Cross-season relation of the South China Sea precipitation variability between winter and summer

The present study reveals cross-season connections of rainfall variability in the South China Sea (SCS) region between winter and summer. Rainfall anomalies over northern South China Sea in boreal summer tend to be preceded by the same sign rainfall anomalies over southern South China Sea in boreal winter (denoted as in-phase relation) and succeeded by opposite sign rainfall anomalies over southern South China Sea in the following winter (denoted as out-of-phase relation). Analysis shows that the in-phase relation from winter to summer occurs more often in El Niño/La Niña decaying years and the out-of-phase relation from summer to winter appears more frequently in El Niño/La Niña developing years. In the summer during the El Niño/La Niña decaying years, cold/warm and warm/cold sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies develop in tropical central North Pacific and the North Indian Ocean, respectively, forming an east–west contrast pattern. The in-phase relation is associated with the influence of anomalous heating/cooling over the equatorial central Pacific during the mature phase of El Niño/La Niña events that suppresses/enhances precipitation over southern South China Sea and the impact of the above east–west SST anomaly pattern that reduces/increases precipitation over northern South China Sea during the following summer. The impact of the east–west contrast SST anomaly pattern is confirmed by numerical experiments with specified SST anomalies. In the El Niño/La Niña developing years, regional air-sea interactions induce cold/warm SST anomalies in the equatorial western North Pacific. The out-of-phase relation is associated with a Rossby wave type response to anomalous heating/cooling over the equatorial central Pacific during summer and the combined effect of warm/cold SST anomalies in the equatorial central Pacific and cold/warm SST anomalies in the western North Pacific during the mature phase of El Niño/La Niña events.     

春季/夏季型El Ni?o对中国夏季降水变化的影响

利用中国气象局160站的逐月降水资料,NCAR/NCEP再分析资料以及美国CPC提供的Ni?o3. 4区指数,对比分析了SP、SU两类El Ni?o事件发展年、衰减年中国夏季降水和东亚环流特征的差异。结果表明:1) SP型El Ni?o事件发展年全国以少雨为主要特征,衰减年降水呈"北多南少"分布; SU型发展年,降水异常呈"三明治"型分布特征,衰减年降水偏多区域增大。2) 850 h Pa风场上,SP型El Ni?o事件发展年夏季风偏强,但反气旋性风场异常位置偏东偏北,衰减年夏季风还保持强劲,且反气旋性风场异常偏西偏南;而SU型发展年东亚夏季风偏弱,衰减年夏季风偏强。3) 500 hPa高度场上,SP型事件发展年夏季,我国受东亚夏季风影响总体偏弱,来自低纬地区的暖湿水汽向我国大陆输送不足;衰减年,受偏强东亚夏季风影响,来自低纬地区的暖湿水汽向我国腹地输送。SU型发展年,受相对活跃的冷空气影响,内蒙到华北地区多雨;衰减年,受偏强夏季风影响,冷暖气流在我国黄河及以北地区交汇。4)比较两类El Ni?o事件发生时对流层低层和高层特征表明:在SP型事件发展年,我国大陆上空,除内蒙和东北外,基本为下沉异常,衰减年基本为上升异常;在SU型发展年,我国大陆上空皆为显著的下沉异常,衰减年为弱下沉异常,但在偏强夏季风的作用下,降水偏多区域增大了。     

ENSO发展和衰减阶段的陕西夏季降水异常特征

利用1961—2008年陕西78个气象站夏季 (6—8月) 降水资料、NCEP/NCAR位势高度场和风场月平均再分析资料,采用合成及相关分析方法探讨ENSO发展和衰减阶段对陕西夏季降水异常的影响,以期为陕西夏季降水的气候预测提供线索和依据。结果表明:陕西夏季降水异常对ENSO发展和衰减阶段的响应存在显著差异,El Ni?o发展阶段和La Ni?a衰减阶段,陕西夏季降水偏少; El Ni?o衰减阶段和La Ni?a发展阶段,陕西夏季降水偏多; ENSO不同阶段对陕西7月降水影响最为显著。比较而言,El Ni?o事件对陕西夏季降水的影响更加显著。在El Ni?o衰减、La Ni?a发展阶段,西太平洋副热带高压偏强、偏西,东亚夏季风偏弱,而在El Ni?o发展、La Ni?a衰减阶段,西太平洋副热带高压偏弱、偏东,东亚夏季风偏强,El Ni?o过程对东亚夏季风强弱的影响更加显著。ENSO发展和衰减阶段通过影响大气环流变化和东亚夏季风的强弱,进而影响陕西夏季降水。     

El Nino事件当年和次年夏季低纬环流特征的初步分析

分析1950年以来中等强度以上的ElNiño和LaNina当年和次年夏季(7月)低纬度风场和500hPa高度距平场,发现有不同的特征。其中中-西太平洋近赤道地区850、200hPa上风场异常变化十分明显,这种异常变化与南北半球大气相互作用有密切关系。在500hPa高度距平场上,北半球中、高和低纬地区表现出不同的正、负距平分布型式。上述特点对气候短期预测有一定参考意义。     

ElNino事件当年和次年夏季低纬环流特征的初步分析

分析１９５０年以来中等强度以上的ＥｌＮｉｎｏ和ＬａＮｉｎａ当年和次年夏季低纬度风场和５００ｈＰａ高度距平场发现有不同特征。其中中－西太平洋近赤道地区８５０、２００ｈＰａ上风场异常变化十分明显,这种异常变化与南北半球大气相互作用有密切关系。     

Seasonal Phase-Locking of Peak Events in the Eastern Indian Ocean

The sea surface temperature （SST） anomaly of the eastern Indian Ocean （EIO） exhibits cold anomalies in the boreal summer or fall during E1 Nino development years and warm anomalies in winter or spring following the E1 Nino events. There also tend to be warm anomalies in the boreal summer or fall during La Nina development years and cold anomalies in winter or spring following the La Nina events. The seasonal phase-locking of SST change in the EIO associated with E1 Nino/Southern Oscillation is linked to the variability of convection over the maritime continent, which induces an atmospheric Rossby wave over the EIO. Local air-sea interaction exerts different effects on SST anomalies, depending on the relationship between the Rossby wave and the mean flow related to the seasonal migration of the buffer zone, which shifts across the equator between summer and winter. The summer cold events start with cooling in the Timor Sea, together with increasing easterly flow along the equator. Negative SST anomalies develop near Sumatra, through the interaction between the atmospheric Rossby wave and the underneath sea surface. These SST anomalies are also contributed to by the increased upwelling of the mixed layer and the equatorward temperature advection in the boreal fall. As the buffer zone shifts across the equator towards boreal winter, the anomalous easterly flow tends to weaken the mean flow near the equator, and the EIO SST increases due to the reduction of latent heat flux from the sea surface. As a result, wintertime SST anomalies appear with a uniform and nearly basin-wide pattern beneath the easterly anomalies. These SST anomalies are also caused by the increase in solar radiation associated with the anticyclonic atmospheric Rossby wave over the EIO. Similarly, the physical processes of the summer warm events, which are followed by wintertime cold SST anomalies, can be explained by the changes in atmospheric and oceanic fields with opposite signs to those anomalies described above.     

ENSO与中国夏季降水的联系:冬季QBO的调制作用

使用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料、中国气象局台站降水资料和GPCC降水资料,系统研究了在冬季平流层准两年振荡(Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, QBO)调制下,厄尔尼诺-南方涛动(El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation, ENSO)不同阶段与中国夏季降水的可能联系。根据两者的位相和强度,可将它们的配置分为QBO西风/El Ni?o、QBO西风/La Ni?a、QBO东风/El Ni?o、QBO东风/La Ni?a。研究结果表明,在年际时间尺度上,ENSO和QBO无显著相关关系。冬季QBO西风位相时,El Ni?o发展年夏季,我国整体偏旱,而华南偏涝;衰减年夏季,华南、华东北部偏旱,东北、长江流域偏涝。La Ni?a发展年夏季,我国东部降水异常呈负-正-负的三极分布;衰减年夏季,东南沿海偏涝。冬季QBO东风位相时,El Ni?o发展年夏季,长江以北偏旱;衰减年夏季,我国东部降水异常呈负-正-负的三极分布。La Ni?a发展年夏季,江淮和华南南部偏旱;衰减年夏季,我国东部沿海偏涝。ENSO是影响我国夏季降水异常的重要因子,而QBO的调制作用在ENSO衰减年夏季更为显著。相比冬季QBO东(西)风位相,QBO西(东)风位相时El Ni?o (La Ni?a)期间赤道西太平洋负(正)海温异常更强,衰减年夏季位于西太平洋的异常下沉(上升)运动和印度洋的异常上升(下沉)运动更强更深厚,西太平洋副热带高压范围更大(小),南亚高压更偏东(西)。      

Different Relationships Between Spring SST in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and Summer Precipitation in China

Observational and reanalysis data are used to investigate the different relationships between boreal spring sea surface temperature （SST） in the Indian and Pacific oceans and summer precipitation in China. Partial correlation analysis reveals that the effects of spring Indian Ocean SST （IO SST） and Pacific SST （PSST） anomalies on summer precipitation in China are qualitatively opposite. When IO SST anomalies are considered independently of PSST anomalies, precipitation decreases south of the Yangtze River, in most areas of Inner Mongolia, and in some parts of Liaoning Province, and increases in the Yangtze River valley, parts of southwestern and northern China, northeastern Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjiang Province. This results in a negative-positive-negative-positive pattern of precipitation anomalies in China from south to north. When PSST anomalies （particularly those in the Nin o3.4 region） are considered independently of IO SST anomalies, the pattern of precipitation anomalies in China is positive-negative-positive-negative from south to north. The genesis of summer precipitation anomalies in China is also examined when El Nin o-Southern Oscillation （ENSO） signals are removed from the ocean and atmosphere. An anticyclonic low-level wind anomaly forms in the South China Sea-Northwest Pacific area when the IO SST anomaly （SSTA） is warm and the Northwest Pacific SSTA is cold. This anticyclonic anomaly substantially influences summer precipitation in China. Anomalous warming of tropical IO SST induces positive geopotential height anomalies in the subtropics and an east-west dipole pattern in midlatitudes over Asia. These anomalies also affect summer precipitation in China.     

辽宁汛期暴雨的大气环流特征分析

应用合成分析、距平分析和位势平均等方法,基于美国NCEP/NCAR的再分析资料和辽宁地区逐日降水资料,对辽宁地区汛期暴雨的大气环流、风场、温度场和湿度场特征进行对比分析。结果表明：在厄尔尼诺或拉尼娜背景下,辽宁夏季多暴雨月与少暴雨月相比,对应的500 hPa高度距平场、500 hPa风矢量与温度距平叠合场以及850 hPa水汽输送矢量场,均存在着显著的差异;同样是暴雨多（少）的月份,对应的厄尔尼诺与拉尼娜背景相比,500 hPa高度距平场、500 hPa风矢量与温度距平叠合场以及850 hPa水汽输送矢量场均有不同的表现。     

Evolution of ENSO-related rainfall anomalies in Southeast Asia region and its relationship with atmosphere–ocean variations in Indo-Pacific sector

The Southeast Asia rainfall (SEAR) anomalies depend strongly on phases of El Niño (La Niña). Using an extended empirical orthogonal function (EEOF) analysis, it is shown that the dominant EEOF mode of SEAR anomalies evolves northeastward throughout a period from the summer when El Niño develops to spring the following year when the event weakens. This evolution is consistent with northeastward migration of the ENSO-related anomalous out going radiation field. During boreal summer (winter), the strong ENSO-related anomaly tends to reside in regions south (north) of the equator. The evolution of dominant mode of SEAR anomalies is in tandem with the evolution of ENSO-related sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. The strengthening and weakening of “boomerang-shaped” SST in western Pacific, the changing sign of anomalous SST in Java Sea and the warming in Indian Ocean and South China Sea are all part of ENSO-related changes and all are linked to SEAR anomaly. The anomalous low-level circulation associated with ENSO-related SEAR anomaly indicates the strengthening and weakening of two off-equatorial anticyclones, one over the Southern Indian Ocean and the other over the western North Pacific. Together with patterns of El Niño minus La Niña composites of various fields, it is proposed that the northeastward evolution of SEAR anomaly is basically part of the large-scale eastward evolution of ENSO-related signal in the Indo-Pacific sector. The atmosphere–ocean interaction plays an important role in this evolution.