Western Himalayan snow cover and Indian monsoon rainfall: A re-examination with INSAT and NCEP/NCAR data

Kripalani, R. H.; Kulkarni, Ashwini; Sabade, S. S.

doi:10.1007/s00704-002-0699-z

Cited by 131 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Since Blanford (1884) first found an association between Himalayan winter snow accumulation and subsequent Indian summer monsoon rainfall, many studies have investigated Corresponding author: MAO Jiang- Yu, mjy@lasg.iap.ac.cn the impacts of snow cover on the Asian summer monsoon. Based on data for the period of 1876−1908, Walker (1910 confirmed the inverse relationship between Himalayan winter-spring snow and Indian summer monsoon, such a result further supported by Dey and Bhanu Kumar (1983) and Kripalani et al (2003). Hahn and Shukla (1976) extended the extent of snow cover to Eurasia and found a statistically significant negative correlation between Eurasian winter snow cover south of 52°N and rainfall during the following Indian summer monsoon, and such a finding was confirmed by several observational studies (Yang and Lau, 1996;Singh and Oh, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Interannual Variability of Snow Depth over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Associated Atmospheric Circulation Anomalies

Mao

2010

Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters

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The interannual variability of wintertime snow depth over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and related atmospheric circulation anomalies were investigated based on observed snow depth measurements and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was applied to identify the spatio-temporal variability of wintertime TP snow depth. Snow depth anomalies were dominated by a monopole pattern over the TP and a dipole structure with opposite anomalies over the southeastern and northwestern TP. The atmospheric circulation conditions responsible for the interannual variability of TP snow depth were examined via regression analyses against the principal component of the most dominant EOF mode. In the upper troposphere, negative zonal wind anomalies over the TP with extensively positive anomalies to the south indicated that the southwestward shift of the westerly jet may favor the development of surface cyclones over the TP. An anomalous cyclone centered over the southeastern TP was associated with the anomalous westerly jet, which is conducive to heavier snowfall and results in positive snow depth anomalies. An anomalous cyclone was observed at 500 hPa over the TP, with an anomalous anticyclone immediately to the north, suggesting that the TP is frequently affected by surface cyclones. Regression analyses revealed that significant negative thickness anomalies exist around the TP from March to May, with a meridional dipole anomaly in March. The persistent negative anomalies due to more winter TP snow are not conducive to earlier reversal of the meridional temperature gradient, leading to a possible delay in the onset of the Asian summer monsoon. Keywords: Tibetan Plateau, snow depth, interannual variability, atmospheric circulation anomalies Citation: Mao, J.-Y., 2010: Interannual variability of snow depth over the Tibetan Plateau and its associated atmospheric circulation anomalies, Atmos. Oceanic Sci. Lett., 3,[213][214][215][216][217][218]

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Interannual Variability of Snow Depth over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Associated Atmospheric Circulation Anomalies

Mao

2010

Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters

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“…In other words low air temperatures on the TP (= high T FP −T P ) generally yield weak monsoons, which is in agreement with findings of this study. Kripalani et al (2004) found that the well-documented negative relationship between winter snow and summer rainfall has recently changed into a positive relation ship in the western Himalayas, and argue that a possible cause might be found in global warming and the interaction between snow depth and cover.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Historical trends and future predictions of climate variability in the Brahmaputra basin

Immerzeel¹

2007

Intl Journal of Climatology

210

167

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An innovative approach is developed and presented to assess historical climate variations and to quantify future climate change for the entire Brahmaputra basin. Historical trends in temperature and precipitation are analysed from 1900 to 2002 for the Tibetan plateau (TP), the Himalayan belt and the floodplains (FP) using a global 100 year monthly high resolution dataset. Temperature patterns are consistent with global warming and out of the 10% warmest years from 1900 to 2002 six occurred between 1995 and 2002. No clear trends in precipitation were found and annual precipitation in the basin is mainly determined by the strength of the monsoon. Regression analysis is used to further explain monsoon precipitation. A significant inverse relation is found between air temperature differences between the FP and the TP and the strength of the monsoon, whereas the El Niño Southern Oscillation teleconnection does not have a prominent role in explaining variation in monsoon precipitation. Simulation results of six general circulation models are statistically downscaled to the spatial resolution of the observed dataset for two future storylines. The analysis predicts accelerated seasonal increases in both temperature and precipitation from 2000 to 2100. The largest changes occur on the TP and the smallest on the FP. Multiple regression analysis shows a sharp increase in the occurrence of average and extreme downstream discharges for both storylines. The strongest increases are projected for the monsoon season and the largest threat of climate change lies in the associated flooding in the densely populated FP.

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“…3). Since then numerous similar studies have been done using some different indices of snow cover for winter and/or spring, and some different indices of the Indian or Asian summer monsoon activity (Dey and Bhanu Kumar 1982;Dickson 1984;Bhanu Kumar 1987, 1988Chattopadhay and Singh 1995;Kripalani et al 1996Kripalani et al , 2003Shankar-Rao et al 1996;Morinaga et al 1997Morinaga et al , 2000Bamzai and Shukla 1999;Kripalani and Kulkarni 1999;Robock et al 2003). Some studies also discussed Eurasian snow-AIMR relationship, as part of ENSO-monsoon connections (Yasunari 1987;Kahndekar 1991;Yasunari and Seki 1992;Yang 1996;Yang and Lau 1998;Kawamura 1998;Ye and Bao 2001;Liu and Yanai 2002).…”

Section: Role Of Continental Snow Covermentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Land-Atmosphere Interaction on Asian Monsoon Climate

Yasunari

2007

Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan

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This paper has discussed the land-atmosphere interaction associated with the Asian monsoon climate and its variability. The snow cover and soil moisture are internal factors of the climate system particularly in the seasonal to interannual time scales, but are suggested to play some important roles in changing large-scale surface energy and water balance, which in turn affect the monsoon circulation and precipitation. From the modeling as well as observational studies it has been suggested that the snow cover is most likely to influence atmosphere essentially through the albedo effect particularly in lower latitudes and on the Tibetan Plateau. The GCM experiments have strongly suggested that soil moisture anomalies efficiently affect the atmosphere under dry or semi-arid condition. Vegetation has also been noted as an important variable for the formation of moist monsoon flow over the continent, in addition to the dynamical and thermo-dynamical effect of the Tibetan Plateau.Through the GCM and RCM experiments the anthropogenically-induced change of land cover/use including the deforestation has proved to be a great impact on regional precipitation and water cycle of the monsoon region by changing characteristics of vegetation control in energy and water cycle, which in turn affect atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and cloud/precipitation processes in regional-scale. The discussion has also been made on how the land surface changes could induce change of precipitation through feedback processes of moisture convergence and in-situ evapo-transpiration processes. The critical role of moisture amount near surface and in the ABL is emphasized, to induce positive feedback to change of precipitation over land in the monsoon region.

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Western Himalayan snow cover and Indian monsoon rainfall: A re-examination with INSAT and NCEP/NCAR data

Cited by 131 publications

References 22 publications

Interannual Variability of Snow Depth over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Associated Atmospheric Circulation Anomalies

Interannual Variability of Snow Depth over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Associated Atmospheric Circulation Anomalies

Historical trends and future predictions of climate variability in the Brahmaputra basin

Role of Land-Atmosphere Interaction on Asian Monsoon Climate

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