitation isoline(i.e., 300 mm precipitation)has a good relationship with the spatial distribution of modern land cover types, the transitional climate zone and the potential natural vegetation types, in China. The locations of the precipitation isolines also correspond well to the locations of major shifts in wind direction. These results suggest that the 2 mm day^(-1) isoline has a clear physical significance since the climatic, ecological,and geographical boundary can be used as the northern boundary index of the EASM(which we call the climatological northern boundary index). The index depicts the northeast-southwest orientation of the climatological(1981-2010) EASM northern boundary, along the eastern part of the Qilian Mountains-southern foothills of the Helan Mountains-Daqing Mountains-western margin of the Greater Khingan Range, from west to east across Northwest and Northeast China. The interannual change of the EASM northern boundary from 1980 to 2015 covers the central part of Gansu, the northern part of Ningxia, the eastern part of Inner Mongolia and the northeastern region in China. It can extend northward to the border between China and Mongolia and retreat southward to Shangdong-central Henan. There is a 200-700 km fluctuation range of the interannual EASM northern boundaries around the locations of the climatological northern boundary. In addition, the spatial variation of the interannual EASM northern boundaries gradually increases from west to east, whereas the trend of north-south fluctuations maintains a roughly consistent location in different regions.