Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Seasonal/Interannual Variations of Soil Moisture in the Former USSR and Its Relationship to Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall

Hiroshi Matsuyama Department of Geography, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan

Search for other papers by Hiroshi Matsuyama in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
and
Kooiti Masuda Department of Geography, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan

Search for other papers by Kooiti Masuda in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Apr 1998
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1998)011<0652:SIVOSM>2.0.CO;2
Page(s):
652–658
Restricted access

Abstract

Seasonal/interannual variations of soil moisture in the former USSR during the period from 1972 to 1985 are investigated by using in situ data. An index of soil moisture in central Eurasia is evaluated as the arithmetic mean of soil moisture normalized by the respective field capacity. This index exhibits a maximum at the end of April when the interannual variability of the index reaches a yearly minimum. It was found that snowmelt occurring around mid-April is responsible for this feature, which results in the least persistence of this index from March to April.

Using this index, the relationships between land surface processes over central Eurasia and the following Indian summer monsoons are investigated from the viewpoint of the snow–hydrological effect. The seasonal march of this index and that of spatially averaged snow depth in central Eurasia are described. Based on the amount of Indian summer monsoon rainfall, two cases of good and two cases of poor monsoon years are selected. During these years, an apparent inverse relationship is found between April snow cover over central Eurasia and the subsequent Indian summer monsoon rainfall.

Results indicate that during the warm phases of ENSO, the snow–hydrological effect does not hold, whereas it holds during other years. This result does not contradict former observational and modeling studies, and implies that variations in Indian summer monsoon rainfall are most strongly related to the anomalous circulation of the coupled ocean–atmosphere system, with some contribution from the snow–hydrological effect.

Corresponding author address: Dr. Hiroshi Matsuyama, Department of Geography, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1, Minami-Osawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-03, Japan.

Abstract

Seasonal/interannual variations of soil moisture in the former USSR during the period from 1972 to 1985 are investigated by using in situ data. An index of soil moisture in central Eurasia is evaluated as the arithmetic mean of soil moisture normalized by the respective field capacity. This index exhibits a maximum at the end of April when the interannual variability of the index reaches a yearly minimum. It was found that snowmelt occurring around mid-April is responsible for this feature, which results in the least persistence of this index from March to April.

Using this index, the relationships between land surface processes over central Eurasia and the following Indian summer monsoons are investigated from the viewpoint of the snow–hydrological effect. The seasonal march of this index and that of spatially averaged snow depth in central Eurasia are described. Based on the amount of Indian summer monsoon rainfall, two cases of good and two cases of poor monsoon years are selected. During these years, an apparent inverse relationship is found between April snow cover over central Eurasia and the subsequent Indian summer monsoon rainfall.

Results indicate that during the warm phases of ENSO, the snow–hydrological effect does not hold, whereas it holds during other years. This result does not contradict former observational and modeling studies, and implies that variations in Indian summer monsoon rainfall are most strongly related to the anomalous circulation of the coupled ocean–atmosphere system, with some contribution from the snow–hydrological effect.

Corresponding author address: Dr. Hiroshi Matsuyama, Department of Geography, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1, Minami-Osawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-03, Japan.

Save
Cover Journal of Climate
Journal of Climate

  • Barnett, T. P., L. Dümenil, U. Schlese, and E. Roeckner, 1989: The effect of Eurasian snow cover on regional and global climate variations. J. Atmos. Sci.,46, 661–685.

  • Bhanu Kumar, O.S.R.U., 1988: Interaction between Eurasian winter snow cover and location of the ridge at 500 hPa level along 75°E. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan,66, 509–514.

  • Dey, B., and O.S.R.U. Bhanu Kumar, 1982: An apparent relationship between Eurasian spring snow cover and the advance period of the Indian summer monsoon. J. Appl. Meteor.,21, 1929–1932.

  • ——, and ——, 1983: Himalayan winter snow cover area and summer monsoon rainfall over India. J. Geophys. Res.,88, 5471–5474.

  • ——, and ——, 1984: Reply. J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,23, 343–344.

  • ——, and S. N. Kathuria, 1986: Himalayan snow cover area and onset of summer monsoon over Kerala, India. Mausam,37, 193–196.

  • ——, ——, and O.S.R.U. Bhanu Kumar, 1985: Himalayan summer snow cover and withdrawal of the Indian summer monsoon. J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,24, 865–868.

  • Dickson, R. R., 1984: Eurasian snow cover versus Indian monsoon rainfall—An extension of the Hahn–Shukla results. J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,23, 171–173.

  • Douville, H., and J.-F. Royer, 1996: Sensitivity of the Asian summer monsoon to an anomalous Eurasian snow cover within the Météo-France GCM. Climate Dyn.,12, 449–466.

  • Hahn, D. G., and J. Shukla, 1976: An apparent relationship between Eurasian snow cover and Indian monsoon rainfall. J. Atmos. Sci.,33, 2461–2462.

  • Kripalani, R. H., S. V. Singh, A. D. Vernekar, and V. Thapliyal, 1996: Empirical study on NIMBUS-7 snow mass and Indian summer monsoon rainfall. Int. J. Climatol.,16, 23–34.

  • Li, C., and M. Yanai, 1996: The onset and interannual variability of the Asian summer monsoon in relation to land–sea thermal contrast. J. Climate,9, 358–375.

  • Masuda, K., Y. Morinaga, A. Numaguti, and A. Abe-Ouchi, 1993: The annual cycle of snow cover extent over the Northern Hemisphere as revealed by NOAA/NESDIS satellite data. Geogr. Rep. Tokyo Metro. University, 28, 113–132. [Available from Department of Geography, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1–1, Minami-Osawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-03, Japan.].

  • Morinaga, Y., 1992: Interactions between Eurasian snow cover and the atmospheric circulations in the Northern Hemisphere. Ph.D. thesis, University of Tsukuba, 81 pp. [Available from Institute of Geoscience, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan.].

  • Ose, T., 1996: The comparison of the simulated response to the regional snow mass anomalies over Tibet, Eastern Europe, and Siberia. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan,74, 845–866.

  • Parthasarathy, B., K. R. Kumar, and A. A. Munot, 1991: Evidence of secular variations in Indian monsoon rainfall–circulation relationships. J. Climate,4, 927–938.

  • Robock, A., K. Ya. Vinnikov, C. A. Schlosser, N. A. Speranskaya, and Y. Xue, 1995: Use of midlatitude soil moisture and meteorological observations to validate soil moisture simulations with biosphere and bucket models. J. Climate,8, 15–35.

  • Ropelewski, C. F., A. Robock, and M. Matson, 1984: Comments on“An apparent relationship between Eurasian spring snow cover and the advance period of the Indian summer monsoon.” J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,23, 341–342.

  • Shen, X., M. Kimoto, and A. Sumi, 1996: The interannual variability of broad-scale summer monsoon simulated by CCSR/NIES AGCM. Proc. GAME Domestic Conf., Nagoya, Japan, GAME, 66–71.

  • Tomita, T., and T. Yasunari, 1993: On the two types of ENSO. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan,71, 273–284.

  • Vernekar, A. D., J. Zhou, and J. Shukla, 1995: The effect of Eurasian snow cover on the Indian monsoon. J. Climate,8, 248–266.

  • Vinnikov, K. Ya., and I. B. Yeserkepova, 1991: Soil moisture: Empirical data and model results. J. Climate,4, 66–79.

  • ——, A. Robock, N. A. Speranskaya, and C. A. Schlosser, 1996: Scales of temporal and spatial variability of midlatitude soil moisture. J. Geophys. Res.,101, 7163–7174.

  • Webster, P. J., and S. Yang, 1992: Monsoon and ENSO: Selectively interactive systems. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc.,118, 877–926.

  • Yanai, M., and C. Li, 1994: Mechanism of heating and the boundary layer over the Tibetan plateau. Mon. Wea. Rev.,122, 305–323.

  • ——, ——, and Z. Song, 1992: Seasonal heating of the Tibetan plateau and its effects on the evolution of the Asian summer monsoon. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan,70, 319–351.

  • Yang, S., 1996: ENSO-snow-monsoon associations and seasonal-interannual predictions. Int. J. Climatol.,16, 125–134.

  • Yasunari, T., 1991: The monsoon year—A new concept of the climatic year in the Tropics. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,72, 1331–1338.

  • ——, and Y. Seki, 1992: Role of the Asian monsoon on the interannual variability of the global climate system. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan,70, 177–189.

  • ——, A. Kitoh, and T. Tokioka, 1991: Local and remote responses to excessive snow mass over Eurasia appearing in the Northern spring and summer climate—A study with the MRI·GCM. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan,69, 473–487.

  • Yeh, T. C., R. T. Wetherald, and S. Manabe, 1983: A model study of the short-term climatic and hydrologic effects of sudden snow-cover removal. Mon. Wea. Rev.,111, 1013–1024.

  • Zwiers, F. W., 1993: Simulation of the Asian summer monsoon with the CCC GCM-1. J. Climate,6, 470–486.

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 598 323 30
PDF Downloads 108 30 2