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RAMA: The Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (including supplement)

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title RAMA: The Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (including supplement)
 
Creator McPhaden, M.J.
Meyers, G.
Ando, K.
Masumoto, Y.
Murty, V.S.N.
Ravichandran, M.
Syamsudin, F.
Vialard, J.
Yu, L.
Yu, W.
 
Subject Indian Ocean
Monsoon
ocean-atmosphere interactions
El Nino-Southern Oscillation
 
Description The Indian Ocean is unique among the three tropical ocean basins in that it is blocked at 25 degrees N by the Asian landmass. Seasonal heating and cooling of the land sets the stage for dramatic monsoon wind reversals, strong ocean-atmosphere interactions, and intense seasonal rains over the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Australia. Recurrence of these monsoon rains is critical to agricultural production that supports a third of the world’s population. The Indian Ocean also remotely influences the evolution of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), North American weather, and hurricane activity. Despite its importance in the regional and global climate system though, the Indian Ocean is the most poorly observed and least well understood of the three tropical oceans. This article describes the Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA), a new observational network designed to address outstanding scientific questions related to Indian Ocean variability and the monsoons. RAMA is a multinationally supported element of the Indian Ocean Observing System (IndOOS), a combination of complementary satellite and in situ measurement platforms for climate research and forecasting. The article discusses the scientific rationale, design criteria, and implementation of the array. Initial RAMA data are presented to illustrate how they contribute to improved documentation and understanding of phenomena in the region. Applications of the data for societal benefit are also described
 
Date 2009-12-21T06:47:12Z
2009-12-21T06:47:12Z
2009
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol.90(4); 459-480
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/3493
 
Language en
 
Rights ©2009 American Meteorological Society. All efforts have been made to respect the copyright to the best of our
knowledge. Inadvertent omissions, if brought to our notice, stand for correction and withdrawal of document from this repository.
 
Publisher American Meteorological Society