Monsoons over China

Book excerpt: The monsoon over China is one of the major components of the general circulation on a global basis. Its activity be ars a significant regional implication in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Recently, the remarkable relationship and teleconnection between this part of the monsoon and other regions over the world have been revealed. However, little of the overall picture of monsoons over China is known by meteorologists in English-speaking countries. This monograph provides the first opportunity to extensively introduce this subject and give a comprehensive and systematic description of the major aspects of monsoons over China, with a special emphasis on the fluctuations of the monsoon on various scales and the effects of the Tibetan Plateau on the monsoon. Much highly original material and achievements Chinese and Western meteorologists have made from the past 20 years have been incorporated with a unifying approach. In each chapter, the observational and theoretical (including modelling) treatment will be closely combined in order to fully illustrate the relevent problems. The unique thermal and dynamical effects of the Tibetan Plateau on the monsoon circulation features wh ich are one of the central problems of the Asian monsoon are highlights of this monograph. Researchers in meteorology and weather forecasters should find this book a very useful introduction to monsoons over China, not only for its systematic treatment of the subject, but also because of its considerable historical information. This mono graph is equally suitable for graduates or more advanced students in meteorology, hydrology, and oceanography.