Indian Summer Monsoon Variability


Book Description

Indian Summer Monsoon Variability: El Niño-Teleconnections and Beyond presents the improved understanding of Indian Monsoon teleconnections (ENSO and Non-ENSO), new advances, and preferred future steps. Special emphasis is given to non-ENSO teleconnections which have been poorly understood for decades. With growing monsoon rainfall extremes across the Indian Subcontinent, a new understanding of monsoon environmental factors that are driven remotely through teleconnections is a trending topic. Finally, the book reviews current understanding ofthe observational and modeling aspects of Indian monsoon teleconnections. This is a must-read for researchers and graduate students in atmospheric science and meteorology. - Presents teleconnections associated with the Indian summer monsoon from a global perspective - Discusses new pathways that connect the remote drivers to Indian summer monsoon variability - Covers a wide range of mechanisms, processes, and science questions in relation to monsoon variability from interannual, decadal to climate change time scales







Impacts of Climate Change on the Indian Summer Monsoon


Book Description

Variability of the Indian summer monsoon has increased significantly since the 1950s. For several regions across India, this means an increase in long dry periods with low or no rainfall, intermittent with short, intense spells of rainfall. These changes are particularly significant for the western, central and eastern states of India where more than 55% of the cultivated area is largely rainfed and where the adaptive capacity is the lowest. The large-scale secular changes in monsoon rainfall are attributed to the increase in global emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. At the same time, local changes through urbanization, land use changes and deforestation have brought in a non-uniform response in these rainfall trends. Changes in the onset, duration and intensity of the rainfall call for a reassessment of the crop calendar and climate resilient measures for the food-water-energy sectors of the country. Global warming has also altered the relationship between sea surface temperatures and other predictors of monsoon rainfall, introducing increasing challenges and uncertainties in the monsoon forecasts. Climate projections indicate a further increase in the monsoon variability and a shortening of the rainy season in the future, though there is considerable disagreement between model simulations.




The Asian Monsoon


Book Description

This is a timely, interdisciplinary scientific overview of the atmosphere, the ocean and the land surface as it interacts with physical, chemical and biological processes. The high level of detail sets it apart from other studies of monsoon meteorology. The text includes analysis of paleoclimate records, human influences on the monsoon climate and the economic impacts of the monsoon on economies and to human health.




Monsoon


Book Description

For much of the twentieth century, Europe dominated global attention. Two world wars were won and lost on its battle fields, and the great ideological struggles of the Cold War were played out in its cities. The Atlantic Ocean was the locus of international power. This is no longer the case, as bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan deftly proves in Monsoon. He shows how the rise of India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Burma and Oman, among others, represents a crucial shift in the global balance of power. It is in 'Monsoon Asia' that the fight for democracy, energy independence and religious freedom will be lost or won. It is here that European interests are being replaced by Chinese and Indian influences, and where the often tense dialogue is taking place between Islam and the West. It is towards this region that global powers need to shift their focus if they are to remain dominant in the new century.




Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region


Book Description

This open access book discusses the impact of human-induced global climate change on the regional climate and monsoons of the Indian subcontinent, adjoining Indian Ocean and the Himalayas. It documents the regional climate change projections based on the climate models used in the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) and climate change modeling studies using the IITM Earth System Model (ESM) and CORDEX South Asia datasets. The IPCC assessment reports, published every 6–7 years, constitute important reference materials for major policy decisions on climate change, adaptation, and mitigation. While the IPCC assessment reports largely provide a global perspective on climate change, the focus on regional climate change aspects is considerably limited. The effects of climate change over the Indian subcontinent involve complex physical processes on different space and time scales, especially given that the mean climate of this region is generally shaped by the Indian monsoon and the unique high-elevation geographical features such as the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the Tibetan Plateau and the adjoining Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal. This book also presents policy relevant information based on robust scientific analysis and assessments of the observed and projected future climate change over the Indian region.




The Indian Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System


Book Description

The Indian Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System provides an overview of our contemporary understanding of the Indian Ocean (geology, atmosphere, ocean, hydrology, biogeochemistry) and its role in the climate system. It describes the monsoon systems, Indian Ocean circulation and connections with other ocean basins. Climatic phenomena in the Indian Ocean are detailed across a range of timescales (seasonal, interannual to multi-decadal). Biogeochemical and ecosystem variability is also described. The book will provide a summary of different tools (e.g., observations, modeling, paleoclimate records) that are used for understanding Indian Ocean variability and trends. Recent trends and future projections of the Indian Ocean, including warming, extreme events, ocean acidification and deoxygenation will be detailed. The Indian Ocean is unique and different from other tropical ocean basins due to its geography. It is traditionally under-observed and understudied, yet plays a fundamental role for regional and global climate. The vagaries of the Asian monsoon affect over a billion people and a third of the global population live in the vicinity of the Indian Ocean. It is also particularly vulnerable to climate change, with robust warming and trends in heat and freshwater observed in recent decades. Advances have recently been made in our understanding of the Indian Ocean's circulation, interactions with adjacent ocean basins, and its role in regional and global climate. Nonetheless, significant gaps remain in understanding, observing, modeling, and predicting Indian Ocean variability and change across a range of timescales. As such, this book is the perfect compendium to any researcher, student, teacher/lecturer in the fields of oceanography, atmospheric science, paleoclimate, environmental science, meteorology and geology, as well as policy managers and water resource managers. - Provides interdisciplinary content with a comprehensive overview for students and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines as well as for stakeholders - Presents a broad overview and background on the current state of knowledge of the variability, change, and regional impacts of the Indian Ocean - Includes links to animations, slideshows, and other educational resources




Monsoon Dynamics


Book Description

This volume presents a survey of our state of knowledge of the physical and dynamical processes involved in the Asian monsoon. Although traditionally the main emphasis has been on the study of the atmospheric component, it has long been known that the oceans play a vitally important part in determining the occurrence of this spectacular seasonal event. A scientific study of this phenomenon involves a detailed investigation of the dynamical processes which occur in both the atmosphere and the ocean, on timescales on up to at least a year and on spatial scales from a few hundred kilometres or so up to that of the global atmospheric and oceanic circulations. The editors present a coherent survey of each of the meteorological, oceanographic and hydrological aspects and of their implications for weather forecasting and flood prediction. Monsoon Dynamics is a timely survey of a dramatic meteorological phenomenon which will interest meteorologists, climatologists and geophysicists.




Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans


Book Description

This book presents a unique and comprehensive view of the fundamental dynamical and thermodynamic principles underlying the large circulations of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system Dynamics of The Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans provides a detailed description of macroscale tropical circulation systems such as the monsoon, the Hadley and Walker Circulations, El Niño, and the tropical ocean warm pool. These macroscale circulations interact with a myriad of higher frequency systems, ranging from convective cloud systems to migrating equatorial waves that attend the low-frequency background flow. Towards understanding and predicting these circulation systems. A comprehensive overview of the dynamics and thermodynamics of large-scale tropical atmosphere and oceans is presented using both a “reductionist” and “holistic” perspectives of the coupled tropical system. The reductionist perspective provides a detailed description of the individual elements of the ocean and atmospheric circulations. The physical nature of each component of the tropical circulation such as the Hadley and Walker circulations, the monsoon, the incursion of extratropical phenomena into the tropics, precipitation distributions, equatorial waves and disturbances described in detail. The holistic perspective provides a physical description of how the collection of the individual components produces the observed tropical weather and climate. How the collective tropical processes determine the tropical circulation and their role in global weather and climate is provided in a series of overlapping theoretical and modelling constructs. The structure of the book follows a graduated framework. Following a detailed description of tropical phenomenology, the reader is introduced to dynamical and thermodynamical constraints that guide the planetary climate and establish a critical role for the tropics. Equatorial wave theory is developed for simple and complex background flows, including the critical role played by moist processes. The manner in which the tropics and the extratropics interact is then described, followed by a discussion of the physics behind the subtropical and near-equatorial precipitation including arid regions. The El Niño phenomena and the monsoon circulations are discussed, including their covariance and predictability. Finally, the changing structure of the tropics is discussed in terms of the extent of the tropical ocean warm pool and its relationship to the intensity of global convection and climate change. Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans is aimed at advanced undergraduate and early career graduate students. It also serves as an excellent general reference book for scientists interested in tropical circulations and their relationship with the broader climate system.




Unruly Waters


Book Description

From a MacArthur "Genius," a bold new perspective on the history of Asia, highlighting the long quest to tame its waters Asia's history has been shaped by her waters. In Unruly Waters, historian Sunil Amrith reimagines Asia's history through the stories of its rains, rivers, coasts, and seas -- and of the weather-watchers and engineers, mapmakers and farmers who have sought to control them. Looking out from India, he shows how dreams and fears of water shaped visions of political independence and economic development, provoked efforts to reshape nature through dams and pumps, and unleashed powerful tensions within and between nations. Today, Asian nations are racing to construct hundreds of dams in the Himalayas, with dire environmental impacts; hundreds of millions crowd into coastal cities threatened by cyclones and storm surges. In an age of climate change, Unruly Waters is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Asia's past and its future.