Articles | Volume 17, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-17-319-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-17-319-2026
Research article
 | 
10 Apr 2026
Research article |  | 10 Apr 2026

Energetics of monsoons and deserts: role of surface albedo vs water vapor feedback

Chetankumar Jalihal and Uwe Mikolajewicz

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Cited articles

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Differences in surface albedo and large-scale circulation are often considered to drive the contrasts between monsoons and deserts. However, using a radiation-circulation framework, we find that large-scale circulation serves primarily as a trigger for this contrast. It is the radiative feedbacks from water vapor and clouds, rather than surface albedo, that amplify the contrast between these climates.
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