Sensitivity of the Australian summer monsoon to tilt and precession forcing

The response of the Australian summer monsoon to orbital forcing is studied using a coupled General Circulation Model (GCM) with the focus on the relative roles of tilt and precession on the forcing of the northern Australian summer monsoon. It was found that unlike the Northern Hemisphere monsoons, which are dominated by precession forcing, the Australian monsoon can be enhanced significantly not only by precession forcing, but also by tilt forcing coupled to oceanic feedback. The new insights obtained. from a series of experiments with differing tilt-precession configurations allow an interpretation of the Australian, Late Quaternary monsoon record in which insolation forcing plays a significant role. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.