A REVIEW OF THE ATMOSPHERIC GENERAL CIRCULATION AND MONSOON IN EAST ASIA

Important progresses of the study of the general circulation and monsoons in East Asia,which have beenmade since the pioneering work "Monsoons in Southeast Asia and rainfall amount in China" by Prof.ZhuKezhen,are extensively reviewed in memory of this founder of modern meteorology in China.The first parthas addressed the bimodality of the general circulation and the abrupt seasonal change.The second part hasdealt with the role of the continent-ocean contrast and topography in the dynamic and thermal processes of mon-soon development,including winter and summer monsoons,and associated heat sources and sinks.The thirdpart has discussed the monsoonal precipitation,with a special emphasis on the mesoscale disturbance,low-leveljet and interannual variability of Meiyu(plum rains).