Observational relationships between aerosol and Asian monsoon rainfall, and circulation

Abstract

Preliminary observational evidences are presented showing that the Indian subcontinent and surrounding regions are subject to heavy loading of absorbing aerosols, i.e., dust and black carbon, which possess spatial and temporal variability that are closely linked to those of the Asian monsoon water cycle. Consistent with the Elevated Heat Pump hypothesis, we find that increased loading of absorbing aerosols over the Ihdo-Gangetic Plain in the premonsoon season is associated with a) increased heating of the upper troposphere, with the formation of a warm-core upper level anticyclone over the Tibetan Plateau in April-May, b) an advance of the monsoon rainy season in northern India in May, and c) subsequent increased rainfall over the Indian subcontinent, and decreased rainfall over East Asia in June-July. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.