Abstract
The establishment of the upper-level South Asian high (SAH) over the Indo-China Peninsula (ICP) during late boreal spring and its possible causes are investigated using long-term NCEP–NCAR and ERA-40 reanalysis and satellite-observed OLR data. Results show that, from early March to mid-April, deep convection stays south of ~6°N over the northern Sumatran islands. As the maximum solar radiation moves over the latitudes of the ICP (10°–20°N) in late April, the air over the ICP becomes unstable. It ascends over the ICP and descends over the adjacent waters to the east and west. This triggers deep convection over the ICP that induces large latent heating and strong updrafts and upper-level divergence, leading to the formation of an upper-level anticyclonic circulation and the SAH over the ICP. During early to mid-May, deep convection over the ICP intensifies and extends northwards to the adjacent waters. Strong latent heating from deep convection enhances and maintains the strong updrafts and upper-level divergence, and the SAH is fully established by mid-May. Thus, the seasonal maximum solar heating and the land–sea contrast around the ICP provide the basic conditions for deep convection to occur preferentially over the ICP, which leads to the formation of the SAH over the ICP from late April to mid-May. Simulations using RegCM4 also indicate that the diabatic heating over the ICP is conducive to the generation and development of upperlevel anticyclonic circulation, which leads to an earlier establishment of the SAH.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Flohn, H., 1960: Recent investigation on the mechanism of the “summer monsoon” of southern and eastern Asia. Proceedings of Symposium on Monsoon of the World, New Delhi, Hind Union Press, 75–88.
Giorgi, F., and Coauthors, 2012: RegCM4: Model description and preliminary tests over multiple CORDEX domains. Clim. Res., 52, 7–29.
Gong, C. S., H. X. Duan, Y. H. Li, C. H. Wang, and Y. L. Ren, 2015: Simulation of temperature and precipitation in China in the last 30 years by using the RegCM4. Journal of Arid Meteorology, 33, 379–385. (in Chinese)
Han, J., Z. Y. Guan, and M. G. Li, 2015: Comparisons of circulation anomalies between the daily precipitation extreme and non-extreme events in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River in boreal summer. Journal of Tropical Meteorology, 21, 131–142.
Haque, M. A., and M. Lal, 1991: Diagnosis of satellite-derived outgoing long wave radiation in relation to rainfall in India. Meteor. Atmos. Phys., 45, 1–13.
He, J. H., H. M. Xu, L. J. Wang, and B. Zhou, 2003: Climatic features of SCS summer monsoon onset and its possible mechanism. Acta Meteor. Sinica, 17, 19–34.
He, J. H., M. Wen, L. J. Wang, and H. M. Xu, 2006: Characteristics of the onset of the Asian Summer Monsoon and the importance of Asian-Australian “land bridge”. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 23, 951–963, doi: 10.1007/s00376-006-0951-z.
Holtslag, A. A. M., E. I. F. De Bruijn, H. L. Pan, 1990: A high resolution air mass transformation model for short-range weather forecasting. Mon. Wea. Rev., 118, 1561–1575.
Hu, P., 2006: Research on the onset of South China Sea monsoon and the reconstructure of South Asia High. PhD dissertation, Nan**g University of Information Science & Technology, 183 pp. (in Chinese)
Kalnay, E., and Coauthors, 1996: The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 437–471.
Ke, D., and Z. Y. Guan, 2014: Variations in regional mean daily precipitation extremes and related circulation anomalies over central China during boreal summer. J. Meteor. Res., 28, 524–539.
Li, C. Y., and M. Q. Mu, 2001: The dipole in the equatorial Indian Ocean and its impacts on climate. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 25, 433–443. (in Chinese)
Liu, B. Q., G. X. Wu, J. Y. Mao, and J. H. He, 2013: Genesis of the South Asian high and its impact on the Asian summer monsoon onset. J. Climate, 26, 2976–2991.
Liu, X. F., Q. G. Zhu, and P. W. Guo, 2000: Conversion characteristics between barotropic and baroclinic circulations of the SAH in its seasonal evolution. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 17, 129–139, doi: 10.1007/s00376-000-0049-y.
Liu, Y. M., G. X. Wu, H. Liu, and P. Liu, 1999: The effect of spatially nonuniform heating on the formation and variation of subtropical high. Part III: Condensation heating and south Asia high and western Pacific subtropical high. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 57, 525–538. (in Chinese)
Liu, Y. M., G. X. Wu, and R. C. Ren, 2004: Relationship between the subtropical anticyclone and diabatic heating. J. Climate, 17, 682–698.
Lu, C. H., L. Huang, J. H. He, and Y. J. Qin, 2015: Interannual variation in heat content of the western Pacific warm pool and its effect on eastern Asian climate anomalies. Journal of Tropical Meteorology, 21, 246–254.
Luo, S. W., Z. A. Qian, and Q. Q. Wang, 1982: The climatic and synoptical study about the relation between the Qinghai- **zang High pressure on the 100mb surface and the flood and drought in east China in summer. Plateau Meteorology, 1, 1–10. (in Chinese)
Mason, R. B., and C. E. Anderson, 1963: The development and decay of the 100-mb summertime anticyclone over southern Asia. Mon. Wea. Rev., 91, 3–12.
Miyasaka, T., and H. Nakamura, 2005: Structure and formation mechanisms of the Northern Hemisphere summertime subtropical highs. J. Climate, 18, 5046–5065.
Qian, Y. F., Q. Zhang, Y. H. Yao, and X. H. Zhang, 2002: Seasonal variation and heat preference of the South Asia High. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 19, 821–836, doi: 10.1007/s00376-002-0047-3.
Qian, Y. F., J. Jiang, Y. Zhang, Y. H. Yao, and Z. F. Xu, 2004: The earliest onset area of the tropical Asian summer monsoon and its mechanisms. Acta Meteor. Sinica, 62, 129–139. (in Chinese)
Rodwell, M. J., and B. J. Hoskins, 1996: Monsoons and the dynamics of deserts. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 122, 1385–1404.
Rodwell, M. J., and B. J. Hoskins, 2001: Subtropical anticyclones and summer monsoons. J. Climate, 14, 3192–3211.
Tan, J., H. Yang, S. Q. Yang, and P. X. Wang, 2005: Characteristics of the longitudinal oscillation of South Asia High during summer. Journal of Nan**g Institute of Meteorology, 28, 452–460. (in Chinese)
Tang, W. Y., and Z. Y. Guan, 2015: ENSO-independent contemporaneous variations of anomalous circulations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres: The polar-tropical seesaw mode. J. Meteor. Res., 29, 917–934.
Tao, S. Y., and F. K. Zhu, 1964: The 100-mb flow patterns in southern Asia in summer and its relation to the advance and retreat of the west-Pacific subtropical anticyclone over the far east. Acta Meteor. Sinica, 34, 385–396. (in Chinese)
Uppala, S. M., and Coauthors, 2005: The ERA-40 re-analysis. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 131, 2961–3012.
Wu, G. X., and Y. S. Zhang, 1998: Tibetan Plateau forcing and the timing of the monsoon onset over South Asia and the South China Sea. Mon. Wea. Rev., 126, 913–927.
Wu, G. X., B. He, Y. M. Liu, Q. Bao and R. C. Ren, 2015: Location and variation of the summertime upper-troposphere temperature maximum over South Asia. Climate Dyn., 45, 2757–2774.
Yanai, M., S. Esbensen, and J. H. Chu, 1973: Determination of bulk properties of tropical cloud clusters from large-scale heat and moisture budgets. J. Atmos. Sci., 30, 611–627.
Yang, H., and C. Y. Li, 2005: Effect of the tropical Pacific-Indian Ocean temperature anomaly mode on the South Asia High. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 29, 99–110. (in Chinese)
Zeng, X. B., M. Zhao, and R. E. Dickinson, 1998: Intercomparison of bulk aerodynamic algorithms for the computation of sea surface fluxes using TOGA COARE and TAO data. J. Climate, 11, 2628–2644.
Zhang, Q. Y., Z. H. **, and J. B. Peng, 2006: The relationships between convection over the Tibetan Plateau and circulation over East Asia. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 30, 802–812 (in Chinese).
Zhang, S. B., S. H. Lv, Y. Bao, and D. Ma, 2015: Sensitivity of precipitation over China to different cumulus parameterization schemes in RegCM4. J. Meteor. Res., 29, 119–131.
Zhang, Y. C., and Y. F. Qian, 2002: Mechanism of thermal features over the Indo-China Peninsula and possible effects on the onset of the South China Sea monsoon, Adv. Atmos. Sci., 19, 885–900, doi: 10.1007/s00376-002-0053-5.
Zhu, F. K., and Coauthors, 1980: The South Asian Highs. Science Press, Bei**g, 95 pp. (in Chinese)
Zhu, Q. G., and J. H. He, 1985: On features of the upper circulation in the establishment of Asian monsoon in 1979 and its medium-range oscillation. Journal of Tropical Meteorology, 1, 9–18. (in Chinese)
Zou, J., and Z. H. **e, 2012: The effects of the land-surface process parameterization of the RegCM4 on climate simulation in East Asia. Acta Meteor. Sinica, 70, 1312–1326. (in Chinese)
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Prof. Zhaoyong GUAN for his help. This work was jointly supported by the Major Program of the Natural Science Researches for Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (Grant No. 14KJA170004), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20131432), the “333” Project of Jiangsu Province, “Qing Lan” Project of Jiangsu Province and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD). A. Dai was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant No. AGS-1353740), the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science (Grant No. DE-SC0012602), and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Grant No. NA15OAR4310086).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, L., Dai, A., Guo, S. et al. Establishment of the South Asian high over the Indo-China Peninsula during late spring to summer. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 34, 169–180 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-6061-7
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-6061-7