Onset Monsoon

Tuan b.m
 Outline

• WEB – Westerly Easterly Boundary. (Jiangyu MAO1, Johnny C.L.

CHAN)
• Temperature field (Haiyan HE)
• Origin of monsoon. (Chao and Chen)
• What determines the location of the monsoon? (Nikki C. Priveand R. Alan
Plumb)
 WEB – Westerly Easterly Boundary

Geostrophic wind relationship

The thermal wind relationship

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram showing the tilt

of the WEB with height in boreal (a) winter
and (b) summer. The triple line denotes the
WEB surface. E and W are easterly and
westerly winds. Adapted from Mao (2001).
Subtropical anticyclone ridge line at 850 hPa (u=0)
• The projections of the WEB from May 10, 1998 to
May 18, 1998
Fig. 3 Upper-tropospheric
temperature(contours) and
locations of zero zonal wind at 200
hPa(dashed lines) during the
development period of the EASM
(pentads 27, 28, 29) and the INM
(pentads 31, 32, 33) Contour
interval 1ºC. Regions of
temperature warmer than -28ºC are
shaded.
Fig. 4 Same as Fig. 3 except for
the NCEP 2-meter temperature
Contour interval 5°C. Regions
of temperature warmer than
30oC are shaded.
 Possible mechanism

• East Asia
Strong horizontal warm advection and the diabetic heating
are the main contributors to the upper tropospheric
warming against the strong adiabatic cooling during the pre
– onset period
• India
Strong adiabatic heating due to subsidence is the major
warming process against diabetic cooling and the strong
horizontal cold advection related to the persistent
northwestlies to the southwestern periphery of the Tibetan
Plateau
 Origin of monsoon

• Monsoon as displacement of ITCZ

• The latitudinal location of the ITCZ is determined by the
balance of the two opposing effects of the Coriolis parameter
on the synoptic scale convective systems
 First effect of Coriolis : Second effect of Coriolis :

Due to its equivalence to Due to its influence on

vertical stratification boundary-layer winds

Divergence equation

Vorticity equation

Therefore

Or

Schematic diagram showing the effect of

rotation on the boundary layer flow

equator is the most prefered location pole is the most prefered location
 Squared frequency of the inertial gravity wave

atmosphere is most unstable

is balanced by

• Figure 3. Schematic diagram showing the strength of the attraction on the

synoptic-scale convective systems that comprise the ITCZ due to the first effect
of the Coriolis parameter (curve A, positive southward) and to the second effect
of the Coriolis parameter (curve B, positive northward). Curve B is a function
of the cumulus parameter scheme.
 Theories of Monsoon Location

• Limitation of Hadley circulation theory :

– The induced circulation does not affect the forcing field, while in the real
world,the forcing is highly dependent upon the circulation
– The nonlinear theory is concerned with the steady state circulation, rather than
the transient monsoon

• Suggestion:
– The zonal wind field is closely related to the distribution of subcloud moist
entropy
– The eddies do act to redistribute moist static energy in the subcloud layer,
bringing the moist static energy maximum closer to the equator, and
weakening the magnitude of the moist statics entropy maximum.
– The moist statics entropy maximum moves further poleward with increased
land forcing strength, due to the resultant increased advection of low moist
static energy air from the tropical ocean.
 Some useful definitions

1
Specific volume: 

Lv r
Moist entropy: s  (c pd  rt c l )lnT  Rd ln pd   rRv ln(H)
T

Equivalent potential
temperature: (c pd  rt c l )ln e  s  Rd ln p0


Moist static energy: h  (c pd  rt c l )T  Lv r  (1 rt )gz


Moist static energy and entropy are closely related hb  Tb sb
in the boundary layer:

 Some relations in the tropics…

Statistical equilibrium approach: assume a moist adiabatic lapse rate

in the vicinity of deep tropical convection (after Emanuel, Neelin,
and Bretherton (1994))

u 1 
Start with thermal wind: 
p f y

use Maxwell’s equations:   T  s*

    
y p p s* y

1 sb
to get the zonal wind at the tropopaus in
uT   T0  TT 
terms of sb: f y

 Impact of local hb maximum over land

E W
v



S Land N
Ocean
Subcloud moist static
energy, hb
 Relating circulation to boundary layer

Assume zero zonal wind in boundary layer and conservation

of absolute angular momentum by the circulation.

Poleward boundary of circulation coincides with latitude at  ( N )  0  uT ( N )

which zonal wind vanishes in the upper troposphere:

1 sb

We can relate the circulation boundary to the subcloud uT    0 T 0
T  T
moist entropy: f y

 with
So to the poleward limit of the circulation is coincident sb ( N )
the maximum of subcloud moist entropy:
0
y
Resulting meridional circulation and precipitation
 Factors that affect sb

• Surface heat fluxes

• Evaporation of precipitation in convective downdrafts

• Radiative cooling

• Entrainment at the top of the subcloud layer

• Advection by large-scale flow

Circulation may have a strong impact on the subcloud s b distribution through these
feedbacks.
 Impact of flow on hb

Radiative convective equilibrium

In the presence of a meridional

circulation

The moist statics entropy maximum moves further poleward with increased
land forcing strength, due to the resultant increased advection of low moist
static energy air from the tropical ocean.
 So what is going on with hb?

The moist statics entropy maximum moves further poleward with increased
land forcing strength, due to the resultant increased advection of low moist
static energy air from the tropical ocean.
Thank for your attention