Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Asian Summer Monsoon in CMIP5 Projections: A Link between the Change in Extreme Precipitation and Monsoon Dynamics

Nicolas Freychet Research Center for Environmental Changes, Taipei, Taiwan

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Huang-Hsiung Hsu Research Center for Environmental Changes, Taipei, Taiwan

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Chia Chou Research Center for Environmental Changes, Taipei, Taiwan

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Chi-Hua Wu Research Center for Environmental Changes, Taipei, Taiwan

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Print Publication:
15 Feb 2015
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00449.1
Page(s):
1477–1493
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Abstract

Change in extreme events in climate projections is a major concern. If the frequency of dry events is expected to increase in a warmer climate (thus, the overall number of wet days will decrease), heavy and extreme precipitation are also expected to increase because of a shift of the precipitation spectrum. However, the forecasts exhibit numerous uncertainties.

This study focuses on the Asian region, separated into the following three subregions: the East Asian region, the Indian region, and western North Pacific region, where the summer monsoon can bring heavy rainfall. Particularly emphasized herein is the reliability of the projection, using data from a large ensemble of 30 models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. The scattering of the ensemble enables obtaining an optimal estimate of the uncertainties, and it is used to compute the correlation between projected changes of extreme events and circulation changes.

The results show clear spatial and temporal variations in the confidence of changes, with results being more reliable during the wet season (i.e., the summer monsoon). The ensemble predicts changes in atmospheric circulation with favorable confidence, especially in the low-level moisture flux convergence (MFC). However, the correlation between this mean change and the modification of extreme events is nonsignificant. Also analyzed herein are the correlation and change of MFC exclusively during these events. The horizontal MFC exerts a nonnegligible influence on the change in the intensity of extremes. However, it is mostly the change in vertical circulation and moisture advection that is correlated with the change in frequency and intensity of extreme events.

Corresponding author address: Nicolas Freychet, Academia Sinica, RCEC, Research Center for Information Technology Innovation Building, Room 427, 128 Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 115, Taiwan. E-mail: nfreychet@gate.sinica.edu.tw

Abstract

Change in extreme events in climate projections is a major concern. If the frequency of dry events is expected to increase in a warmer climate (thus, the overall number of wet days will decrease), heavy and extreme precipitation are also expected to increase because of a shift of the precipitation spectrum. However, the forecasts exhibit numerous uncertainties.

This study focuses on the Asian region, separated into the following three subregions: the East Asian region, the Indian region, and western North Pacific region, where the summer monsoon can bring heavy rainfall. Particularly emphasized herein is the reliability of the projection, using data from a large ensemble of 30 models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. The scattering of the ensemble enables obtaining an optimal estimate of the uncertainties, and it is used to compute the correlation between projected changes of extreme events and circulation changes.

The results show clear spatial and temporal variations in the confidence of changes, with results being more reliable during the wet season (i.e., the summer monsoon). The ensemble predicts changes in atmospheric circulation with favorable confidence, especially in the low-level moisture flux convergence (MFC). However, the correlation between this mean change and the modification of extreme events is nonsignificant. Also analyzed herein are the correlation and change of MFC exclusively during these events. The horizontal MFC exerts a nonnegligible influence on the change in the intensity of extremes. However, it is mostly the change in vertical circulation and moisture advection that is correlated with the change in frequency and intensity of extreme events.

Corresponding author address: Nicolas Freychet, Academia Sinica, RCEC, Research Center for Information Technology Innovation Building, Room 427, 128 Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 115, Taiwan. E-mail: nfreychet@gate.sinica.edu.tw
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