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7 - A review of general-circulation model experiments on the Indian monsoon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2011

W. M. Washington
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research
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Summary

After simulating the global aspects of climate for a number of years, general circulation models (GCMs) have recently been applied to studies of the monsoon. Despite differences in models, simulated large-scale features agree quite well with observations. The Somali Jet, tropical jet stream, and pressure and wind patterns are well simulated, but many small-scale features are not. Recent experiments give insight into the role of mountains and ocean-surface temperature anomalies in the monsoon circulation. Previous work with such models is reviewed, and several speculations about the use of GCMs for monsoon simulation are made.

Introduction

General circulation models (GCMs) have recently been applied to the study of the summer and winter monsoon patterns over eastern Africa, southern Asia, and the nearby oceans. For convenience, we refer to the entire region as the Indian monsoon region. Although GCMs have led to a better understanding of the large-scale features of the monsoon, they have not properly simulated all the small-scale features. This review discusses the ‘state of the art’ of Indian monsoon simulations and points out problems in, and prospects for, improving our understanding of this interesting and important meteorological phenomenon.

Washington (1970) experimented with a 5-degree, latitude–longitude grid version of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) GCM showing the basic features of the monsoon. Even in this early experiment, the strong cross-equatorial jet near Somalia, the formation of a tropical easterly jet, and the low-level westerly flow in the vicinity of India were apparent.

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Chapter
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Monsoon Dynamics , pp. 111 - 130
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1981

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