COLA AGCM simulation of the effect of anomalous spring snow over Eurasia on the Indian summer monsoon
✍ Scribed by A. S. Bamzai; L. Marx
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2000
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 756 KB
- Volume
- 126
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0035-9009
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The ability of the Center for Ocean‐Land‐Atmosphere Studies Atmospheric General Circulation Model to capture the inverse snow‐monsoon relation observed in satellite‐derived data is tested. The effect of initial enhanced and reduced spring Eurasian snow mass on the evolution of the subsequent Indian summer monsoon is examined through 11‐member ensemble integrations from 1 March to 1 October. The results of the sensitivity experiment indicate that remote responses from the snow‐mass anomalies include significant changes in the sensible‐heat flux, latent‐heat flux and sea level pressure, leading to changes in summer precipitation over the land mass of the Indian subcontinent. For the pre‐monsoon season, the ensemble average of the temperature of the atmospheric column for enhanced snow mass is anomalously colder over large‐scale regions of the Eurasian continent compared with the ensemble average for the reduced snow mass. Low‐level south‐westerlies associated with monsoonal circulation are increased. The results indicate the importance of land‐surface processes in the evolution of the monsoon circulation and lend hope to the use of Eurasian spring snow mass towards improved forecasting of the summer monsoon.