Open AccessThe Role of the North Atlantic Oscillation in Shaping Regional-Scale Peak Seasonal Precipitation across the Indian Subcontinent
Author(s) -
Shouraseni Sen Roy
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
earth interactions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.309
H-Index - 38
ISSN - 1087-3562
DOI - 10.1175/2010ei339.1
Subject(s) - north atlantic oscillation , precipitation , indian subcontinent , climatology , environmental science , monsoon , atmospheric sciences , geography , geology , meteorology , ancient history , history
The present study focuses on the impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in shaping the regional-level precipitation during the peak months of the two main rainy seasons over the Indian subcontinent. Monthly precipitation data from 1871 to 2005 were collected for 30 homogenous regions across the subcontinent. Regression analysis was used to analyze the strength of the relationship between NAO on regional-level precipitation patterns. The results of the study showed distinct spatial variations in the response of regional-level rainfall to the monthly NAO index. There were greater variations in the strength of the regression coefficients for peak monsoon rainfall (PMR) compared to the peak winter rainfall (PWR) season. During the latter half of the year, the association between PMR and the NAO index was predominantly negative. In general, the role of NAO was more pronounced across most of the regions in the peninsular India.