The Indian monsoon: 4. Links to cloud systems over the tropical oceans

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the links between the variation of the monsoon and the variation of convection over the Indian and Pacific Oceans, on subseasonal scales of a few days and on an interannual scale. The relationship of the variation of the convection over the oceans to the sea surface temperature is elucidated and the implications for the Pacific and Indian Oceans considered. The role played by the El Nino and Southern Oscillation over the Pacific and the Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation in determining the year-to-year variation of the monsoon is discussed.