Dynamics of the Indian Monsoon

This project will collect and analyse new field observations of the Indian Monsoon system, in order to develop new dynamical models of the monsoon circulation. The Indian Monsoon controls the livelihoods of nearly a billion people. Currently our weather and climate prediction models have substantial biases for the region, and forecasts are unreliable, largely because of poor model representation of the interactions between physical processes such as convection, and the atmospheric circulation. In 2016, a joint UK-Indian research programme will make intensive observations of the monsoon dynamics, using ground stations, balloon-borne soundings and the UK research aircraft, complemented by state-of-the-art numerical simulations. In this project, the student will participate in the observational programme, then use the observed and model data to analyse the dynamics of the atmospheric circulation. From the observations, we aim to develop new theoretical models for the monsoon dynamics, in particular:

• The role of mixing by convective clouds (thunderstorms) in modulating the continental-scale flow.
• The role of transient cyclones in the seasonal monsoon.

The work will be conducted in a highly collaborative environment with a number of UK and Indian partners.