MONSOONAL OSCILLATION REVEALED BY THE UPPER-TROPOSPHERE WATER-VAPOR BAND BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE

The measurements of brightness temperature (BT) from the upper-troposp here water vapor channel 12 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad ministration polar satellites from 1979 through 1995 are used to analy ze the interannual variations of the global monsoon strength. Results show that in the interannual time-sclae the BT variability in the equa torial eastern Pacific (EEP) is out of phase with the BT variabilities in other four regions, i.e. South Asia, tropical south American, two subtropical areas in the South and North Pacific. The BT interannual v ariation mode may be called monsoonal oscillation (MO). The MO is the result of the atmospheric circulation anomaly in the troposphere.