Relationship Between the Aerosol Loadings Over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in the Early Summer and Asian Monsoon Rainfall Anomalies, and the Role of SST Anomalies in the Indian Ocean

Abstract

AbstractTwo relatively long‐term satellite aerosol products during 1983–2020 and 2000–2020 are employed to investigate interannual relationships between anomalous aerosol loadings over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and Arabian Sea (AS) in the early summer and Asian monsoon rainfall anomalies. It is shown that increased aerosol loading (IAL) over the BoB is primarily attributed to an intensified upstream aerosol transport by anomalous subtropical westerly winds and coincides with local sea surface temperature (SST) cooling due to intensified prevailing wind and the aerosol dimming effect, and vice versa. A deficient rainfall in India tends to concur with a BoB IAL while excessive rainfall with an AS IAL in May and June. In June, a BoB IAL coincides with significantly deficient rainfall in the southwestern China‐Huaihe River Basin primarily linked to an anomalous cyclone off the coast of Southeast China. Meanwhile a related overturning of Walker Circulation is identified to be driven by the contrast of anomalous convective activity between the southeastern Indian‐BoB and the South China Sea‐Philippine Sea. An AS IAL is associated with air warming in North India due to an elevated aerosol semi‐direct effect and remote forcing that reinforces the meridional air temperature gradient. The IAL over the respective BoB and AS in June are both preceded by cold SST anomalies in the western Indian Ocean that can be traced back to the preceding winter, but the corresponding atmospheric circulations driving aerosol‐monsoon interactions differ distinctly. The above aerosol‐monsoon relationships are sustained primarily during 2000–2020 and vague during 1983–2020.