Drivers of the Indian summer monsoon climate variability

Abstract The Indian summer monsoon (ISM) variability impacts freshwater availability, agriculture, and livelihood of more than a billion people across South Asia. ISM rainfall variability is characterized by multiple spatial and temporal scales. Physical mechanisms for the variability are still under active research. This chapter provides a brief overview of the drivers of the ISM rainfall variability. A myriad of large-scale atmospheric, oceanic, and coupled climate phenomena influence the spatio-temporal complexity of ISM rainfall variability, including monsoon depressions, Madden–Julian Oscillation, El Nino-Southern Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole, Indian Ocean capacitor, Eurasian snow cover changes, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, and anthropogenic climate change. A deep physical understanding of these modes and their interactions with the ISM is the foundation for improved predictions and projections.