Persistent Weakening Trend in the Spring Sensible Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Impact on the Asian Summer Monsoon

Anmin Duan State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Search for other papers by Anmin Duan in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Fei Li State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Search for other papers by Fei Li in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Meirong Wang State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Search for other papers by Meirong Wang in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
, and
Guoxiong Wu State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Search for other papers by Guoxiong Wu in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Restricted access

Abstract

Using a dataset extended by the addition of data for 2004–08, this study reexamined the trend in the sensible heating (SH) flux at 73 meteorological stations over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during 1980–2008 and investigated its impact on monsoon precipitation in the surrounding region. In contrast to ongoing climate warming, a weakening trend in SH is persistent over most of the plateau, despite a sharp increase in the ground–air temperature difference in 2004–08. The weakening trend in SH over the TP is primarily a response to the spatial nonuniformity of large-scale warming over the East Asian continent, which is characterized by much greater warming amplitude at mid- and high latitudes than over the tropics and subtropics. Furthermore, the suppressed air pump effect, which is driven by SH over the TP and acts as a strong forcing source, gives rise to reduced precipitation along the southern and eastern slopes of the plateau, and increased rainfall over northeastern India and the Bay of Bengal. No significantly stable correlation exists between the SH source over the TP and the overall trend or interdecadal variability in the East Asian or South Asian summer monsoon.

Corresponding author address: Anmin Duan, State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 9804, Beijing 100029, China. E-mail: amduan@lasg.iap.ac.cn

Abstract

Using a dataset extended by the addition of data for 2004–08, this study reexamined the trend in the sensible heating (SH) flux at 73 meteorological stations over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during 1980–2008 and investigated its impact on monsoon precipitation in the surrounding region. In contrast to ongoing climate warming, a weakening trend in SH is persistent over most of the plateau, despite a sharp increase in the ground–air temperature difference in 2004–08. The weakening trend in SH over the TP is primarily a response to the spatial nonuniformity of large-scale warming over the East Asian continent, which is characterized by much greater warming amplitude at mid- and high latitudes than over the tropics and subtropics. Furthermore, the suppressed air pump effect, which is driven by SH over the TP and acts as a strong forcing source, gives rise to reduced precipitation along the southern and eastern slopes of the plateau, and increased rainfall over northeastern India and the Bay of Bengal. No significantly stable correlation exists between the SH source over the TP and the overall trend or interdecadal variability in the East Asian or South Asian summer monsoon.

Corresponding author address: Anmin Duan, State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 9804, Beijing 100029, China. E-mail: amduan@lasg.iap.ac.cn
Save
  • Adler, R. F., and Coauthors, 2003: The Version-2 Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) monthly precipitation analysis (1979–present). J. Hydrometeor., 4, 11471167.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Ding, Y., 1994: The summer monsoon in East Asia. Monsoons over China, Y. Ding, Ed., Atmospheric Sciences Library, Vol. 16, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1–90.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Duan, A., and G. Wu, 2005: Role of the Tibetan Plateau thermal forcing in the summer climate patterns over subtropical Asia. Climate Dyn., 24, 793807, doi:10.1007/s00382-004-0488-8.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Duan, A., and G. Wu, 2008: Weakening trend in the atmospheric heat source over the Tibetan Plateau during recent decades. Part I: Observations. J. Climate, 21, 31493164.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Duan, A., and G. Wu, 2009: Weakening trend in the atmospheric heat source over the Tibetan Plateau during recent decades. Part II: Connection with climate warming. J. Climate, 22, 41974212.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Duan, A., Y. Liu, and G. Wu, 2005: Heating status of the Tibetan Plateau from April to June and rainfall and atmospheric circulation anomaly over East Asia in midsummer. Sci. China,48D, 250–57.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Duan, A., G. Wu, Q. Zhang, and Y. Liu, 2006: New proofs of the recent climate warming over the Tibetan Plateau as a result of the increasing greenhouse gases emissions. Chin. Sci. Bull., 51, 13961400.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Flohn, H., 1960: Recent investigation on the mechanism of the “summer monsoon” of southern and eastern Asia. Symposium on Monsoons of the World, Hindu Union Press, 75–88.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Gong, D.-Y., and C.-H. Ho, 2002: Shift in the summer rainfall over the Yangtze River valley in the late 1970s. Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 1436, doi:10.1029/2001GL014523.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Guo, Q. Y., 1983: The summer monsoon intensity index in East Asia and its variation (in Chinese). Acta Geogr. Sin., 38, 207217.

  • Hahn, D. G., and S. Manabe, 1975: The role of mountains in the South Asian monsoon circulation. J. Atmos. Sci., 32, 15151541.

  • Holton, J. R., 1992: An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology. International Geophysics Series, Vol. 48, Academic Press, 511 pp.

  • Hu, Z. Z., 1997: Interdecadal variability of summer climate over East Asia and its association with 500-hPa height and global sea surface temperature. J. Geophys. Res., 102, 19 40319 412.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Huang, R. H., R. S. Cai, J. L. Chen, and L. T. Zhou, 2006: Interdecadal variations of drought and flooding disasters in China and their association with the East Asian climate system. Chin. J. Atmos. Sci., 30, 730743.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Kalnay, E., and Coauthors, 1996: The NCEP/NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis Project. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 433471.

  • Kanamitsu, M., W. Ebisuzaki, J. Woollen, S.-K. Yang, J. J. Hnilo, M. Fiorino, and G. L. Potter, 2002: NCEP–DOE AMIP-II Reanalysis (R-2). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 83, 16311643.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Kwon, M., J.-G. Jhun, and K.-J. Ha, 2007: Decadal change in East Asian summer monsoon circulation in the mid-1990s. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L21706, doi:10.1029/2007GL031977.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Lau, K.-M., K.-M. Kim, and S. Yang, 2000: Dynamical and boundary forcing characteristics of regional components of the Asian summer monsoon. J. Climate, 13, 24612482.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Li, G., T. Duan, J. Wan, Y. Gong, S. Haginoya, L. Chen, and W. Li, 1996: Determination of the drag coefficient over the Tibetan Plateau. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 13, 511518.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Li, G., T. Duan, and Y. Gong, 2000: The bulk transfer coefficients and surface fluxes on the western Tibetan Plateau. Chin. Sci. Bull., 45, 12211226.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Li, J., and Q. Zeng, 2002: A unified monsoon index. Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 1274, doi:10.1029/2001GL013874.

  • Liu, X., and B. Chen, 2000: Climatic warming in the Tibetan Plateau during recent decades. Int. J. Climatol., 20, 17291742.

  • Niu, T., L. X. Chen, and Z. J. Zhou, 2004: The characteristics of climate change over the Tibetan Plateau in the last 40 years and the detection of climatic jumps. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 21, 193203.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Onogi, K., and Coauthors, 2007: The JRA-25 Reanalysis. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 85, 369432.

  • Rudolf, B., 2005: Global precipitation analysis products of the GPCC. Climate status report 2004, DWD Rep. Klimastatusbericht 2004, 163–170. [Available online at http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/generator/DWDWWW/Content/Oeffentlichkeit/KU/KU4/KU42/en/Reports__Publications/Analysis__Products__GPCC__KSB__2004__pdf,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf/Analysis_Products_GPCC_KSB_2004_pdf.pdf.]

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, M. Marquis, K. Averyt, M. M. B. Tignor, H. L. Miller Jr., and Z. Chen, Eds., 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Cambridge University Press, 996 pp.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Tao, S.-Y., and L.-X. Chen, 1987: A review of recent research on the East Asian summer monsoon in China. Monsoon Meteorology, C.-P. Chang and T. N. Krishnamurti, Eds., Oxford Monographs on Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 7, Oxford University Press, 60–92.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Wang, B., and Z. Fan, 1999: Choice of South Asian summer monsoon indices. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 80, 629638.

  • Wang, Q., P. W. Guo, and Y. Y. Cao, 2007: Interdecadal variations of the relationship of spring thermal anomaly over eastern Tibetan Plateau and East Asian summer monsoon (in Chinese). J. Nanjing Inst. Meteor., 30, 259265.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Wu, G., and Y. Zhang, 1998: Tibetan Plateau forcing and the timing of the monsoon onset over South Asia and the South China Sea. Mon. Wea. Rev., 126, 913927.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Wu, G., W. Li, H. Guo, H. Liu, J. Xue, and Z. Wang, 1997: Sensible heat driven air-pump over the Tibetan Plateau and its impacts on the Asian summer monsoon. Collections on the Memory of Zhao Jiuzhang (in Chinese), Y. Duzheng, Ed., Chinese Science Press, 116–126.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Wu, G., and Coauthors, 2007: The influence of mechanical and thermal forcing by the Tibetan Plateau on Asian climate. J. Hydrometeor., 8, 770789.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Yanai, M., C. Li, 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, 319351.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Yeh, T. C., and Y. X. Gao, 1979: Meteorology of the Qinghai-Xizang(Tibet) Plateau (in Chinese). Chinese Science Press, 278 pp.

  • Yeh, T. C., S. W. Lo, and P. C. Chu, 1957: On the heat balance and circulation structure in troposphere over Tibetan Plateau (in Chinese). Acta Meteor. Sin., 28, 108121.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Zhang, Y. S., T. Li, and B. Wang, 2004: Decadal change of the spring snow depth over the Tibetan Plateau: The associated circulation and influence on the East Asian summer monsoon. J. Climate, 17, 27802793.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Zhao, P., and L. X. Chen, 2001: Climate features of atmospheric heat source/sink over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in 35 years and its relation to rainfall in China. Sci. China, 44D, 858864.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Zhou, T. J., D. Y. Gong, J. Li, and B. Li, 2009: Detecting and understanding the multi-decadal variability of the East Asian summer monsoon: Recent progress and state of affairs. Meteor. Z., 18, 455467.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Zhu, W., L. Chen, and X. Zhou, 2001: Several characteristics of contemporary climate change in the Tibetan Plateau. Sci. China, 44D (Suppl.), 410420.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Zhu, Y. X., Y. H. Ding, and H. D. Xu, 2007: The decadal relationship between atmospheric heat source of winter and spring snow over the Tibetan Plateau and rainfall in east China (in Chinese). Acta Meteor. Sin., 65, 946958.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 1498 831 25
PDF Downloads 848 171 3