Longitudinal Heating Gradient: Another Possible Factor Influencing the Intensity of the Asian Summer Monsoon Circulation

The Largest longitudinal heating gradients in the tropics exist between the African desert and Asian convective regions during summer once the South Asian monsoon is established. The heating gradients are anchored by the la-tent heat release and net radiative flux convergence over the monsoon region, and by the dominant net radiative flux divergence over the desert.An apparent relationship is found between the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon circulation and the longitudinal healing gradients mentioned, in addition to the latitudinal heating gradients cross the monsoon region. The monsoon circulation measured in terms of the zonal wind component is stronger when the longitudinal heating gradients are large, and vice versa. Thus, we claim that the longitudinal heating gradient may be another important factor which influences the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon circulation. There is little evidence that the interannual variability of the longitudinal heating gradients between Africa and Asia and, thus, the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon circulation, is a strong function of the El Nino / Southern Oscillation cycle.