Local and Remote Forcing Factors of Heatwave in India -A Reanalysis and Adjoint model based study

TL;DR

This study combines reanalysis and adjoint modeling to identify local and remote atmospheric and oceanic factors driving heatwaves in north-central India, emphasizing soil moisture and North Atlantic SST influences.

Contribution

It introduces an adjoint model-based approach to causally link remote North Atlantic SST variability with Indian heatwaves, revealing complex local and remote interactions.

Findings

Soil moisture deficits precede heatwaves by weeks.

North Atlantic SST variability influences Indian heatwaves.

Remote atmospheric dynamics modulate local conditions.

Abstract

Continental heatwaves can dramatically impact ecosystems and societies, e.g., by leading to excess mortality, wildfires, and harvest failures. With a warming climate, their impacts potentially intensify globally, but the Indian subcontinent appears to be particularly vulnerable to such extreme events. In this study, we use reanalysis and the adjoint of the atmospheric model, PlaSim, to identify drivers of heatwaves occurring April and May over north-central India. Reanalysis results suggest that the existence of high temperatures in the study region is highly sensitive to the low local soil moisture which is observed weeks before a heatwave commences. Soil moisture variability in northern India is influenced by moisture transport from the west during winter--spring. Preceding dry soil moisture conditions can be associated with a `persistent jet' conditions linked to atmospheric dynamical changes in the North Atlantic region. An associated northward shift in the upper tropospheric zonal wind occurs approximately a month prior to the heatwaves, influencing the area and intensity of western disturbances embedded in the jet stream. This weakens the moisture flow from the north of the Arabian Sea, further reducing soil moisture levels and creating conditions conducive to heatwaves. An adjoint sensitivity analysis and forward model perturbation experiments confirm the causal relationships for the proposed heatwave development mechanism over north-central India, identifying the remote influence of North Atlantic sea surface temperature variability on extreme temperatures in India. Our findings highlight the complex interplay of local and remote factors in heatwave development over India.