Sources of CAM3 vorticity bias during northern winter from diagnostic study of the vorticity equation

CAM3 (Community Atmosphere Model version 3) simulation bias is diagnosed using the vorticity equation. The study compares CAM3 output with ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) 40?year reanalysis (ERA-40) data. A time mean vorticity bias equation is also formulated and the terms are grouped into categories: linear terms, nonlinear terms, transient contributions, and friction (calculated as a residual). Frontal cyclone storms have much weaker band passed kinetic energy and enstrophy in CAM3. The downstream end of the North Atlantic storm track (NAST) has large location error. While the vorticity equation terms have similar amplitude ranking in CAM3 and ERA-40 at upper levels, the ranking differs notably in the lower troposphere. The linear and friction terms dominate the vorticity bias equation. The transient terms contribute along the storm track, but the nonlinear terms are generally much smaller, with the primary exception being over the Iberian peninsula. Friction is much stronger in CAM3. As evidence, nearly all wavelengths (including the longest planetary waves) have smaller amplitude in CAM3 than in ERA-40 vorticity data. Negative near surface vorticity tendency bias on the European side of the Arctic is linked to the NAST track error (evident in the divergence term). CAM3 misses the Beaufort high in sea level pressure (SLP) due to low level warm temperature bias, too little vortex compression, and to too little horizontal advection of negative vorticity compared with ERA-40. Generally lower SLP values in CAM3 over the entire Arctic follow from lower level warm bias in CAM3.     

Response of Northern Hemisphere storm tracks to Indian-western Pacific Ocean warming in atmospheric general circulation models

With 40 years integration output of two atmospheric general circulation models (GAMIL/IAP and HadAM3/UKMO) forced with identical prescribed seasonally-varying sea surface temperature, this study examines the effect of the observed Indian-western Pacific Ocean (IWP) warming on the Northern Hemisphere storm tracks. Both models indicate that the observed IWP warming tends to cause both the North Pacific storm track (NPST) and the North Atlantic storm track (NAST) to move northward. Such a consistent effect on the two storm tracks is closely associated with the changes in the low-level atmospheric baroclinicity, high-level jet stream and upper-level geopotential height. The IWP warming can excite a wavelike circum-global teleconnection in the geopotential height that gives rise to an anticyclonic anomaly over the midlatitude North Pacific and a positive-phase NAO anomaly over the North Atlantic. These geopotential height anomalies tend to enhance upper-level zonal westerly winds north of the climatological jet axes and increase low-level baroclinicity and eddy growth rates, thus favoring transient eddy more active north of the climatological storm track axes, responsible for the northward shift of the both storm tracks. The IWP warming-induced northward shift of the NAST is quite similar to the observed, suggesting that the IWP warming can be one of the key factors to cause decadal northward shift of the NAST since the 1980s. However, the IWP warming-induced northward shift of the NPST is completely opposite to the observed, implying that the observed southward shift of the NPST since the 1980s would be primarily attributed to other reasons, although the IWP warming can have a cancelling effect against those reasons.     

西伯利亚风暴轴的气候特征及其可能维持机制

基于1959—2014年NCEP/NCAR的逐日再分析资料,首先研究了西伯利亚风暴轴各季节的气候平均特征,然后以冬季为例,利用能量诊断方程,从能量学的角度对其的可能维持机制进行了探讨,并在上述分析过程中与北半球两大洋风暴轴的特征进行了对比。结果表明:(1)西伯利亚风暴轴一年四季都独立存在,虽强度要比两大洋风暴轴的强度弱很多且位置偏北,但可以定义为一个弱风暴轴。(2)比较来看,西伯利亚风暴轴强度的季节变化与北太平洋风暴轴的季节变化类似。与两大洋风暴轴位于急流东北侧不同,冬季西伯利亚风暴轴位于东亚温带急流的西侧。(3)进一步的能量分析结果表明,与两大洋风暴轴一样,斜压不稳定的能量转换(Ke4)也是西伯利亚风暴轴区域天气尺度扰动动能的主要来源;而扰动非地转位势通量散度项(Ke3)和时间平均气流对扰动动能的平流输送项(Ke1)也是风暴轴下游发展所需的扰动动能来源之一。     

Response of the North Pacific Storm Track Activity in the Cold Season to Multi-scale Oceanic Variations of Kuroshio Extension System: A Statistical Assessment

In this paper, a statistical method called Generalized Equilibrium Feedback Analysis(GEFA) is used to investigate the responses of the North Pacific Storm Track(NPST) in the cold season to the multi-scale oceanic variations of the Kuroshio Extension(KE) system, including its large-scale variation, oceanic front meridional shift, and mesoscale eddy activity.Results show that in the cold season from the lower to the upper troposphere, the KE large-scale variation significantly weakens the storm tr...     

The Linkage between Midwinter Suppression of the North Pacific Storm Track and Atmospheric Circulation Features in the Northern Hemisphere

The midwinter suppression(MWS) of the North Pacific storm track(NPST) has been an active research topic for decades. Based on the daily-mean NCEP/NCAR reanalysis from 1948 to 2018, this study investigates the MWS-related atmospheric circulation characteristics in the Northern Hemisphere by regression analysis with respect to a new MWS index, which may shed more light on this difficult issue. The occurrence frequency of the MWS of the upper-tropospheric NPST is more than 0.8 after the mid-1980 s. The MWS is accompanied by significantly positive sea-level pressure anomalies in Eurasia and negative anomalies over the North Pacific, which correspond to a strengthened East Asian winter monsoon. The intensified East Asian trough and atmospheric blocking in the North Pacific as well as the significantly negative low-level air temperature anomalies, lying upstream of the MNPST, are expected to be distinctly associated with the MWS. However, the relationship between the MWS and low-level atmospheric baroclinicity is somewhat puzzling.From the diagnostics of the eddy energy budget, it is identified that the inefficiency of the barotropic energy conversion related to the barotropic governor mechanism does not favor the occurrence of the MWS. In contrast, weakened baroclinic energy conversion, buoyancy conversion, and generation of eddy available potential energy by diabatic heating are conducive to the occurrence of the MWS. In addition, Ural blocking in the upstream region of the MNPST may be another candidate mechanism associated with the MWS.     

CAM3 bias over the Arctic region during northern winter studied with a linear stationary model

This study builds upon two prior papers, which examine Arctic region bias of CAM3 (NCAR Community Atmosphere Model version 3) simulations during winter. CAM3 output is compared with ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) 40?year reanalysis (ERA-40) data. Our prior papers considered the temperature and the vorticity equation terms and demonstrated that diabatic, transient, and linear terms dominate nonlinear bias terms over most areas of interest. Accordingly, this paper uses a linearized form of the model??s dynamical core equations to study aspects of the forcing that lead to the CAM3 biases. We treat the model??s long term winter bias as a solution to a linear stationary wave model (LSWM). Key features of the bias in the vorticity, temperature, and ln of surface pressure (=q) fields are shown at medium resolution. The important features found at medium resolution are captured at the much lower LSWM resolution. The Arctic q bias has two key features: excess q over the Barents Sea and a missing Beaufort High (negative maximum q bias) to the north of Alaska and eastern Siberia. The forcing fields are calculated by the LSWM. Horizontal advection tends to create multi-polar combinations of negative and positive extrema in the forcing. The positive and negative areas of forcing approximately match corresponding areas in the bias. There is a broad relation between cold bias with elevated q bias, as expected from classical theory. Forcing in related quantities: near surface vorticity and surface pressure combine to produce the sea level pressure bias.     

北大西洋风暴轴高低空分布及其能量诊断

利用1979~2013年NCEP再分析数据,通过经验正交分解对比了前冬时期北大西洋风暴轴的高低空分布,并用涡动动能(Eddy Kinetic Energy,EKE)方程对风暴轴高低空分布型差异进行了诊断。研究结果表明:上层和下层第一空间分布型差异巨大,对流层下层风暴轴中心偏北,靠近极地,而上层风暴轴中心偏西南,靠近北美沿岸。EKE方程诊断结果表明:正压转换项在高低空符号相反,导致了EKE在上、下层分布出现显著差异,即上层正压转换项为负,在扰动发展中起能量耗散作用,而下层正压转换项为正,且极大值区域对应下层EKE极大值区域,为风暴轴下层向极区域增强的主要原因。而斜压转换和非地转位势通量散度在上层均为正,且远大于下层,为风暴轴上层涡动能量维持的原因,也从涡动能量收支上解释了风暴轴的主体出现在上层。     

GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC SEASONAL-MEAN HEATING: DIABATIC VERSUS TRANSIENT HEATING

With the ERA40 reanalysis daily data for 1958-2001, the global atmospheric seasonal-mean diabatic heating and transient heating are computed by using the residual diagnosis of the thermodynamic equation. The three-dimensional structures for the two types of heating are described and compared. It is demonstrated that the diabatic heating is basically characterized by strong and deep convective heating in the tropics, shallow heating in the midlatitudes and deep cooling in the subtropics and high-latitudes. The tropical diabatic heating always shifts towards the summer hemisphere, but the midlatitude heating and high-latitude cooling tend to be strong in the winter hemisphere. On the other hand, the transient heating due to transient eddy transfer is characterized by a meridional dipole pattern with cooling in the subtropics and heating in the mid- and high-latitudes, as well as by a vertical dipole pattern in the midlatitudes with cooling at lower levels and heating in the mid- and higher-levels, which gives rise to a sloped structure in the transient heating oriented from the lower levels in the high latitudes and higher levels in the midlatitudes. The transient heating is closely related to a storm track along which the transient eddy activity is much stronger in the winter hemisphere than in the summer hemisphere. In Northern Hemisphere, the transient heating locates in the western oceanic basin, while it is zonally-oriented in Southern Hemisphere, for which the transient heating and cooling are far separated over South Pacific during the cold season. The transient heating tends to cancel the diabatic heating over most of the globe. However, it dominates the mid-tropospheric heating in the midlatitudes. Therefore, the atmospheric transient processes act to help the atmosphere gain more heat in the high-latitudes and in the mid-troposphere of midlatitudes, reallocating the atmospheric heat obtained from the diabatic heating.     

位涡倾向在Muifa台风路径转折中的应用

利用ECMWF资料诊断分析了位涡倾向方程中的水平平流项和非绝热加热项分别在Muifa台风两次路径转折中的作用。结果表明:第一次路径转折过程中,非绝热加热项的量级比水平平流项小一个量级,水平平流项所表征的外部大尺度环流因素是第一次路径转折的主要原因;第二次路径转向过程由水平平流项和非绝热加热项共同控制,其中水平平流项控制台风的移向,非绝热加热项表征的内部非对称结构对台风转向有抑制作用。     

冬季太平洋SST异常对风暴轴和急流的影响

利用观测资料分析了冬季太平洋表温度异常对风暴轴和急流的影响。结果表明：在冬季黑潮区域正ＳＳＴ异常进,风暴轴和急流均明显北移,并且风暴辆的强度在入口区显著增强,急流核的中心强度却变化不大;而在冬季赤道中,东太平洋地区正ＳＳＴ异常时,风暴轴和急流主要向东南方向明显扩展,强度也在太平洋中东部显著增强,但急流核的中心强度同样变化不大。     

北太平洋风暴轴的气候特征及其变化的初步研究

本文使用ECMWF再分析网格点资料(ERA-40),分析了不同季节和不同高度层上北太平洋风暴轴(天气尺度瞬变扰动活动)的气候特征及其时间演变规律。分析表明,气候平均而言,北太平洋风暴轴冬季强且偏西南,夏季弱且偏东北。在近45 a里,冬季及夏季风暴轴在整个对流层、尤其是对流层中上层具有整体一致的年际和年代际变化特征。在各个高度层上冬季风暴轴于1985年前后一致性地发生了由弱至强的年代际跃变;夏季风暴轴发生年代际由弱至强跃变的时间在各个高度层上略有不同,对流层中高层的跃变时间与北太平洋大气海洋系统1970年代的跃变时间一致。在冬季风暴轴活动偏强年里,中纬度天气尺度瞬变扰动增强的同时,位置也有所北抬,反之亦然。夏季风暴轴活动偏强(弱)年则主要表现为瞬变扰动在气候平均位置上的增强(减弱)。     

用Zwack-Okossi方程对一次爆发性气旋的诊断分析

利用ＥＣＭＷＦ资料作初始场,ＭＭ４模式输出的结果和Ｚｗ ａｃｋ－ Ｏｋｏｓｓｉ方程作诊断工具,对１９８１年１２月２０～２１日生成在西北太平洋的一次爆发性气旋进行了数值试验和诊断分析。得到：气旋的爆发性发展主要是由正涡度平流和非地转场激发,其中涡度平流对气旋发展贡献最大,温度平流的影响则较小,两者主要是在对流层高层起作用,而非地转场则在对流层低层起主要作用。由水汽造成的非绝热加热对本次爆发性气旋的生成影响不大,积云对流潜热的反馈作用更小。另外次天气尺度系统对爆发性气旋形成贡献较小     

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。     

冬季北半球风暴轴的多尺度能量变化特征及其可能机制

基于1971—2016年NCEP/NCAR(美国环境预报中心和国家大气研究中心)的逐日再分析资料及NCPC(美国国家海洋和大气管理局气候预报中心)的海温、大气环流及海洋指数等资料通过多尺度能量分析(MS-EVA)等方法,把冬季北半球风暴轴看做一整体,分析了风暴轴区域多尺度的能量变化特征及其可能机制。主要结论概括如下:(1)多年气候平均状态下,风暴轴的动能来源主要表现为在风暴轴中上游先由低频尺度向天气尺度输送有效位能,随后在风暴轴主体区再由天气尺度有效位能转换为天气尺度动能,其中风暴轴西端可直接由低频尺度向天气尺度输送动能。(2)北半球三大风暴轴联合EOF结果表明:第一模态下,主要体现了北西伯利亚风暴轴与北太平洋风暴轴强度的减弱(增强),同时伴随着北大西洋风暴轴位置北抬(南压);第二模态下,主要体现了北西伯利亚风暴轴强度减弱(增强),同时北太平洋风暴轴位置北抬(南压)中东部强度增强(减弱),而北大西洋风暴轴位置南压(北抬)。(3)回归分析表明:北半球风暴轴异常在不同模态下与低频尺度环流联系密切。低频尺度波动可通过海温及西风急流等异常变化先影响风暴轴区域多尺度间的能量转换,进而影响风暴轴整体的异常变化。     

The Diabatic Heating and the Generation of Available Potential Energy: Results from NCEP Reanalysis

In the existing studies on the atmospheric energy cycle, the attention to the generation of available potential energy (APE) is restricted to its global mean value. The geographical distributions of the generation of APE and its mechanism of formation are investigated by using the three-dimensional NCEP/NCAR diabatic heating reanalysis in this study. The results show that the contributions from sensible heating and net radiation to the generation of zonal and time-mean APE (Gz) are mainly located in high and middle latitudes with an opposite sign, while the latent heating shows a dominant effect on Gz mainly in the tropics and high latitudes where the contributions from the middle and upper tropospheres are also contrary to that from the low troposphere. In high latitudes, the Gz is much stronger for the Winter Hemisphere than for the Summer Hemisphere, and this is consistent with the asymmetrical feature shown by the reservoir- of zonal and time-mean APE in two hemispheres, which suggests that the generation of APE plays a fundamental role in maintaining the APE in the global atmospheric energy cycle. The same contributions to the generation of stationary eddy APE (GSE) from the different regions related to the maintenance of longitudinal temperature contrast are likely arisen by different physics. Specifically, the positive contributions to GSE from the latent heating in the western tropical Pacific and from the sensible heating over land are dominated by the heating at warm regions, whereas those from the latent heating in the eastern tropical Pacific and from the sensitive heating over the oceans are dominated by the cooling at cold regions. Thus, our findings provide an observational estimate of the generation of eddy APE to identify the regional contributions in the climate simulations because it might be correct for the wrong reasons in the general circulation model (GCM). The largest positive contributions to the generation of transient eddy APE (GTE) are found to be at middle latitudes in the middle and upper tropospheres, where reside the strong local contributions to the baroclinic conversion from transient eddy APE to transient eddy kinetic energy and the resulting transient eddy kinetic energy.     

冬季南极涛动对欧亚大陆地表气温的影响

基于1962~2011年NCEP/NCAR逐日再分析资料,本文研究了北半球冬季南极涛动（Antarctic Oscillation,AAO）对欧亚大陆地表气温的影响及其物理过程。线性回归结果表明,在扣除冬季ENSO信号后,1月AAO与2月欧亚大陆地表气温呈显著正相关关系。当1月AAO处于正位相时,东南太平洋出现显著的位势高度正异常,这对应着南半球副热带高压的增强。该高度正异常在空间上从南半球向北扩展至北半球东太平洋地区,在时间上可一直持续到2月,它在南北半球相互作用过程中起重要作用。2月,北半球东太平洋高度正异常随高度向北倾斜,在对流层上层位于美国西南侧,该位置对应着北大西洋风暴轴入口处。进一步的相关分析表明,美国西南侧的高度正异常与地中海西北侧的瞬变波活动显著正相关,进而对应着斯堪的纳维亚半岛地区的高度负异常的形成。该负异常通过向下游频散波能量,引起贝加尔湖西侧高度正异常,形成典型的负位相斯堪的纳维亚环流型。该环流型对应60°N附近的西风异常,抑制了北侧冷空气南下,进而引起欧亚大陆地表气温正异常,反之亦然。     

The Asymmetric Atmospheric Response to the Decadal Variability of Kuroshio Extension during Winter

The Kuroshio extension(KE)exhibits interdecadal variability,oscillating from a stable state to an unstable state.In this paper,ERA-Interim reanalysis data are used to discuss the possible reasons for the asymmetric response of the atmosphere to symmetric sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA)during periods of differential KE states.The analysis has the following results:the SSTA presents a nearly symmetrical distribution with opposite signs during the KE stable and unstable periods.During the KE stable period,the storm track is located north of 40°N and is significantly enhanced in the northeast Pacific Ocean.The atmospheric response is similar to the West Pacific/North Pacific Oscillation teleconnection(WP/NPO like pattern)and presents a barotropic structure.The inversion results of the potential vorticity equation show that the feedback of transient eddy vorticity manifests a WP/NPO like pattern and presents a barotropic structure,which is the main reason for bringing about the response of the WP/NPO like pattern.The magnitude of the feedbacks of both diabatic heating and transient eddy heating is small,which can offset one another.During the KE unstable period,the main body of the storm track is located to the south of 40°N,and there is no significant response signal in the atmosphere,except near the west coast of North America.Compared with the KE stable period,the asymmetry of response of the transient eddy vorticity is the main reason for the asymmetric response of the atmosphere.     

2003年夏季梅雨期一次强气旋发展的位涡诊断分析

通过位涡诊断和回推轨迹分析, 对2003年夏季梅雨期间一次强江淮气旋的发展过程进行了研究。结果表明: 气旋发展初期, 非绝热加热在气旋的低层发展中起了主要作用, 随后由于高层水平平流的增强, 通过垂直平流使高低层大值位涡耦合在一起, 从而使气旋迅速发展。从中、 高、 低层对位涡柱形成所起的作用来看, 低层主要是非绝热加热, 中层是垂直平流, 而高层主要是水平平流; 从构成气旋的气流来说, 在气旋迅速发展阶段, 低层主要以西南暖湿气流为主, 高层 (500 hPa以上) 主要以沿急流轴下降的高层干冷气流和对流层底层流向气旋东北部并迅速上升的暖湿气流为主。高低层冷暖空气的相互作用主要发生在600 hPa及以上层次, 因凝结加热引起的垂直运动通过垂直平流可能在冷暖气流相互作用和上下大位涡的垂直耦合中发挥了重要作用。     

Interdecadal changes in the storm track activity over the North Pacific and North Atlantic

Analysis of NCEP-NCAR I reanalysis data of 1948–2009 and ECMWF ERA-40 reanalysis data of 1958–2001 reveals several significant interdecadal changes in the storm track activity and mean flow-transient eddy interaction in the extratropics of Northern Hemisphere. First, the most remarkable transition in the North Pacific storm track (PST) and the North Atlantic storm track (AST) activities during the boreal cold season (from November to March) occurred around early-to-mid 1970s with the characteristics of global intensification that has been noticed in previous studies. Second, the PST activity in midwinter underwent decadal change from a weak regime in the early 1980s to a strong regime in the late 1980s. Third, during recent decade, the PST intensity has been enhanced in early spring whereas the AST intensity has been weakened in midwinter. Finally, interdecadal change has been also noted in the relationship between the PST and AST activities and between the storm track activity and climate indices. The variability of storm track activity is well correlated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation prior to the early 1980s, but this relationship has disappeared afterward and a significant linkage between the PST and AST activity has also been decoupled. For a better understanding of the mid-1970s’ shift in storm track activity and mean flow-transient eddy interaction, further investigation is made by analyzing local barotropic and baroclinic energetics. The intensification of global storm track activity after the mid-1970s is mainly associated with the enhancement of mean meridional temperature gradient resulting in favorable condition for baroclinic eddy growth. Consistent with the change in storm track activity, the baroclinic energy conversion is significantly increased in the North Pacific and North Atlantic. The intensification of the PST and AST activity, in turn, helps to reinforce the changes in the middle-to-upper tropospheric circulation but acts to interfere with the changes in the low-tropospheric temperature field.     

东北太平洋一次强爆发性气旋发展的机制分析

使用FNL Analysis全球格点资料,对东北太平洋一次强爆发性气旋的特殊性进行了分析,发现气旋对其西北部低压系统的吸收合并是其爆发性发展过程中的典型特征,斜压强迫对其快速发展的作用较弱,与西北太平洋爆发性气旋的发展过程存在显著差异。同时,使用Zwack-Okossi诊断方程,从影响爆发性发展的动力和热力因子方面,对其发展机制作了深入的探讨。研究表明,正涡度平流、暖平流和非绝热加热的共同作用使气旋开始爆发性发展,由潜热释放导致的非绝热加热的贡献最大,非绝热加热是其快速发展的主导因子,其中正涡度平流贡献主要来自于中高层,暖平流的贡献主要来自于中低层和高层,而非绝热加热主要发生在中低层,这为东北太平洋爆发性气旋的发展机制提供了一个新的认识。