The possible influence of solar activity on Indian summer monsoon rainfall

The Indian summer monsoon rainfall （ISMR） plays an important role in the climate system of South Asia. Recently, studies about ISMR variations have been going into more depth. In this present paper, we mainly use the Scargle periodogram and wavelet transform methods to study the periodicity of ISMR changes between 1871 and 2004 and review the possible influence of solar activity on the rainfall. Analysis results show complicated ISMR variations have periodicities with remarkable time-variable characteristics. Investigating a possible connection between the rainfall and solar variations, we believe that solar activity affects the ISMR variations to some extent.     

Processes of India’s offshore summer intraseasonal sea surface temperature variability

Active and break phases of the Indian summer monsoon are associated with sea surface temperature (SST) fluctuations at 30–90 days timescale in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Mechanisms responsible for basin-scale intraseasonal SST variations have previously been discussed, but the maxima of SST variability are actually located in three specific offshore regions: the South-Eastern Arabian Sea (SEAS), the Southern Tip of India (STI) and the North-Western Bay of Bengal (NWBoB). In the present study, we use an eddy-permitting 0.25° regional ocean model to investigate mechanisms of this offshore intraseasonal SST variability. Modelled climatological mixed layer and upper thermocline depth are in very good agreement with estimates from three repeated expendable bathythermograph transects perpendicular to the Indian Coast. The model intraseasonal forcing and SST variability agree well with observed estimates, although modelled intraseasonal offshore SST amplitude is undere-stimated by 20–30 %. Our analysis reveals that surface heat flux variations drive a large part of the intraseasonal SST variations along the Indian coastline while oceanic processes have contrasted contributions depending of the region considered. In the SEAS, this contribution is very small because intraseasonal wind variations are essentially cross-shore, and thus not associated with significant upwelling intraseasonal fluctuations. In the STI, vertical advection associated with Ekman pumping contributes to ～30 % of the SST fluctuations. In the NWBoB, vertical mixing diminishes the SST variations driven by the atmospheric heat flux perturbations by 40 %. Simple slab ocean model integrations show that the amplitude of these intraseasonal SST signals is not very sensitive to the heat flux dataset used, but more sensitive to mixed layer depth.     

Stratosphere–troposphere interaction associated with biennial oscillation of Indian summer monsoon

Quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is a predominant phenomenon in the tropical stratosphere and troposphere. The possible interactions between the stratospheric QBO and tropospheric biennial oscillation (TBO) over the Indian monsoon region as well as the equatorial region is investigated using the zonal wind data of 23 vertical levels (1000–1 hpa) from 1960–2002. The structure of lower stratosphere and troposphere are entirely different over the equator and India. In biennial scales, both the stratosphere and troposphere over the Indian region are closely related and winter season QBO is a good predictor of Indian summer monsoon rainfall.     

Global warming strengthens the association between ENSO and the Asian-Australian summer monsoon

<正>Previous studies have widely reported the linkages between Asian-Australian monsoon and the ENSO(Wu, 2008; Azad and Rajeevan, 2016; Chen et al., 2020; Shekhar et al., 2022;Zhang J et al., 2022; Chen et al., 2023; Hau et al., 2023;Heidemann et al., 2023).     

An examination of summer precipitation over Asia based on TRMM/TMI

A 6-year dataset of summer monthly mean precipitation derived from Tropical Precipitation Measure-ment Mission (TRMM)-Microwave Imager (TMI) was used to delineate the spatial distribution patterns of precipitation throughout Asian areas, which indicates that there are three rainfall centers located at the northern coast of the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea and the western equatorial Pacific Warm Pool, respectively. Based upon the analysis of horizontal distribution, the capability of TMI for characterizing terrestrial and maritime precipitation has been evaluated and compared with Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) dataset. It was found that TMI and GPCP are well consistent with each other, while a few significant differences occur at several regions over land. By investigating rainfall esti-mates over six specific locations in Asia, a systematic underestimation of TMI was demonstrated, which could be explained by the inherent deficiency within TMI terrestrial algorithm relying on scat-tering signal from ice particles in a precipitation system. A further analysis shows that the highly in-homogeneous distribution of rain gauges employed by GPCP contributes a great deal to the significant discrepancy between GPCP and TMI, especially over regions surrounding the Tibetan Plateau where rain gauges are quite scarce.     

Inter-hemispheric asymmetry in polar mesosphere summer echoes and temperature at 69° latitude

An inter-hemispheric asymmetry is found in the characteristics of polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) and upper mesosphere temperatures at conjugate latitudes (～69°) above Antarctica and the Arctic. The second complete mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar summer observation season at Davis (68.6°S) revealed that PMSE occur less frequently, with lower strength and on average 1 km higher compared with their northern counterparts at Andenes (69.3°N). We consider the thermodynamic state of the mesosphere for conjoining hemispheric summers based on satellite and ground-based radar measurements, and show the mesopause region near ～80–87 km of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) to be up to 7.5 K warmer than its Northern Hemisphere (NH) counterpart. We show that this is consistent with our observation of asymmetries in the characteristics of PMSE and demonstrate how the mesosphere meridional wind field influences the existence and strength of the echoes in both hemispheres.     

Urban effects and summer thunderstorms in a tropical cyclone affected situation over Guangzhou city

With data mainly from Guangzhou mesonet Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), Guangzhou Doppler Radar and satellite T _BB data, characteristics and evolution of the urban heat island (UHI) over Guangzhou City were analyzed in a tropical cyclone affected situation for early August 2005. In particular, two thunderstorms occurring during this period respectively at the night of 4 August and in the afternoon of 7 August were investigated to study the relationships between the development of thunderstorms and the UHI. Results showed that two thunderstorms were associated with the UHI effects. UHI induced local air convergence and initiated the thunderstorm convections. Both cases showed a general agreement in time and space for the locations of maximum UHI, convergence, convection, and precipitation. Convection was found to be more favorable to developing in time periods and locations with stronger intensity of UHI. Analysis also showed that, due to the urban effects, both thunderstorms got strengthened when moving over Guangzhou City, with maximum radar echoes observed right over the urban area and precipitation located within the city. All these features reveal that two thunderstorms were urban-induced storms. Supported jointly by the R&D Infrastructure and Facility Developemnt Program (2003DIB4J145) from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Urban Meteorological Science Research Fund (UMRF200504) and the Open Research Fund from the State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences     

Tidally induced upwelling off Yangtze River estuary and in Zhejiang coastal waters in summer

MASNUM wave-tide-circulation coupled numerical model (MASNUM coupled model, hereinafter) is de-veloped based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). Both POM and MASNUM coupled model are ap-plied in the numerical simulation of the upwelling off Yangtze River estuary and in Zhejiang coastal waters in summer. The upwelling mechanisms are analyzed from the viewpoint of tide, and a new mechanism is proposed. The study suggests that the tidally inducing mechanism of the upwelling in-cludes two dynamic aspects: the barotropic and the baroclinic process. On the one hand, the residual currents induced by barotropic tides converge near the seabed, and upwelling is generated to maintain mass conservation. The climbing of the residual currents along the sea bottom slope also contributes to the upwelling. On the other hand, tidal mixing plays a very important role in inducing the upwelling in the baroclinic sea circumstances. Strong tidal mixing leads to conspicuous front in the coastal waters. The considerable horizontal density gradient across the front elicits a secondary circulation clinging to the tidal front, and the upwelling branch appears near the frontal zone. Numerical experiments are de-signed to determine the importance of tide in inducing the upwelling. The results indicate that tide is a key and dominant inducement of the upwelling. Experiments also show that coupling calculation of the four main tidal constituents (M2, S2, K1, and O1), rather than dealing with the single M2 constituent, im-proves the modeling precision of the barotropic tide-induced upwelling.     

Variations of near-surface atmospheric CO_2 and H_2O concentrations during summer on Muztagata

1 Introduction As one of the most important greenhouse gases, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has increased in concentration rapidly since preindustrial times[1―4] and significantly contributes to the climate change[5] caused by anthropogenic emissions. Documentation of the global carbon cycle has been critical for under-standing the causative relationships between green-house gases and climate change. For example, the CO2 level in the atmosphere has been monitored at many sites worldwide …     

An 8.1Ma calcite record of Asian summer monsoon evolution on the Chinese central Loess Plateau

Carbonates in loess-red clay sequences consist mainly of calcite and dolomite. The EDTA analysis of carbonates in different size fractions and magnetic susceptibility reveal that calcite is a sensitive index of summer monsoon. The chemical analysis of carbonates and calcite from an 8.1 Ma loess-red clay sequence at Chaona on the Chinese central Loess Plateau shows that the evolution of the Asian summer monsoon experienced four stages, namely 8.1―5.5 Ma, 5.5―2.8 Ma, 2.8―1.5 Ma and 1.5―0 Ma, with increasing intensification and fluctuation, suggesting a possible combining impacts of uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and global changes on the Asian summer monsoon.     

Distribution and origin of biologically available phosphorus in the water of the Meiliang Bay in summer

The investigation and continuous monitoring with an innovative iron oxide embedded cellulose acetate membrane (FeO/CAM) on the concentrations of biologically available phosphorus (BAP) were conducted in the Meiliang Bay of the Taihu Lake during summer in 2004. The results showed that the concentrations of dissolved (FeO-DP), particulate (FeO-PP) and total bioavailable phosphorus (FeO-P) had similar horizontal distribution. The BAP concentrations were the highest in those estuaries in the northern bay. With the decrease of the distance to the estuary or long shore, there was little difference between BAP concentrations in an open lake area. During the observation period, algal blooms occurred in most waters of the northern bay, which was reflected from the high concentrations of chlorophyll a (Chl-a). While they were not highest in the estuarine waters of those major rivers, this is the case for the BAP concentrations. The concentrations of Chl-a had a significantly positive correlation with those of bioavailable phosphorus in the open area of the Meiliang Bay. With the sediment resuspension induced by wind and wave, BAP concentrations increased in a short-term, indicating that the riverine P inputs mainly contribute to the concentrations of BAP in the estuarine water while internal P release was the major source of BAP in the open lake area. In the eutrophic shallow lake, the blooms of alga may cause pH increase and further result in internal P release. The above results showed that the new membrane of FeO/CAM can be used to monitor the concentrations of BAP and provide the scientific justifications for the control strategy of the lake eu-trophication.     

The influence of meteorological variation on the upwelling system off eastern Hainan during summer 2007–2008

The influence of meteorological variation, i.e., typhoon and precipitation events, on the coastal upwelling off the eastern Hainan Island was studied based on observations taken during two upwelling seasons. The observations were made in August 2007 and July 2008, respectively. We found that, in principle, similar structure of sea surface temperature and bottom temperature prevailed in both observational periods, providing evidence that upwelling events occur frequently during the summer monsoon along the eastern Hainan shelf. Based on a simple momentum balance theory, we studied the balances between momentum fluxes, wind stress, and bottom stress. The results showed that the Burger number is S ≈ 1, indicating that the cross-shelf momentum flux divergence was balanced by the wind stress and the onshore return flow occurred in the interior of the water column. Hence, a conceptual model of the upwelling structure was built for further understanding of upwelling events. In addition, it was also observed that variations in the strength of upwelling are controlled by storm events, i.e., strong northerly winds change the structure of the thermocline on the shelf significantly. The strong mixing caused by wind reduces the strength of the thermocline, in particular in coastal seas. Based on our conceptual model, a frontal zone between mixed coastal water and offshore water develops which destabilizing the water column and hence decreases the upwelling strength. Freshwaters from the two main rivers in the Wenchang Bay are confined to the coastal area less than 20–30 m deep, as confirmed by our water mass analysis. Freshwater discharge stabilized the water column, inhibiting the upwelling as shown by the potential energy calculation. Consequently, estuarine water only inhibits the upwelling in the near coastal area. Therefore, it can be concluded that estuarine water does not have a significant impact on upwelling strength on the shelf.     

Study on the atmospheric heat engine efficiency and heat source characteristics of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in summer

There are many types of atmospheric heat engines in land-air systems. The accurate definition, calculation and interpretation of the efficiency of atmospheric heat engines are key to understanding energy transfer and transformation of landair systems. The atmosphere over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) in summer can be regarded as a positive heat engine. The study of the heat engine efficiency is helpful to better understand land-air interaction and thermal-dynamic processes on the QTP.It also pr...     

The exceptional Oder flood in summer 1997 — distribution patterns of the oder discharge in the Pomeranian Bight

The exceptional Oder flood in summer 1997 was a unique event in order to investigate the impacts on and the consequences for the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea of about 6.5 km³ additional water loaded with nutrients and contaminants and discharged within only 5 weeks. About 15 institutions participated in this investigation in both the Szczecin Lagoon and the Pomeranian Bight. The Baltic Sea Research Institute Warnemünde studied the water and nutrient inflow, the spreading of the Oder discharge, and the impact of the discharge on the ecosystem. The main topic of the presented investigations is a detailed study of the spatial and temporal spreading of the extreme river discharge in the Pomeranian Bight and the southern Baltic Sea by satellite data, ship observations and continuous buoy measurements as well as numerical modelling. The meteorological conditions were characterized by mainly easterly winds which guided the outflowing riverine water along the German coast into the Arkona Sea. The spatial and temporal development of the distribution patterns of the Oder discharge was monitored by about 80 Sea Surface Temperature (SST) images of NOAA satellites. Shipborne measurements showed that the vertical extent of the Oder plume ranged between 5 and 7 metres. The concentrations of inorganic nutrients, except higher silicate, were comparable to typical winter/early spring values (seasonal maximum) in this region. The high dilution effect of the flood water reduced the concentration of contaminants and thus, prevented a direct negative impact of trace metals and chlorinated organic compounds on the marine environment. Coupled physical-biochemical modelling in combination with SST-images demonstrated the temporal development and satellite data in the visible spectral range delivered the maximum extent of discharged river water into the southern Arkona Sea where a further western transport was limited by the upwelling region off Hiddensee. Thus, all detected effects of the Oder flood were confined to the Pomeranian Bight and the southern Arkona Sea, without long-term consequences for the ecosystem.     

Comparison of the effects of soil moisture and El Niño on summer precipitation in eastern China

Science China Earth Sciences - The effects of spring soil moisture over the vast region from the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River valley to North China (YRNC) and El Niño on the...     

Daily counts of atmospheric ice-forming nuclei near Swakopmund,South West Africa,during summer 1956–57

Summary During a period of three months large variations in the number of freezing nuclei were found in air coming from over the Atlantic Ocean. No satisfactory explanation of these fluctuations could be found in terms of local conditions, the mixing of the surface air with upper air carrying nuclei, or the effect of meteor showers.     

Polar mesosphere summer echoes with ESRAD,Kiruna, Sweden: Variations and trends over 1997–2008

Measurements of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes (PMSE) with the MST radar ESRAD, in northern Sweden, from 1997 to 2008, were used to study diurnal, day-to-day and year-to-year variations of PMSE. The PMSE occurrence rate and volume reflectivity on a daily scale show predominantly semidiurnal variations with small interannual variability in the shape of the diurnal curves. Day-to-day and interannual variations of PMSE are found to correlate with geomagnetic activity while they do not correlate with mesopause temperature or solar activity. No statistically significant trends in PMSE occurrence rate and length of PMSE season were detected over the observation interval.