Trends and uncertainties of surface air temperature over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)are evaluated by using observations at 100 meteorological stations during the period 1951–2013.The sampling error variances of gridded monthly data are estimated for every month and every grid box of data.The gridded data and their sampling error variances are used to calculate TP averages,their trends,and associated uncertainties.It is shown that large sampling error variances dominate northern and western TP,while small variances appear over southern and eastern TP.Every month from January to December has a positive linear trend during the study period.February has the largest trend of 0.34±0.18°C(10 yr)^(–1),and April the smallest at 0.15±0.11°C(10 yr)^(–1).The uncertainties decrease steadily with time,implying that they are not large enough to alter the TP warming trend.
In this paper, the NCEP–NCAR daily reanalysis data are used to investigate the characteristics of the atmospheric heat source/sink(AHSS) over South Asia(SA) and southern Indian Ocean(SIO). The thermal differences between these two regions and their influence on the outbreak of the Indian summer monsoon(ISM) are explored. Composite analysis and correlation analysis are applied. The results indicate that the intraseasonal variability of AHSS is significant in SA but insignificant in the SIO. Large inland areas in the Northern Hemisphere still behave as a heat sink in March, similar to the situation in winter. Significant differences are found in the distribution of AHSS between the ocean and land, with distinct land–ocean thermal contrast in April, and the pattern presents in the transitional period right before the ISM onset. In May, strong heat centers appear over the areas from the Indochina Peninsula to the Bay of Bengal and south of the Tibetan Plateau(TP), which is a typical pattern of AHSS distribution during the monsoon season. The timing of SA–SIO thermal difference turning positive is about 15 pentads in advance of the onset of the ISM. Then, after the thermal differences have turned positive, a pre-monsoon meridional circulation cell develops due to the near-surface heat center and the negative thermal contrast center, after which the meridional circulation of the ISM gradually establishes. In years of early(late) conversion of the SA–SIO thermal difference turning from negative to positive, the AHSS at all levels over the TP and SIO converts later(earlier) than normal and the establishment of the ascending and descending branches of the ISM's meridional circulation is later(earlier) too. Meanwhile,the establishment of the South Asian high over the TP is later(earlier) than normal and the conversion of the Mascarene high from winter to summer mode occurs anomalously late(early). As a result, the onset of the ISM is later(earlier) than normal. However, the difference in vorticity between early and
Yiwei ZHANGGuangzhou FANWei HUAYongli ZHANGBingyun WANGXin LAI
