After discussing the Orographic Controls on Climate and Paleoclimate of Asia: Thermal and Mechanical Roles for the Tibetan Plateau article I became intrigued with the methods being used by the authors to study paleoclimate and paleoaltimetry. Not having much formal training in climatology this new field was surprisingly related to geology. The scientists were using concentrations of an isotope of oxygen, δ18O, in carbonate sediments to estimate paleoelevations from up to 39 million years ago.[i] Paleoaltimetry of the region helped the team of scientists give a relative date for the collision between the Indian sub-continent and the Eurasian continent. After finding this relative date the group could see how the monsoon changed over time during the uplifting of the Tibetan plateau and formation of the Himalayas.
Upon further investigation of the techniques used I stumbled upon a really interesting article titled Interaction Between the ENSO and the Asian Monsoon in a Coral Record of Tropical Climate. The previous article mentioned that El Nino did have an effect on the South Asian monsoon, but did not go into any detail beyond that. The other interesting thing is that this article also used δ18O in their methods to examine paleoclimate. However, this new article did not measure the isotope in carbonate rocks or sediment, instead they used coral.
The Interaction Between the ENSO and the Asian Monsoon in a Coral Record of Tropical Climate article studies the relationship between the El Nino and the South Asian monsoon by examining δ18O levels in coral to measure SST (sea surface temperature) anomalies in the Indian Ocean for the past 150 years. The researchers were able to drill a core from a coral colony that was 3 meters tall from an atoll in the Indian Ocean. The resolution of the data that the coral provides is according to the researchers good enough to look back at the SST of the Indian Ocean with great detail.[ii] The scientists were hoping to show the link between El Nino and the monsoon, but their study failed to make this connection. Their results showed that there was not statistically significant relation between variations of monsoon rainfall and El Nino, but they found an interesting correlation between the South Asia monsoon and Indian Ocean SST.[iii] From this they are able to have a better understanding of the cycle the monsoon intensity and its timing.
The benefits from a greater understanding of the factors that influence the South Asia monsoon range from increased crop yields to better water management systems. Monsoon is such an integral part of the system which is India. Farmers depend on the monsoon to grow crops that will sustain their families and provide an income. Without an understanding of monsoons, farmers would not know when to plant seed or till the soil. Today forecasting for the monsoon provides farmers with up to date information on when and where the monsoon is going to be that year. What if the prediction was wrong off by just a week or so? The impacts of not understanding the cycles of monsoon could play out like in a scenario much like this one. Farmers use predictions for the monsoon this year, but the prediction turns out to be wrong and the monsoon comes early. The farmers would not have been prepared and there would be a drop in crop yields. This drop causes the farmers to have fewer crops to sell at market which cuts into their own income. The families now have less money to spend in the local economy and local businesses begin to have to cut back on employment. One of these workers has a wife at home that is expecting his first born in 5 months. Without a job he cannot provide adequate pre-natal care for his wife and cannot provide nutritious foods for her during the remainder of the pregnancy. When the baby is born it is dangerously underweight and the mother has suffered greatly from not having a proper diet. The baby ends up not making it to its first birthday. These connections are not far from reality in the World. One single event can ripple through the system and cause instability and chaos. This is just a look at the impacts of two families on a large scale this event would affect global food prices, farmer suicide rates, and infant mortality etc. This is a testament to the importance of all natural world phenomenon and the human systems in which they interact.
Charles, C.D., Hunter, D.E., & Fairbanks, R.G. (1997). Interaction between the enso and the asian monsoon in a coral record of tropical climate. Science, 277(5328), 925-928.
Molnar, P, Boos, W.R., & Battisti, D.S. (2010). Orographic controls on climate and paleoclimate of asia: thermal and mechanical roles for the tibetan plateau. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences , 38, 77-102.
Your essays are well-researched with great sources. They are not only interesting, but also informative, thorough, and incredibly well-written! Job well done! Please blog about your adventures in India as soon, and as often, as possible. I'm eager to read all about them!
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