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Seasonal variability in aerosol, CCN and their relationship observed at a high altitude site in Western Ghats
No full textAtmospheric aerosols which serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are key elements of the hydrological cycle and climate. In the present work, aerosol–CCN variability and their relationship have been studied for the first time at Mahabaleshwar, a high altitude (1348 m AMSL) site in Western Ghats, using one year (June 2012–May 2013) of observations. Present study has been done in two sections in which first temporal variability (diurnal and seasonal) of aerosol and CCN has been analyzed. Later CCN to aerosol ratio and other microphysical properties have been investigated along with detail discussion on possible sources of aerosol. First part, i.e., diurnal variation in aerosol and CCN concentration has shown relatively higher values during early morning hours in monsoon season whereas in winter and pre-monsoon it was higher in the evening hours. Seasonal mean variation in aerosol and CCN (SS above 0.6 %) has shown higher (less) in monsoon (winter) season. Temporal variation reveals dominance of fine-mode aerosol during monsoon season over the study region. In the second part temporal variation of activation ratio, k value (exponent of CCN super-saturation spectra) and geometric mean aerosol diameter have been analyzed. Variation of activation ratio showed the ratio is higher in monsoon especially for SS 0.6–1 %. The analysis also showed high k value during monsoon season as compared to other seasons (pre-monsoon and winter) which may be due to dominance of hygroscopic aerosols in the maritime air masses from Arabian Sea and biogenic aerosol emissions from the wet forest. Analyzed mean aerosol diameter is much smaller during monsoon season with less variability compared to other seasons. Overall analysis showed that aerosol and CCN concentration was higher over this high altitude site despite of dominant sink processes such as cloud scavenging and washout mechanisms indicating local emissions and biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOC) emissions from wet forest as major sources
Cloud characteristics over the rain-shadow region of North Central peninsular India during monsoon withdrawal and post-withdrawal periods
No full textCloud characteristics over the rain-shadow region of the north central peninsular India has been studied using C-band radar data for the period 21 September–30 October 2011. The period covers withdrawal and post-withdrawal periods of monsoon 2011. Though the study has been carried out for one season, it has been shown that it is representative of climatic feature over the region. The cloud characteristics have been discussed in the context of large scale dynamical and thermodynamical conditions over the region using NCEP wind data and radiosonde data, respectively. The large scale dynamic and thermodynamical conditions were found favorable for occurrence of widespread and deep convection. The cloud top heights show tri-modal distribution with peaks at 2–3, 4–6 and 8–12 km which are associated with cumulus, congestus and cumulonimbus clouds, respectively. The tops of these three types of the clouds are found to be associated with the stable layers in the atmosphere. The frequency of congestus clouds was the highest. The cloud characteristics over the region differ from other tropical land and oceanic regions in respect of maximum height, mean duration and cumulative frequency distribution. Distribution of cloud top height and duration show deviation from lognormality in the lower ends. It indicates that the cloud growth mechanism is different than that observed over other tropical land and oceanic regions and also due to the large wind shear prevailed over the region. During the period, a large number of suitable clouds were found available for hygroscopic and glaciogenic cloud seeding
Hydrological analysis of extreme rainfall events and severe rainstorms over Uttarakhand, India
No full textFollowing the June 2013 disaster in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, many discussions are ongoing with regard to how climate change is seeking revenge on mankind by endowing us with disasters! The event was mostly linked with the occurrence of an extreme event due to climate change. In view of this, an attempt has been made in this paper to analyse the extreme rainfall events experienced by the Uttarakhand during 1901–2013 using more than 100 stations’ daily rainfall data. The study revealed that during the 113-year period, the highest numbers of extreme events were recorded during the decade 1961–1970, and to some extent in the decade 1981–1990. Thereafter, there is a decrease in extreme rainfall events. The comparative study of extreme events prior to 1901 showed that on 17–18 September 1880, a rainstorm which occurred in close vicinity to Uttarakhand caused serious floods and damage to lives and properties. The extreme rainfall recorded by some stations during this unprecedented rainstorm has not been surpassed to date
Arabian Sea SST evolution during spring to summer transition period and the associated processes in coupled climate models
No full textMany climate models have problems in simulating the sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO). The Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models, in general, underestimate SST over the entire TIO region. This study examines the SST evolution during spring to summer transition months (May and June) over the Arabian Sea (AS) region in the historical simulations of 13 CMIP5 models and the Climate Forecasting System coupled models CFSv1 and CFSv2. The annual cycle of SST shows that the summer monsoon cooling is not adequately captured by many models. Based on the state of June SST tendency, models have been divided in to three groups, the first group (G1) consists of models having stronger than observed cooling, second group (G2) considers models having closer to observed cooling and the third group (G3) includes models having lesser than observed cooling. Mixed layer heat budget analysis revealed that atmospheric flux is mainly responsible for unrealistic SST warming in most of the G3 models during June. The vertical mixing and horizontal advection contribute considerably to the SST cooling in summer (June) especially for G1 and G2 models. On the other hand, spring warming in all the models is consistently forced by the surface heat flux. It is also found that the monsoon low-level jet (LLJ) is not accurately represented in most of the models. The misrepresentation of LLJ causes bias in the oceanic processes leading to unrealistic SST evolution in many models. One way of LLJ affecting the oceanic processes is by modulating mixed layer depth (MLD). It is observed in general that the models with deeper MLD display strong SST cooling. The model deficiency in representing AS SST is speculated to be a major limiting factor in capturing the monsoon rainfall in the current coupled models. The proper simulation of AS SST is therefore very crucial for the accurate representation of Indian summer monsoon precipitation
Can large scale surface circulation changes modulate the sea surface warming pattern in the Tropical Indian Ocean?
No full textThe increased rate of Tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) surface warming has gained a lot of attention in the recent years mainly due to its regional climatic impacts. The processes associated with this increased surface warming is highly complex and none of the mechanisms in the past studies could comprehend the important features associated with this warming such as the negative trends in surface net heat fluxes and the decreasing temperature trends at thermocline level. In this work we studied a previously unexplored aspect, the changes in large scale surface circulation pattern modulating the surface warming pattern over TIO. We use ocean reanalysis datasets and a suit of Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM) experiments to address this problem. Both reanalysis and OGCM reveal strengthening large scale surface circulation pattern in the recent years. The most striking feature is the intensification of cyclonic gyre circulation around the thermocline ridge in the southwestern TIO. The surface circulation change in TIO is mainly associated with the surface wind changes and the geostrophic response to sea surface height decrease in the western/southwestern TIO. The surface wind trends closely correspond to SST warming pattern. The strengthening mean westerlies over the equatorial region are conducive to convergence in the central and divergence in the western equatorial Indian Ocean (IO) resulting central warming and western cooling. The resulting east west SST gradient further enhances the equatorial westerlies. This positive feedback mechanism supports strengthening of the observed SST trends in the equatorial Indian Ocean. The cooling induced by the enhanced upwelling in the west is compensated to a large extent by warming due to reduction in mixed layer depth, thereby keeping the surface temperature trends in the west to weak positive values. The OGCM experiments showed that the wind induced circulation changes redistribute the excess heat received in the western TIO to central and east thereby enhancing warming in the central equatorial IO. The increased surface warming in central TIO increases the latent heat loss, and keeps the net heat flux trends negative. Model sensitivity experiments reveal that the subsurface cooling at thermocline level in TIO is contributed by variability in Pacific via Indonesian Through Flow whereas the surface warming trend is mainly induced by the changes in the local forcing. The long term changes in IO Rossby waves are not induced by local atmospheric forcing but are forced by Pacific. The thermocline shoaling in the west is therefore amplified by the remote influence of Pacific via wave transmission through Indonesian archipelago
On the relationship between sea surface temperatures, circulation parameters and temperatures over west coast of India
No full textThe oceans and the atmosphere are tightly linked and they together form the most dynamic component of the climate system. Topography and proximity to the surrounding seas of the region determine the temperature of the area. West Coast (WC) of India is a high elevated region surrounded by large oceanic area, therefore, an attempt is made in this study to examine the trends and variability in temperature over WC in relation to oceanic phenomena. Temperature over the WC shows considerable year-to-year variation with anomalous cool years in recent warm epoch. Therefore, sea surface temperature (SST) and associated winds have been analyzed to understand possible mechanism behind the variation in temperatures over the WC. During the winter, north-easterlies prevail over the WC which blows from land to ocean. Variations in SSTs alter the strength of these winds to cause anomalies in temperature over the WC. Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) appears to have a dominant role in climate of the WC, whereas SSTs over the equatorial Pacific do not show any impact on temperatures over the WC. Study indicates that the strengthening of north-easterlies due to negative phase of Indian Ocean Dipole causes cooling over the WC of India
Validation of MERIS sensor’s CoastColour algorithm for waters off the west coast of India
No full textChlorophyll-a (chl-a) retrieved using the MERIS CoastColour (CC) algorithm was evaluated for the coastal waters of the west coast of India, against in situ observations made as part of the Satellite Coastal and Oceanographic Research (SATCORE) programme. These observations include profiles of surface solar irradiance (Es) along with those of upwelling radiance and downwelling irradiance, measured using hyperspectral radiometry. Chl-a was also estimated from water samples. Furthermore, remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) and chl-a were retrieved from MODIS-Aqua using the OC3M algorithm, and from MERIS using the OC4E algorithm. In addition, to understand the long-term seasonal variability, chl-a retrieved from the MERIS-CC algorithm was overlaid on monthly mean chl-a time series data from MODIS. Comparison of chl-a using MERIS-CC to that measured in situ showed wide scatter around the linear trend line. We observed that chl-a from MERIS-CC was underestimated for two-thirds of the observations, whereas with MODIS and MERIS it was 51 and 44, respectively. Statistical analysis showed an improved performance in chl-a retrieval using the operational OC4E algorithm as compared to that of MERIS-CC. The time series analysis showed a good match between in situ chl-a and that derived from MODIS using the OC3M algorithm, whereas the MERIS-CC algorithm showed inconsistency in match-up with regard to both magnitude and trend. This inconsistency was more prominent during the low-chl-a scenario during the northern winter. We infer that algorithms such as OC4E and OC3M that use bands from the blue and green regions of the spectrum offer better chlorophyll retrieval in high-TSM or -CDOM concentration waters in comparison with CoastColour, which uses all bands across the spectrum
Impact of the upper tropospheric cooling trend over Central Asia on the Indian summer monsoon rainfall and the Bay of Bengal cyclone tracks
Get PDFThe Indian summer monsoon rainfall had three decade long alternate dry and wet epochs during the 150 years from 1840 to 1989. The dry epochs had frequent drought monsoons affecting agriculture, power generation and the overall economy of the country. A high percentage of severe cyclones in the Bay of Bengal moved northwards during the dry epochs causing disasters in Bangladesh, Myanmar and the Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal. These dry epochs have been shown to be associated with the cold phase of the Atlantic multi decadal oscillation in sea-surface temperature. Using the available tropospheric temperature (re-analysis) data since 1948, the recent dry epoch during 1960-89 which had 10 monsoon drought years was found to have cold upper tropospheric temperature anomaly over Central Asia. This cold anomaly region has also experienced a long-term cooling trend. Extrapolating the naturally occurring epochal nature of the ocean-atmosphere system into the future, we fear that the epoch 2020-49 is likely to be another dry one, and the cooling trend over the Asian continent is likely to make it even more severe in its impact than 1960-89. This article presents details of an ocean-atmosphere instability that generates frequent drought monsoons during dry epochs which needs urgent research
Temporal and spatial deviation in F2 peak parameters derived from FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC
No full textThe plasma frequency profiles derived from the Constellation of Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) radio occultation measurements are compared with ground-based ionosonde data during the year 2013. Equatorial and midlatitude five stations located in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere are considered: Jicamarca, Jeju, Darwin, Learmonth, and Juliusruh. The aim is to validate the COSMIC-derived data with ground-based measurements and to estimate the difference in plasma frequency (which represents electron density) and height of F2 layer peak during the daytime/nighttime and during different seasons by comparing the two data sets. Analysis showed that the nighttime data are better correlated than the daytime, and the maximum difference occurs at the equatorial ionospheric anomaly (EIA) station as compared to lower and midlatitude stations during the equinox months. The difference between daytime and nighttime correlations becomes insignificant at midlatitude stations. The statistical analysis of computed errors in foF2 (hmF2) showed Gaussian nature with the most probable error range of ±15% (±10%) at the equatorial and EIA stations, ±9% (±7%) outside the EIA region which reduced to ±8% (±6%) at midlatitude stations. The reduction in error at midlatitudes is attributed to the decrease in latitudinal electron density gradients. Comparing the analyzed data during the three geomagnetic storms and quiet days of the same months, it is observed that the differences are significantly enhanced during storm periods and the magnitude of difference in foF2 increases with the intensity of geomagnetic storm
Influence of wind speed on surface layer stability and turbulent fluxes over southern Indian peninsula station
Get PDFSurface to atmosphere exchange has received much attention in numerical weather prediction models. This exchange is defined by turbulent parameters such as frictional velocity, drag coefficient and heat fluxes, which have to be derived experimentally from high-frequency observations. High-frequency measurements of wind speed, air temperature and water vapour mixing ratio (eddy covariance measurements), were made during the Integrated Ground Observation Campaign (IGOC) of Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) at Mahabubnagar, India (16∘44′N, 77∘59′E) in the south-west monsoon season. Using these observations, an attempt was made to investigate the behaviour of the turbulent parameters, mentioned above, with respect to wind speed. We found that the surface layer stability derived from the Monin–Obukhov length scale, is well depicted by the magnitude of wind speed, i.e., the atmospheric boundary layer was under unstable regime for wind speeds >4 m s−1; under stable regime for wind speeds <2 m s−1 and under neutral regime for wind speeds in the range of 2–3 m s−1. All the three stability regimes were mixed for wind speeds 3–4 m s−1. The drag coefficient shows scatter variation with wind speed in stable as well as unstable conditions