A Possible Impact of Cooling over the Tibetan Plateau on the Mid-Holocene East Asian Monsoon Climate

By using a 9-level global atmospheric general circulation model developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP9L-AGCM) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the authors investigated the response of the East Asian monsoon climate to changes both in orbital forcing and the snow and glaciers over the Tibetan Plateau at the mid-Holocene, about 6000 calendar years before the present (6 kyr BP). With the Earth’s orbital parameters appropriate for the mid-Holocene, the IAP9L-AGCM computed warmer and wetter conditions in boreal summer than for the present day. Under the precondition of continental snow and glacier cover existing over part of the Tibetan Plateau at the mid-Holocene, the authors examined the regional climate response to the Tibetan Plateau cooling. The simulations indicated that climate changes in South Asia and parts of central Asia as well as in East Asia are sensitive to the Tibetan Plateau cooling at the mid-Holocene, showing a significant decrease in precipitation in northern India, northern China and southern Mongolia and an increase in Southeast Asia during boreal summer. The latter seems to correspond to the weakening, southeastward shift of the Asian summer monsoon system resulting from reduced heat contrast between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific and Indian Oceans when a cooling over the Tibetan Plateau was imposed. The simulation results suggest that the snow and glacier environment over the Tibetan Plateau is an important factor for mid-Holocene climate change in the areas highly influenced by the Asian monsoon.     

Impact of Surface Potential Vorticity Density Forcing over the Tibetan Plateau on the South China Extreme Precipitation in January 2008. Part Ⅰ:Data Analysis

The external source/sink of potential vorticity (PV) is the original driving force for the atmospheric circulation. The relationship between surface PV generation and surface PV density forcing is discussed in detail in this paper. Moreover, a case study of the extreme winter freezing rain/snow storm over South China in January 2008 is performed, and the surface PV density forcing over the eastern flank of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has been found to significantly affect the precipitation over South China in this case. The TP generated PV propagated eastward in the middle troposphere. The associated zonal advection of positive absolute vorticity resulted in the increasing of cyclo-nic relative vorticity in the downstream region of the TP. Ascending air and convergence in the lower troposphere developed, which gave rise to the development of the southerly wind. This favored the increasing of negative meridio-nal absolute vorticity advection in the lower troposphere, which provided a large-scale circulation background conducive to ascending motion such that the absolute vorticity advection increased with height. Consequently, the ascending air further strengthened the southerly wind and the vertical gradient of absolute vorticity advection between the lower and middle troposphere in turn. Under such a situation, the enhanced ascending, together with the moist air transported by the southerly wind, formed the extreme winter precipitation in January 2008 over South China.     

THE EXCHANGE OF MASS BETWEEN STRATOSPHERE AND TROPOSPHERE OVER THE TIBETAN PLATEAU AND ITS SURROUNDINGS IN 1998

n this paper,using NCEP dataset and the Wei's method,we calculate the exchange of massacross the thermal tropopause during 1998 over the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings.Theresults indicate that:(1)There is strong air transport from troposphere to stratosphere in summerover the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings.The air transport reaches the summit in midsummerwith three large value centers among which the Bay of Bengal is the largest and the other two largecenters lie in the east and northwest of the Tibetan Plateau,respectively.In May and October thecross-tropopause mass exchange reaches balance.In other months the mass transport is fromstratosphere to troposphere.(2)As far as the cross-tropopause mass exchange from June toSeptember in 1998 is concerned,the net mass transport is 13.7×10~(18) kg from troposphere tostratosphere,So the area from Tibetan Plateau to the Bay of Bengal is a channel through which airmass gets into stratosphere from troposphere.     

Simulation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation in Wintertime Stratospheric Ozone over the Tibetan Plateau and East Asia: Results from the Specified Dynamics Version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model

The authors examined the Madden-Julian Oscillation(MJO) in stratospheric ozone during boreal winter using a simulation from the Specified Dynamics version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model(SD-WACCM) in 2004 and 2010. Comparison with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Reanalysis(ERA-Interim) data suggested that the model simulation represented well the three-dimensional structure of the MJO-related ozone anomalies in the upper troposphere and stratosphere(i.e., between 200 and 20 h Pa). The negative ozone anomalies were over the Tibetan Plateau and East Asia in MJO phases 3–7, when the MJO convective anomalies travelled from the equatorial Indian Ocean towards the equatorial western Pacific Ocean. Due to the different vertical structures of the MJO-related circulation anomalies, the MJO-related stratospheric ozone anomalies showed different vertical structure over the Tibetan Plateau(25–40°N, 75–105°E) and East Asia(25–40°N, 105–135°E). As a result of the positive bias in the model-calculated ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, the amplitude of MJO-related stratospheric ozone column anomalies(10–16 Dobson Units(DU)) in the SD-WACCM simulation was slightly larger than that(8–14 DU) in the ERA-Interim reanalysis.     

The Impact of the South Asia High Bimodality on the Chemical Composition of the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere

The South Asia High (SAH) is the dominant feature of the circulation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) during the boreal summer,and the upper tropospheric anticyclonic circulation extends into the lower stratosphere.The preferred locations of the center of the SAH occur in two different regions,and the center can be located over the Iranian Plateau or over the Tibetan Plateau.This bimodality has an impact on the distribution of chemical constituents in the UTLS region.We analyzed water vapor (H 2 O),carbon monoxide (CO),and ozone (O 3) data derived from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and total column ozone data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI).For the Iranian Plateau mode of the SAH,the tropospheric tracers exhib-ited a positive anomaly over the Iranian Plateau and a negative anomaly over the Tibetan Plateau,whereas the stratospheric tracer exhibited a negative and a positive anomaly over the Iranian Plateau and the Tibetan Plateau,respectively.For the Tibetan Plateau mode,however,the distribution of the anomaly was the reverse of that found for the chemical species in the UTLS region.Furthermore,the locations of the extrema within the anomaly seemed to differ across chemical species.The anomaly extrema for H 2 O occurred in the vicinity of the SAH ridgeline,whereas CO and O 3 exhibited a northward shift of 4-8 degrees.These impacts of the variation in the SAH on the chemical constitutes in the UTLS region can be attributed in part to the dynamical structure delineated by the tro-popause field and the temperature field at 100 hPa.     

Analysis of Isentropic Potential Vorticity for a Strong Cold Wave During 2004/2005 Winter

Using the NCAR/NCEP daily reanalysis data from 1 December 2004 to 28 February 2005, the isentropic potential vorticity （IPV） analysis of a strong cold wave from 22 December 2004 to 1 January 2005 was made. It is found that the strong cold air of the cold wave originated from the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere of the high latitude in the Eurasian continent and the Arctic area. Before the outbreak of the cold wave, the strong cold air of high PV propagated down to the south of Lake Baikal, and was cut off by a low PV air of low latitude origin, forming a dipole-type circulation pattern with the low PV center （blocking high） in the northern Eurasian continent and the high PV one （low vortex） in the southern part. Along with decaying of the low PV center, the high PV center （strong cold air） moved towards the southeast along the northern flank of the Tibetan Plateau. When it arrived in East China, the air column of high PV rapidly stretched downward, leading to increase in its cyclonic vorticity, which made the East Asian major trough to deepen rapidly, and finally induced the outbreak of the cold wave. Further analysis indicates that in the southward and downward propagation process of the high PV center, the air flow west and north of the high PV center on isentropic surface subsided along the isentropic surface, resulting in rapid development of Siberian high, finally leading to the southward outbreak of the strong cold wave.     

Relationship between the increase temperature and variation of ozone level over the Antarctica and Tibetan plateau in spring

Based on the ozone and aerological sounding data at Syowa Station (69o 00'S, 39o35'E), Antarctica during 1966－1979 and Lhasa Station (39o40'N, 91o08'E), Tibetan Plateau during 1979－1983, the processes of temperature increase in spring over the Tibetan Plateau and the Antarctica are compared in this paper, and the relationship between the increase of air temperature and variation of total ozone and ozone partial pressure is analyzed. It is found that: (1) The process of temperature increase over the Tibetan Plateau is quite different from that over the Antarctica in spring. This is a proof that the heating effects of their ground surface on the atmosphere are of great difference; (2) Sudden increase of total ozone is always associated with sudden warming in the stratosphere over the Antarctica, but sudden decrease of total ozone is associated with sudden warming in the troposphere over the Tibetan Plateau in spring; and (3) There is a good positive correlation, with a correlation coefficient of about 0.85, between the temperature increase and variation of ozone partial pressure in the stratosphere over the Antarctica in spring.     

An Isentropic Mass Circulation View on the Extreme Cold Events in the 2020/21 Winter

Three extreme cold events successively occurred across East Asia and North America in the 2020/21 winter.This study investigates the underlying mechanisms of these record-breaking persistent cold events from the isentropic mass circulation(IMC)perspective.Results show that the midlatitude cold surface temperature anomalies always co-occurred with the high-latitude warm anomalies,and this was closely related to the strengthening of the low-level equatorward cold air branch of the IMC,particularly along the climatological cold air routes over East Asia and North America.Specifically,the two cold surges over East Asia in early winter were results of intensification of cold air transport there,influenced by the Arctic sea ice loss in autumn.The weakened cold air transport over North America associated with warmer northeastern Pacific sea surface temperatures(SSTs)explained the concurrent anomalous warmth there.This enhanced a wavenumber-1 pattern and upward wave propagation,inducing a simultaneous and long-lasting stronger poleward warm air branch(WB)of the IMC in the stratosphere and hence a displacement-type Stratospheric Sudden Warming(SSW)event on 4 January.The WB-induced increase in the air mass transported into the polar stratosphere was followed by intensification of the equatorward cold branch,hence promoting the occurrence of two extreme cold events respectively over East Asia in the beginning of January and over North America in February.Results do not yield a robust direct linkage from La Ni?a to the SSW event,IMC changes,and cold events,though the extratropical warm SSTs are found to contribute to the February cold surge in North America.     

Diversity of the Coupling Wheels in the East Asian Summer Monsoon on the Interannual Time Scale: Challenge of Summer Rainfall Forecasting in China

Two types of three-dimensional circulation of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) act as the coupling wheels determining the seasonal rainfall anomalies in China during 1979–2015. The first coupling mode features the interaction between the Mongolian cyclone over North Asia and the South Asian high(SAH) anomalies over the Tibetan Plateau at 200 hPa. The second mode presents the coupling between the anomalous low-level western Pacific anticyclone and upperlevel SAH via the meridional flow over Southeast Asia. These two modes are responsible for the summer rainfall anomalies over China in 24 and 7 out of 37 years, respectively. However, the dominant SST anomalies in the tropical Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and the North Atlantic Ocean fail to account for the first coupling wheel's interannual variability, illustrating the challenges in forecasting summer rainfall over China.     

Recent Progress in the Impact of the Tibetan Plateau on Climate in China

Studies of the impacts of the Tibetan Plateau （TP） on climate in China in the last four years are reviewed. It is reported that temperature and precipitation over the TP have increased during recent decades. From satellite data analysis, it is demonstrated that most of the precipitation over the TP is from deep convection clouds. Moreover, the huge TP mechanical forcing and extraordinary elevated thermal forcing impose remarkable impacts upon local circulation and global climate. In winter and spring, stream flow is deflected by a large obstacle and appears as an asymmetric dipole, making East Asia much colder than mid Asia in winter and forming persistent rainfall in late winter and early spring over South China. In late spring, TP heating contributes to the establishment and intensification of the South Asian high and the abrupt seasonal transition of the surrounding circulations. In summer, TP heating in conjunction with the TP air pump cause the deviating stream field to resemble a cyclonic spiral, converging towards and rising over the TP. Therefore, the prominent Asian monsoon climate over East Asia and the dry climate over mid Asia in summer are forced by both TP local forcing and Eurasian continental forcing.
Due to the longer memory of snow and soil moisture, the TP thermal status both in summer and in late winter and spring can influence the variation of Eastern Asian summer rainfall. A combined index using both snow cover over the TP and the ENSO index in winter shows a better seasonal forecast.
On the other hand, strong sensible heating over the Tibetan Plateau in spring contributes significantly to anchor the earliest Asian monsoon being over the eastern Bay of Bengal （BOB） and the western Indochina peninsula. Qualitative prediction of the BOB monsoon onset was attempted by using the sign of meridional temperature gradient in March in the upper troposphere, or at 400 hPa over the TP. It is also demonstrated by a numerical experiment and theoretical study that the heating over the TP lea     

平流层-对流层相互作用研究进展：等熵位涡理论的应用及青藏高原影响

系统介绍了近年来应用等熵位涡理论研究平流层-对流层动力相互作用所发现的一些新的事实和机理,包括平流层冬季极涡振荡过程中平流层、对流层环流异常的时空传播特征,以及等熵质量理论框架下的平流层-对流层动力耦合机理,还介绍了影响平流层环流年际尺度异常的因子及影响过程。回顾了夏季青藏高原的热力作用所激发的负位涡强迫源对东亚及全球大气环流的影响。并基于对夏季高原周边等熵位涡经向输送垂直分布的诊断进一步说明,夏季青藏高原的存在使高原东缘及东亚地区成为平流层和对流层物质交换的独特区域,探讨了夏季青藏高原影响平流层-对流层动力耦合的一种重要途径及其影响全球气候的重要意义。     

青藏高原周边对流层顶的时空分布、热力成因及动力效应分析

利用多套、多种再分析资料的逐日气候平均场,通过对比分析,揭示了青藏高原周边区域对流层顶分布及其季节演变的独特特征,并分析了其热力成因以及气候学效应。结果表明,与同纬度的落矶山和太平洋地区相比,青藏高原及伊朗高原区域对流层顶高度的冬夏变化幅度更大。冬季副热带对流层顶断裂带（热带对流层顶与极地对流层顶之间高度剧烈变化的过渡带）位于青藏与伊朗两个高原上空,春季开始两个高原上空对流层顶抬升迅速,夏季最高可超过热带对流层顶的高度（超过100 hPa）,成为同纬度甚至全球对流层顶最高点。青藏与伊朗两个高原上空对流层顶的剧烈抬高,对应两个高原上空大气气柱比同纬度明显偏暖,同时伴随着青藏与伊朗两个高原上空位势涡度值的明显降低。因此,在青藏与伊朗两个高原区域,由春至夏等熵面强烈下凹,同时等位涡面剧烈抬升;夏季时等位涡面及对流层顶断裂带在青藏高原北部成近乎上下垂直分布,与南北倾斜分布的等位温面接近正交分布。这种特征与夏季同纬度其他地区相对平缓的对流层顶断裂带、等位涡面以及等熵面的经向分布形成强烈对比。进一步研究发现,青藏与伊朗两个高原上空由春至夏迅速发展的强大热源是引起上述对流层顶变化特征的主要原因。不同的是,青藏高原上空主要由发展强烈的对流凝结潜热所主导,而伊朗高原上空则主要由绝热下沉加热引起;此外,由春季至夏季,随着青藏高原地区对流层顶与等熵面剧烈相交分布的形成,南亚高压也逐步控制青藏高原上空,在南亚高压东缘盛行的偏北气流作用下,中高纬度平流层的高位涡空气得以在青藏高原东缘及东亚地区沿剧烈倾斜的等熵面被输送到较低纬度的对流层。与降水的季节演变对比可知,平流层高位涡输送的出现、加强和减弱与夏季降水的发展、加强与减弱成同步对应关系。从而证实了青藏高原影响夏季东亚地区形成独特气候格局的事实,说明在这种影响过程中,平流层-对流层动力相互作用过程不可忽视。      

青藏高原气温变化趋势与同纬度带其他地区的差异以及臭氧的可能作用

利用台站探空观测资料和卫星观测资料,分析了1979—2002年青藏高原上空温度的变化趋势。结果表明:高原地区上空平流层低层和对流层上层的温度与对流层中低层具有反相变化趋势。平流层低层和对流层上层降温,温度出现降低趋势,降温幅度无论是年平均还是季节平均都比全球平均降温幅度更大。高原上空对流层中低层增温,温度显示出增加的趋势,并且比同纬度中国东部非高原地区有更强的增温趋势。对1979—2002年卫星臭氧资料的分析表明,青藏高原上空臭氧总量在每个季节都呈现出明显的下降趋势,并且比同纬度带其他地区下降得更快。由于青藏高原上空臭氧有更大幅度的减少,造成高原平流层对太阳紫外辐射吸收比其他地区更少,使进入对流层的辐射更多,从而导致高原上空平流层低层和对流层上层降温比其他地区更强,而对流层中低层增温更大。因此,高原上空比其他地区更大幅度的臭氧总量减少可能是造成青藏高原上空与同纬度其他地区温度变化趋势差异的一个重要原因。     

青藏高原深对流及其在对流层—平流层物质输送中作用的研究进展

深对流能够向上对流层—下平流层（UTLS）输送大量水汽和污染物,对对流层顶的辐射平衡、平流层的臭氧恢复以及全球气候变化都有着重要的影响。近年来,一系列重要的观测事实发现,青藏高原和亚洲季风区是对流层向平流层物质输送（TST）的重要窗口。本文介绍了近年来取得的一些主要进展和成果,包括:（1）通过卫星观测在青藏高原—亚洲季风区上空发现水汽、气溶胶的极大值区和臭氧的极小值区;（2）深对流活动的主要观测途径和通过卫星观测识别深对流的方法;（3）青藏高原深对流向平流层物质输送的物理过程;（4）青藏高原深对流与亚洲季风区、热带海洋地区深对流的结构差异以及不同环境场对深对流物质输送过程的影响。     

青藏高原增暖对东亚夏季风的影响——大气环流模式数值模拟研究

20世纪50年代以来,随着全球海表面温度年代际变化和全球变暖现象的出现,东亚夏季风降水和环流场也出现相应的年代际变化。是什么原因引起这个长期的变化趋势？研究表明青藏高原增暖可能是导致东亚夏季风年代际变化的重要因子之一。为了能够更好地理解青藏高原地表状况对下游东亚季风的影响,作者使用德国马普气象研究所大气环流模式（ECHAM）进行一系列数值试验。在两组敏感性试验中,通过改变高原上的地表反照率从而达到改变地表温度的目的。数值试验结果表明:青藏高原增暖有助于增强对流层上层的南亚高压、高原北侧西风急流和高原南侧东风急流以及印度低空西南季风;与此同时,东亚地区低层西南气流水汽输送增强。高原增暖后降水场的变化表现为:印度西北部季风降水增加,长江中下游以及朝鲜半岛梅雨降水增多;在太平洋副热带高压控制下的西北太平洋地区和孟加拉湾东北部,季风降水减少。对数值模拟结果的初步诊断分析表明:在感热加热和对流引起的潜热加热相互作用下,南亚高压强度加强,东亚夏季低层西南季风增大、梅雨锋降水增强,高原东部对流层上层的副热带气旋性环流增加,以及对流层低层的西太平洋副热带高压增强。另外,在青藏高原增暖的背景下,孟加拉湾地区季风降水减弱。本项研究有助于更好地理解东亚夏季风年代际变化特征和未来气候变化趋势。     

青藏高原东北侧地区干湿年夏季环流异常的对比分析

使用NCEP/NCAR1968～1997年6～8月平均再分析全球网格点资料以及同期青藏高原东北侧17站夏季总降水量观测资料,对青藏高原东北侧典型干湿年夏季平均的大尺度环流场和物理量场差异进行了对比分析,探讨了青藏高原东北侧夏季干湿年形成的原因和机制。结果表明,青藏高原东北侧区域干湿年夏季对应的大尺度环流场和有关物理量场差异明显,最后给出了青藏高原东北侧夏季干湿年的物理图像,为短期气候预测提供依据。     

青藏高原地表热通量变化及其对初夏东亚大气环流的影响

应用NCEP地面热通量资料, 研究了青藏高原地面感热、潜热的气候状况及其与初夏东亚大气环流之间的关系。发现高原地面热通量的异常将影响高原地区上空的垂直运动与辐散辐合运动, 从而引起东亚地区高度场及风场的异常。同时, 青藏高原地区地面热通量与后期东亚地区的环流变化也有密切关系, 这种关系可为预测东亚地区初夏环流异常提供有意义的指标。     

东亚对流层上部和平流层中下部大气环流的初步研究

根据1957—1961平东亚九十余个探空站的记录,对东亚对流层中上部和平流层中下部的大气环流特点作了初步的分析,得到如下几点结果: 1.在冬季,对流层中上部的气压场和风场特点和过去研究的结论基本一致。在夏季,高原部分的环流特征却和过去的结论不同,夏季在高原上对流层中部出现微弱的气旋性环流,但在300毫巴已在反气旋的控制之下,而且反气旋的势力愈往上去愈强,在100毫巴处高原上空的反气旋达到最大强度,这是与青藏高原的热力性质有关系的。此外,从1月到7月东亚对流层上部的气压场和风场变化甚大,在中高纬度气压场有相反的趋势,并且副热带高压脊线从冬季的北纬15°位置移到夏季的北纬28°。 2.在东亚沿海,中纬度的几个测站在平流层中部的温度年变程呈双峰型,最高温度出现在1月和6—7月。在低纬度温度的年变程也呈双峰,但位相与中纬度相反。低纬温度年变化特点与辐射有关;中纬度的温度年变化,经过计算表明,1月的高峰与温度平流有密切关系。 3.东亚对流层中上部和平流层中下部风场的季节变化,与对流层中下部一样显著。从夏到冬的环流季节变化过程,高低空有一致性,而从冬到夏的环流季节变化过程,高低空变化并不一致。