Effects of monsoon onset vortex on heat budget in the mixed layer of the Bay of Bengal

We investigated the effects of monsoon onset vortex(MOV)on the mixed layer heat budget in the Bay of Bengal(BOB)in spring 2003 using the reanalysis datasets.The results suggest that the solar radiation flux penetrating the mixed layer and the existence of barrier layer are both able to modulate the effects of MOV on the evolution of sea surface temperature(SST)in the BOB.Prior to the formation of BOB MOV,the local SST raised quickly due to mass of solar radiation reaching the sea surface under the clear-sky condition.Meanwhile,since the mixed layer was shallow before the onset of the Asian summer monsoon(ASM),some solar radiation flux could penetrate to directly heat the deeper water,which partly offset the warming effect of shortwave radiation.On the other hand,the in-situ SST started to cool due to the upwelling of cold water when the MOV generated over the BOB,along with the rapidly increased surface wind speed and its resultant deeper mixed layer.As the MOV developed and moved northward,the SST tended to decrease remarkably because of the strong upward surface latent heat flux over the BOB ascribed to the wind-evaporation mechanism.However,the MOV-related precipitation brought more fresh water into the upper ocean to produce a thicker barrier layer,whose thermal barrier effect damped the cooling effect of entrainment upwelling on the decrease tendency of the BOB SST.In other words,the thermal barrier effect could slow down the decreasing trend of the BOB SST even after the onset of ASM,which facilitated the further enhancement of the MOV.

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.

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.

南海夏季风爆发的环流特征及指标研究

使用美国NCEP/NCAR高度场和风场资料及外逸长波辐射（OLR）资料,分析了4～7月南亚和东亚上空环流场,给出了南海夏季风爆发的定义及1953～1999年季风爆发的时间序列,指出季风爆发存在3种类型的环流场,发现东印度洋赤道两侧涡旋对的出现对季风爆发有很好的指示意义。综合季风爆发过程中热力学和动力学要素的特征,建立了适合南海夏季风爆发的指数计算经验公式。

孟加拉湾低涡与南海季风爆发关系及其可能机理

客观定义并统计了孟加拉湾低涡,确定了30年(1980—2009年)中的34个季风爆发性低涡(MOV),分析其与南海夏季风爆发的关系。分析结果表明:季节转换期内(4—5月)低涡以东移型和北移型为主,这些低涡对南海季风爆发起指示作用,是南海季风爆发的前兆信号,故确定为MOV;气候态下,MOV发生在南海季风爆发前十天。MOV发生在高的海表温度、小的纬向风垂直切变、强的赤道西风的背景环境中;其生成位置与孟加拉湾各区海温演变有关,同一时段内,MOV总是倾向于在海温较高的海域上生成;MOV生成的早晚与赤道西风的增强和发展有密切联系,"亚澳大陆桥"对流和南印度洋海温是影响MOV生成时间的重要因子。这些结论可为南海季风的监测、预报及预测提供参考依据。

赤道涡旋与南海夏季风爆发

文中应用１９７９－１９９５年共１７ａ的８５０ｈＰａ风场资料和ＮＯＡＡ卫星的ＯＬＲ资料，分析了南海夏季风爆发的特征。证实南海夏季风爆发，落后于同纬度的中南半岛和菲律宾岛屿地区。但在南海的东部和西部，季风爆发几乎是同时的，具有某种驻波的特征。文中还证实，大多数年份的４，５月间在１０５°Ｅ附近有赤道涡旋形成，这个涡旋引导它上游的赤道西风或南半球西风进入南海南部，为南海的季风爆发创造有利条件。这种涡旋不活跃的年份，季风爆发往往偏晚。它们之间可能存在某种联系。４月中旬，这个涡旋的形成和１０５°Ｅ越赤道气流的初步建立是同时的。进入５月份，这支越赤道气流逐渐加强。南海夏季风的活动与这支气流可能关系密切。如果称位于１０５°Ｅ附近的赤道涡旋为东亚的爆发涡旋，它显然与南亚季风的情况有较大差别。南亚的爆发涡旋与季风爆发的关系是直接的，而在东亚，则是间接的，这也说明了东亚季风比南亚季风更具有复杂性。

A STUDY OF CIRCULATION CHARACTERISTICS AND INDEX OF SOUTH CHINA SEA SUMMER MONSOON

Based on height and wind data of NCEP/NCAR and OLR data,patterns of upper air circulation from April to October have been analyzed,and the South China Sea (SCS) Summer Monsoon Onset (SMO) and retreat have been defined.The empirical formula fitting to the onset index of the SCS SMO has been established,and the onset and ending time of monsoon,together with the intensity index sequence during 1953—1999 are given by the analysis of characteristics of thermodynamic and dynamic factors during the process of SMO.The emergence and development of symmetric vortex pair at both sides of the equator in tropical East Indian Ocean,which may excite the SCS SMO,can be taken as a short-term prediction indicator of SMO.