Abstract
Indochina Peninsula (especially central and southern part) is known as the region which experiences the earliest onset of the Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM). In this study, we analyzed the cloud activity, atmospheric heating, and moisture advection for the years of wet (2009) and dry (2013). The ASM onset was earlier in the wet year followed by the active cloud activity and atmospheric heating over all around the Indochina Peninsula from the middle of March. In the dry year, cloud activity in the middle of March was limited to the area over the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Atmospheric heating for this year was not clear and the ASM onset was later. The result implies the importance of the role of the soil wetness over the Indochina Peninsula. Thus, observing the post-monsoon rainfall, there is a possibility to forecast the timing of the ASM onset and the relative amount of the pre-monsoon rainfall in the Indochina Peninsula.
