NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE SHORT-TERM CLIMATIC OSCILLATION FORCED BY EL NINO DURING NORTHERN WINTER

Using a nine-layer global spectral model, numerical schemes with two different SST distributions in January(control case and abnormal case) have been tested to study the climatic effect, propagation charateristics and the maintenance mechanism of the short-term climatic oscillation caused by El Nino during northern winter. The main results are as follows:(1) During northern winter, there exist two wave trains because of the influence of El Nino. One is similar to PNA pattern, and the other is similar to EUP pattern.(2) The PNA-like wave train caused by the anomalous SST forcing in central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean is due to the response of ultralong wave and long wave components of Rossby mode, and the EUP-like wave traincrossing Eurasia is mainly due to the wave component of Rossby mode.(3) During northern winter, the warm water region in central equatorial Pacific Ocean is the source of forced wave trains.(4) In northern winter,the energy source for maintaining the short-term climatic oscillation is from the interaction between eddies, and between eddy and zonal flow.     

ACTIONS OF TYPHOONS OVER THE WESTERN PACIFIC (INCLUDING THE SOUTH CHINA SEA) AND EL NINO

According to me lime cross-section or SSI in me equatorial eastern racing and me historical data on typhoon actions over the western Pacific (including the South China Sea), a composite analysis of the actions of typhoon over the western Pacific in El Nino year (SST in the equatorial eastern Pacific are continuously higher than normal) and in the inverse El Nino year (there are continuative negative anomalies of SST in the equatorial eastern Pacific) is carried out. The results show that the actions of typhoon are in close relation with El Nino: The annual average number of typhoons over the western Pacific and South China Sea is less than normal in El Nino year and more in the inverse El Nino year; The annual average number of the landing typhoon on the continent of China bears the same relationship with El Nino; The anomalies of typhoon actions mainly occur during July-November and their starting are behind the anomaly of SST in the equatorial eastern Pacific.Based on the generation and development co     

A FURTHER INQUIRY ON 30-60 DAY OSCILLATION IN THE TROPICAL ATMOSPHERE

Based on the ECMWF data(1980-1983) and others, a further inquiry on the activities and the structure feature of 30-60 day oscillation in the tropical atmosphere has been completed. The following results are obtained:There is stronger perturbation kinetic energy of 30-60 day atmospheric oscillation(AO) in the equatorial eastern Pacific. This means the equatorial eastern Pacific is a stronger activity region of 30-60 day AO in the tropics. Analyses also show that the AO system with the time scale of 30-60 days might consist of various spatial scale disturbances. The zonal propagation of 30-60 day oscillation in the tropical atmosphere is not all eastward. Some differences are found for different spatial scales, and for propagations in upper and lower tropospheres. The meridional propagation of the oscillation is even more different in the various regions and might be related to the low-frequency wave train in the atmosphere. The stronger activities of 30-60 day AO in the equatorial middle-western Pacific are related to the El Nino events and the weaker ones are correspondent to the inverse El Nino phenomena.     

影响东亚季风环流异常因子的敏感性试验

文章使用改进了的OSU全球气候模式，动态地使用厄尔尼诺年（1972年）实际下垫面温度月距平资料，对太平洋海面温度异常以及太平洋中不同关键区海面温度异常进行了敏感性试验。数值试验结果表明:El Nino实际海温时空异常，特别是关键区海面温度异常，引起了东亚季风环流的异常变化，出现了干旱的环流形势。无论赤道中太平洋或是赤道东太平洋的海面温度异常都是敏感的影响因子，对预报有一定的指示意义。     

The propagation characteristics of interannual low-frequency oscillations in the tropical air-sea system

The time series of sea surface temperature (SST), sea level pressure (SLP), zonal wind (U) and total cloudiness (CA), for the period of 1950-1979, over a 8o×8o grid-point latitudinal belt between 32oS and 32oN are made from COADS (Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set). The time harmonic analysis and power spectra analysis show that there exist quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), three and half years oscillation (SO), five and half years oscillation (FYO) and eleven years oscillation (EYO) in these time series. The main propagation characteristics of these interannual low-frequency oscillations are as follows:(1) The variance analysis of SST shows that there is an active region of QBO and SO (with maximum variance), coming from the southwestern part of the subtropical Pacific, stretching eastward up to the west coast of South America, and then northward to the eastern equatorial Pacific. The QBO and SO disturbances of SST follow the same route and cause the anomaly of SST (El Nino and period of cold water) in the eastern equatorial Pacific.(2) Either the QBO or SO of SST can cause El Nino events, although it is easier when they are situated in the same phase of warm water at the eastern equatorial Pacific. The FYO of SST seems to be a standing oscillation. It plays an important role on the formation of strong El Nino events or strong cold water events.(3) The QBO and SO of U propagate eastward along the equator. The origin of QBO and SO may at least be traced as far as the western Indian Ocean. While they propagate along the equator, it strengthens two times at 90oE and the western Pacific, respectively. Like SST, the FYO of U is somehow a standing oscillation.(4) The Oscillations of U have a good coupling relationship with those of SST, while they propagate. When the QBO and SO of SST move to the east side of the eastern equatorial Pacific, it is the time for the QBO and SO of U to enter into the east part of the western Pacific.It is clear that, when we do research work on the formation of El Nino events, our consideration would not be confined to the tropics, it should cover the subtropical region in the southern Pacific. The features of the circulation and other oceanic states in this area are very important to the El Nino events.     

全球气候背景下厄尔尼诺对中国东部汛期降水的影响

对厄尔尼诺事件进行了定义，并详细讨论了不同气候背景下的厄尔尼诺过程对中国东部地区汛期降水的影响。分析发现：20世纪50年代以来共发生了14次厄尔尼诺事件；在70年代末、80年代初，赤道太平洋的海温有一个明显升高的趋势；不同气候背景下的厄尔尼诺过程中对中国东部汛期降水存在不同的影响，但是对长江中下游及江淮地区降水的影响是一致的，一般偏少。     

厄尼诺与南海的台风活动

本文对厄尼诺年(赤道东太平洋SST有持续正距平)和反厄尼诺年(赤道东太平洋SST有持续负距平)南海的台风(包括进入南海的西太平洋台风和在南海生成的台风)活动进行了统计分析。结果表明,厄尼诺同南海的台风活动有明显关系:厄尼诺年平均台风数偏少,反厄尼诺年平均台风数偏多,其异常主要发生在8—11月份;在两广沿海登陆的平均台风数也是厄尼诺年偏少,反厄尼诺年偏多,其异常以10和11月最显著;在北部湾海域活动的台风多在8—9月份,也是厄尼诺年偏少,反厄尼诺年偏多。文本也对厄尼诺如何影响南海的台风活动提出了初步看法。      

Factors that affect the amplitude of El Nino in global coupled climate models

Historically, El Nino-like events simulated in global coupled climate models have had reduced amplitude compared to observations. Here, El Nino-like phenomena are compared in ten sensitivity experiments using two recent global coupled models. These models have various combinations of horizontal and vertical ocean resolution, ocean physics, and atmospheric model resolution. It is demonstrated that the lower the value of the ocean background vertical diffusivity, the greater the amplitude of El Nino variability which is related primarily to a sharper equatorial thermocline. Among models with low background vertical diffusivity, stronger equatorial zonal wind stress is associated with relatively higher amplitude El Nino variability along with more realistic east–west sea surface temperature (SST) gradient along the equator. The SST seasonal cycle in the eastern tropical Pacific has too much of a semiannual component with a double intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in all experiments, and thus does not affect, nor is it affected by, the amplitude of El Nino variability. Systematic errors affecting the spatial variability of El Nino in the experiments are characterized by the eastern equatorial Pacific cold tongue regime extending too far westward into the warm pool. The time scales of interannual variability (as represented by time series of Nino3 SSTs) show significant power in the 3–4 year ENSO band and 2–2.5 year tropospheric biennial oscillation (TBO) band in the model experiments. The TBO periods in the models agree well with the observations, while the ENSO periods are near the short end of the range of 3–6 years observed during the period 1950–94. The close association between interannual variability of equatorial eastern Pacific SSTs and large-scale SST patterns is represented by significant correlations between Nino3 time series and the PC time series of the first EOFs of near-global SSTs in the models and observations. Received: 17 April 2000 / Accepted: 17 August 2000     

1997／1998年El Nino事件发生、发展可能机制的进一步研究

基于美国哥伦比亚大学Lamont—Doherty地球观象台LDEO（Lamont—DohertyEarth Observatory）海表温度资料和NCEP／NCAR再分析风场资料,分析了1997／1998年El Nino3期间西太平洋暖池海表温度和西风距平的时间演变特征,同时也分析了东太平洋暖池海表温度和北风距平的时间演变特征。结果表明,1997／1998年El Nino3事件期间,西太平洋暖池海表温度变化及异常西风和东太平洋暖池海表温度变化及异常北风都与Nino3指数变化密切相关。将东、西太平洋暖池及异常北风、西风一并结合起来考虑,进一步研究了1997／1998年El Nino3事件发生、发展的可能机制：异常西风驱动西太平洋暖池东端暖水向东伸展直接有利于赤道东太平洋海表温度增加;异常西风激发东传的暖Kelvin波对东太平洋的冷上升流有抑制作用,从而有利于赤道东太平洋海表温度增加;东传的异常西风可以通过埃克曼漂流效应将赤道两侧的海表暖水向赤道辐合从而加强了赤道附近的下沉流,也有利于赤道东太平洋赤道附近海表温度增加。几乎与此同时,北风距平通过产生北风吹流将东太平洋暖池暖水由北向南输送至赤道附近直接导致Nino3区海表温度增加。上述增温因素的叠加作用共同导致了1997／1998年El Nino事件迅速发生、异常强大。     

VARIATIONS OF 30—60 DAY OSCILLATION IN ATMOSPHERE BEFORE AND DURING 1982 EL NINO*

By using the upper-wind data from July 1980 to June 1983,the variations of the low-frequency oscillation(LFO) in the atmosphere before and during 1982 El Nino have been investigated.Before the El Nino,the LFO propagates from west to east over the equator of the Eastern Hemisphere and from east to west over 20°N.The eastward propagating LFO over the equator consists of zonal wavenumber 1 propagating eastward and zonal wavenumber 2 with a character of stationary wave.The oscillation of zonal wavenumber 2 can modulate the oscillation strength.After the onset of the El Nino,the propagating directions of the LFO over the equator and 20°N of the Eastern Hemisphere change to be westward and eastward,respectively.The LFO over the western Pacific weakens rapidly and one coming from middle and high latitudes propagates to the equator.From the phase compositions of streamline fields for the zonal wavenumber 1 of equatorial westward propagatirg LFO,it is found that the atmospheric heat source in the equator of the eastern Pacific(EEP)excites a series of the equatorial cyclones and anticyclones which move northward and westward and form the westward propagating LFO over the equator.With the wavelength of 20000km,this kind of equatorial wave is similar to the mixing Rossby-gravity wave.In its westward and northward movement,the circulation in East Asia is modified.This may be the mechanism of the influence of El Nino on the climate of China.     

NINO区SST与SOI的耦合振荡信号及其预测试验

应用奇异交叉谱（ＳＣＳＡ）分析方法,提取Ｎｉｎｏ 海区各区的平均海温（ＳＳＴ）和南方涛动指数（ＳＯＩ）之间的耦合振荡信号,由此描述其年际和年代际的时变特征。基于ＳＣＳＡ,重建耦合振荡分量序列（ＲＣＣＳ）,并与回归分析相结合,对Ｎｉｎｏ 各海区平均的ＳＳＴ月际序列作短期气候预测试验。结果表明,各海区ＳＳＴ与ＳＯＩ的显著耦合振荡周期各有特色,其年际或１０ 年际变化不尽相同,从而构成了ＥＮＳＯ信号在时空演变型态上的复杂性。ＳＣＳＡ基础上的回归预报模型的预报技巧绝大部分优于ＳＳＡ－ＡＲ预报模型,实际预报试验证明效果优良     

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE 500hPa DIABATIC HEAT FLOW FIELD IN YEARS OF EL NINO AND ANTI-EL NINO

In this paper,by using spectral method,the monthly-and seasonal-scale atmospheric diabatic heat flow(ADHF)departure fields are diagnosed in the period of 1964—1985 with 6 El Nino years and 6 anti-El Nino years over theNorthern hemisphere(NH).The results show that El Nino phenomena have pronounced influence on the ADHF depar-ture fields.The response of atmosphere exhibits a preferred arrangement of organizing positive and negative departurecenters at low,middle and high latitudes.In anti-El Nino years,the response has the same forms as in El Nino years,but departure centers are opposite in phase.Furthermore,ADHF departure shows low-frequency oscillation in El Ninoyears and anti-El Nino years.The center of difference in departure between El Nino and anti-El Nino years displays abi-monthly oscillation.Finally,through air-sea correlation analysis,it is pointed out that the SST anomaly is the most important cause forADHF anomaly.     

两类ENSO事件前期的热带太平洋海温距平场

分析了１９５６年以来两类ＥＮＳＯ事件热带太平洋海温距平场的特征。结果指出,东部型ＥｌＮｉｎｏ事件前期为ＬａＮｉｎａ事件年,热带中东太平洋为强的海温负距平,东部型ＬａＮｉｎａ事件前期为ＥｌＮｉｎｏ事件年,热带中不太平洋为强的海温正距平,中部型ＥｌＮｉｎｏ事件前期热带中西太平洋多为明显的海温正距平,中部型ＬａＮｉｎａ事件前期热带东太平洋多为明显的海渐负距平。两类ＥＮＳＯ事件前期海温距平场特殊基本相反。     

北太平洋东部风暴轴的变化特征及其与大气环流和SST异常的关系

利用欧洲中期天气预报中心ECMWF(European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecast)逐日再分析资料(ERA40),通过经验正交函数(empirical orthogonal function,EOF)分解发现,冬季北太平洋东部风暴轴有着显著的年际变化特征:第一变化模态为在气候平均位置南北相反的偶极子变化型,第二变化模态为在气候平均位置处一致增强或减弱的变化型,第三变化模态为三极子的变化型。进一步的回归分析发现:当东部风暴轴南压(北抬)时,同期冬季是一种厄尔尼诺(拉尼娜)年海温异常空间分布型,中纬度北太平洋海区以及赤道中、东海区,冬季冷(暖)异常的洋面上是异常低压(高压),对流层中层是太平洋—北美型(Pacific-North American Pattern,PNA)遥相关的正(负)位相;当东部风暴轴增强(减弱)时,同期冬季黑潮区海温偏暖(偏冷),对流层中层表现为西太平洋型(West Pacific Pattern,WP)遥相关的正(负)位相;当东部风暴轴呈现西北—东南+-+(-+-)相间三极子的分布时,同期冬季巴布亚新几内亚附近海温异常偏暖(冷),夏威夷附近海温异常偏冷(暖),冬季冷(暖)异常的洋面上是异常低(高)压,对流层中层表现出类似PNA正(负)位相。EOF分解各模态所对应时间系数与阿留申低压(Aleutian Low,AL)指数、PNA指数、Nino3指数、WP指数、黑潮海温(Kuroshio Current,KC)指数之间存在显著的相关,这些证明了东部风暴轴与同期大气环流及SST异常之间的联系。     

CLIMATIC FEATURES OF SEA TEMPERATURE OF WARM POOL AND RELATIONSHIP WITH SST OF ITS ADJACENT REGIONS*

In this paper,climatic features of sea temperature of western Pacific warm pool and the relationship with sea surface temperature (SST) of its adjacent regions are analyzed based on the observed sea temperature on vertical cross section along 137°E in western Pacific,the monthly mean SST of Xisha Station in South China Sea and the global monthly mean SST with resolution of 1°×1° (U.K./GISST2.2).The results indicate that (1) in a sense of correlation.SST of western Pacific warm pool can represent its sea subsurface temperature from surface to 200 m-depth level in winter,and it can only represent sea temperature from surface to 70 m depth in summer.The sea subsurface temperature anomaly of warm pool may be more suitable for representing thermal regime of western Pacific warm pool.The sea subsurface temperature of warm pool has a characteristic of quasi-biennial oscillation.(2)Warm pool and Kuroshio current are subject to different ocean current systems (3)Furthermore,the relationship between SST of Xisha Station and SST of warm pool has a characteristic of negative correlation in winter and positive correlation in summer,and a better lag negative correlation of SST of Xisha Station with sea subsurface temperature of warm pool exists.(4)Additionally,oscillation structure of sea temperature like "a seesaw" exists in between warm pool and Regions Nino3 and Nino4.January (June) maximum (minimum) sea subsurface temperature anomaly of warm pool may serve as a strong signal that indicates maturity phase (development phase) of La Nina (El Nino) event,it also acts as a strong signal which reveals variations of SST of Regions Nino3 and Nino4.     

How well do current climate models simulate two types of El Nino?

In this study, we evaluate the fidelity of current climate models in simulating the two types of El Nino events using the pre-industrial output in CMIP3 archives. It is shown that a few climate models simulate the two types of El Nino events to some extent, while most of the models have serious systematic problems in simulating distinctive patterns of sea-surface temperature (SST) and precipitation anomaly associated with the two types of El Nino; that is, they tend to simulate a single type of El Nino. It is shown that the ability of climate models in simulating the two types of El Nino is related to the sensitivity of the atmospheric responses to the SST anomaly patterns. Models whose convective location is shifted to the east (west) as the SST anomaly center moves to the east (west) tends to simulate the two types of El Nino events successfully. On the other hand, models whose location of convective anomaly is confined over the western or central Pacific tends to simulate only the single type of El Nino event. It is also shown that the confinement of the convective anomaly over the western or central Pacific is closely linked to the dry bias and the associated cold bias over the eastern Pacific. That is, because positive El Nino SST anomalies over the eastern Pacific cannot increase local convection effectively when the total SSTs are still too cold due to a cold bias. This implies that the realistic simulation of climatology, especially over the equatorial eastern Pacific, is essential to the successful simulation of the two types of El Nino.     

Modes of SST variability and the fluctuation of global mean temperature

Annually averaged global mean land air temperature and sea surface temperature (SST) combined, and global mean SST alone share similar fluctuations. We examine contributions by modes of SST variability in the global mean SST based on a new version (version 3) of global sea-ice and SST (GISST3). Besides a trend mode, the dominant modes are El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), interhemispheric oscillation, and North Pacific oscillation. Statistics over the period of 1880–1997 show that excluding a warming trend the fluctuation on interannual (IA) and decadal-interdecadal (DID) time scales is dominated by IA ENSO and DID ENSO-like variability. However, the contribution by IA ENSO cycles experiences significant fluctuations, and there appears to be strong modulations by ENSO-like variability on DID or longer time scales: during several decade-long periods, when DID ENSO-like variability raises the temperature in the equatorial eastern Pacific, the contribution by IA ENSO cycles weakens to an insignificant level. The latest example of such modulation is the period since about 1980; despite the exceptional strength of El Niño events, the contribution by IA ENSO cycles weakens, suggesting that the exceptional strength is a consequence of superposition of IA El Niño events, a warming phase of DID ENSO-like variability, and possibly an ENSO-like warming trend.     

A FURTHER STUDY ON INTERACTION BETWEEN ANOMALOUS WINTER MONSOON IN EAST ASIA AND EL NINO*

The interaction between anomalous winter monsoon in East Asia and El Nino is further studied in this paper.The new results still more proved a previous conclusion:there are clear interactions between El Nino and winter monsoon in East Asia.The continual westerly burst andstronger cumulus convection over the equatorial central-western Pacific caused by stronger wintermonsoon in East Asia can respectively excite anomalous oceanic Kelvin wave and stronger atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation in the tropics,then excite the El Nino event through air-sea interction.In El Nino winter,there are warmer and weaker winter monsoons in East Asia.The El Nino will still reduce the intensity of intraseasonal oscillation and leads it to be barotropic structure.     

A dynamic link between the basin-scale and zonal modes in the Tropical Indian Ocean

Summary The interannual variability of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the tropical Indian Ocean is dominated mainly by a basin-scale mode (BM) and partly by an east–west contrast mode (zonal mode, ZM). The BM reflects the basin-scale warming or cooling and is highly correlated with El Nino with 3- to 6-month lags, while the ZM is marginally correlated with El Nino with 9-month lags.During an El Nino, large-scale anomalous subsidence over the maritime continent occurs as a result of an eastward shift in the rising branch of the Walker circulation suppresses convection over the eastern Indian Ocean, allowing more solar radiation over the eastern Indian Ocean. At the same time, the anomalous southeasterly wind over the equatorial Indian Ocean forces the thermocline over the western Indian Ocean to deepen, especially in the southern part. As a result, SST over the whole basin increases. As El Nino decays, the subsidence over the maritime continent ceases and so does the anomalous southeasterly wind. However, the thermocline perturbation does not quickly shoal back to normal because of inertia and it disperses as Rossby waves. These Rossby waves are reflected back as an equatorial Kelvin wave, causing deepening of the thermocline in the eastern Indian Ocean, and preventing SSTs from cooling in that region. Moreover, the weaker wind speed of the monsoon circulation results in less latent heat loss, and thus warms the eastern Indian Ocean. These two processes therefore help to maintain warm SSTs over the eastern Indian Ocean until fall. During the fall, the warm SST over the eastern Indian Ocean and the cold SST over the western Indian Ocean are enhanced by air–sea interaction and the ZM returns. The ZM dissipates through the seasonal reversal of the monsoon atmospheric circulation and the boundary-reflected Kelvin wave. In the same manner, a basin-scale cooling in the tropical Indian Ocean can induce the ZM warming in the west and cooling in the east.     

The characteristics of 30–60 day oscillation and its relations to the interannual oscillations

The characteristics of 30-60 day oscillation (hereafter called LFO ) of the outgoing longwave radiation data (OLR) and its relations to the interannual oscillations of the sea surface temperature (SST) are investigated by using the daily OLR data for the period from January, 1979 to December, 1987 and the corresponding monthly SST data. II is found that the LFO the band the interannual oscillations of the SST monthly anomaly (SSTA) interact each oth-er and they all relate to the occurrence and development of El Nino events closely. Before El Nino event happens, it contributes to the SST’s warming up and to the SST’s quasi-biennial oscillation (called QBO for brevity) and three and half years oscillation (called SO for short) being in warm water phase in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific (ECP and EEP) that the LFO in the equatorial western Pacific (EWP) enhances and propagates eastward; When El Nino event takes place, the LFO, SSTA and SSTA’s QBO and SO in the EEP interact and strengthen each other; But the warmer SST and the SSTA’s QBO and SO in the warm water phase in the EEP contribute to the LFO's weak-ening in the equatorial Pacific. Moreover, these contribute to the SST in the EEP becoming cold and the SSTA’s QBO and SO in the EWP being in cold water phase and then impel the El Nino event to end.