The Asian monsoon has a large impact on agriculture and society that affects billions of people. More than two-thirds of the global population is vulnerable to the changes in monsoon rainfall. Monsoon variability and change are controlled by internal drivers and external forcings across many time scales. Internal drivers include dominant patterns of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) over various ocean basins with decadal to multi-decadal oscillations, interannual modes such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), biennial oscillations and intra-seasonal oscillations. External forcings include orbital changes and anthropogenic drivers such as greenhouse gases, aerosols, and land use land cover changes (LULCC) etc. The relative importance of these drivers on the monsoon remains unclear due to the complexity of the climate system. Studies have also shown that even the best numerical models have difficulty in simulating the monsoon rainfall and its variability on different time scales. Under a warming climate, rainfall changes can also be driven by thermodynamical (increased water holding capacity of the atmosphere) and dynamical (changes in circulation and moisture transport) factors. Therefore, it is crucial that we enhance our understanding of the drivers, forcings, and mechanisms that affect monsoon rainfall to enable better predictions and projections of monsoon rainfall at various time scales.
In this research topic we bring together the most recent research on the effect of various drivers and climate forcings on the Asian Monsoon. Studies enhancing our understanding of the physical mechanisms will be considered as will be innovative approaches to predictions. The aim of the current research topic is to cover promising, recent, and novel research in areas including:
• Relationship of Asian monsoon with local and remote drivers and climate forcings;
• Observed and simulated variability and trends in rainfall and extremes;
• Projection of Asian monsoon and rainfall (uncertainties, constrained projections);
• Impacts of global warming on regional changes in rainfall;
• Physical mechanisms of rainfall and circulation changes and their representation in models;
• Relative influence of internal climate variability and external forcing on Asian Monsoon and rainfall; and
• Prediction of Asian Monsoon based on dynamical and/or advanced-statistical approaches.
We would like to make this a balanced Research Topic from several points of view: (1) balance between established and early-career scientists; and (2) balance among geographical focus regions of studies. We would like to attract Original Research and Review Articles focusing on one or more themes of this Research Topic, and Opinion pieces about necessary directions of future research on these themes.
The Asian monsoon has a large impact on agriculture and society that affects billions of people. More than two-thirds of the global population is vulnerable to the changes in monsoon rainfall. Monsoon variability and change are controlled by internal drivers and external forcings across many time scales. Internal drivers include dominant patterns of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) over various ocean basins with decadal to multi-decadal oscillations, interannual modes such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), biennial oscillations and intra-seasonal oscillations. External forcings include orbital changes and anthropogenic drivers such as greenhouse gases, aerosols, and land use land cover changes (LULCC) etc. The relative importance of these drivers on the monsoon remains unclear due to the complexity of the climate system. Studies have also shown that even the best numerical models have difficulty in simulating the monsoon rainfall and its variability on different time scales. Under a warming climate, rainfall changes can also be driven by thermodynamical (increased water holding capacity of the atmosphere) and dynamical (changes in circulation and moisture transport) factors. Therefore, it is crucial that we enhance our understanding of the drivers, forcings, and mechanisms that affect monsoon rainfall to enable better predictions and projections of monsoon rainfall at various time scales.
In this research topic we bring together the most recent research on the effect of various drivers and climate forcings on the Asian Monsoon. Studies enhancing our understanding of the physical mechanisms will be considered as will be innovative approaches to predictions. The aim of the current research topic is to cover promising, recent, and novel research in areas including:
• Relationship of Asian monsoon with local and remote drivers and climate forcings;
• Observed and simulated variability and trends in rainfall and extremes;
• Projection of Asian monsoon and rainfall (uncertainties, constrained projections);
• Impacts of global warming on regional changes in rainfall;
• Physical mechanisms of rainfall and circulation changes and their representation in models;
• Relative influence of internal climate variability and external forcing on Asian Monsoon and rainfall; and
• Prediction of Asian Monsoon based on dynamical and/or advanced-statistical approaches.
We would like to make this a balanced Research Topic from several points of view: (1) balance between established and early-career scientists; and (2) balance among geographical focus regions of studies. We would like to attract Original Research and Review Articles focusing on one or more themes of this Research Topic, and Opinion pieces about necessary directions of future research on these themes.
