Differences in the Climatological Characteristics of Precipitation between Active and Break Spells of the Indian Summer Monsoon

Rao, Narayana T and Saikranthi, K and Radhakrishna, B and Rao, Vijaya Bhaskara S (2016) Differences in the Climatological Characteristics of Precipitation between Active and Break Spells of the Indian Summer Monsoon. In: JOURNAL OF CLIMATE, 29 (21). pp. 7797-7814.

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Abstract

Climatological characteristics of precipitation during the active and break spells of the monsoon are studied using 15 years of TRMM measurements. The spatial variation of rain fraction suggests that most of the seasonal rainfall occurs in spells of active monsoon over India, except for the zones along the east coast. The broader reflectivity distribution at higher altitudes and larger average storm height during active spells indicate the high prevalence of deep systems during this spell. The spatial distribution of the occurrence and fraction of different types of rain exhibits large variability from land to ocean and between the spells. The higher occurrence and fraction of stratiform rain during the active spell, particularly over the core monsoon zone, is due to the prevalence of organized mesoscale systems with large stratiform portions. The break spells are characterized by higher occurrence of shallow rain and larger fraction of convective rain. While an evening peak is observed over land during the break spell, the phase of the diurnal cycle exhibits large spatial variability during the active spell. The rainfall peaks from late night to midnight in southeastern India and in the morning near the foothills of the Himalayas during the active spell. The diurnal and semidiurnal components together explain more than 90% of total variance over many of the zones during both spells. The observed differences in precipitation between the spells are discussed in light of the differences in synopticand mesoscale mechanisms responsible for the production of precipitation.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
Additional Information:	Copy right for this article belongs to the AMER METEOROLOGICAL SOC, 45 BEACON ST, BOSTON, MA 02108-3693 USA
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Centre for Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Date Deposited:	03 Dec 2016 10:07
Last Modified:	26 Oct 2018 08:00
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/55399

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