A 500 hPa synoptic wildland fire climatology for large Canadian forest fires, 1959–1996

Summary In Canada, the average annual area of burned forest has increased from around 1 million ha in the 1970’s to over 2.5 million ha in the 1990’s. A previous study has identified the link between anomalous mid-tropospheric circulation at 500 hPa over northern North America and wildland fire severity activity in various large regions of Canada over the entire May to August fire season. In this study, a northern North American study region of the hemispheric gridded 5° latitude by 10° longitude 500 hPa dataset is identified and analysed from 1959 to 1996 for a sequence of six monthly periods through the fire season, beginning in April and ending in September. Synoptic types, or modes of upper air behavior, are determined objectively by the eigenvector method employing K-means cluster analysis. Monthly burned areas from the Canadian Large Fire Database (LFDB) for the same period, 1959 to 1996, are analysed in conjunction with the classified monthly 500 hPa synoptic types. Relationships between common monthly patterns of anomalous upper flow and spatial patterns of large fire occurrence are examined at the ecozone level. Average occurrence of a monthly synoptic type associated with very large area burned is approximately 18% of the years from 1959 to 1996. The largest areas burned during the main fire (May to August) season occur in the western Boreal and Taiga ecozones – the Taiga Plains, Taiga Shield, Boreal West Shield and Boreal Plains. Monthly burned areas are also analysed temporally in conjunction with a calculated monthly zonal index (Zi_m) for two separate areas defined to cover western and eastern Canada. In both western and eastern Canada, high area burned is associated with synoptic types with mid-tropospheric ridging in the proximity of the affected region and low Zi_m with weak westerlies and strong meridional flow over western Canada. Received April 3, 2001 Revised July 13, 2001     

Variations of 500 hPa flow patterns over Iranand surrounding areas and their relationship with the climate of Iran

Summary In order to explore the spatial and temporal variations of 500 hPa flow patterns and their relationship with the climate of Iran, monthly mean geopotential heights for the region 0° E to 70° E and 20° N to 50° N, at 5 degree resolution, were analysed. The study period covered the winter months October to March during the period 1961–90. The monthly height of the 500 hPa level was averaged along each meridian from 25° N to 45° N. The height of the mean monthly pressure pattern was mapped against the study years. The results showed that the characteristics of the 500 hPa flow pattern varied over monthly and annual time scales. Principal Component Analysis, with S-mode and Varimax rotation, was also used to reduce the gridded data to 5 (6 in October) significant factors. The factor scores for each month were then correlated with monthly Z-scores of precipitation and temperature anomalies over Iran. The results showed that troughs and ridges located close to Iran had more influence on the climate of Iran. Two troughs were identified and named the Caspian and Syrian troughs. Received April 12, 2001 Revised July 24, 2001     

Space/Time Features of the Secular Variation in 1951–1998 Northern 500-hPa Height

Summary  This paper presents a trend coefficient as a characteristic index with which to investigate the 1951–1998 secular trend variation (STV) of northern 500-hPa height on a seasonal basis. Evidence suggests that low (high) latitude 500 hPa geopotential height displays a remarkably positive (negative) trend; the positive anomaly of the height is maintained over NW Africa, the western Mediterranean Sea and North Africa, mid-Pacific at lower latitudes, Lake Baikal and area to the east and NW North America; the height drops significantly over the Aleutians and North Pacific, the area to the south of the Greenland and NE North America and the sector to the north of the Arabian Sea. Further, analysis of abrupt change shows that the 500-hPa circulations experience noticeable sudden change twice, once around the early 1960s and again in 1976, during which period the height exhibits great differences between the Pacific and Atlantic. In the first period it drops (rises) over the mid-Atlantic at lower latitudes (NW Africa); in the second period the height rises (drops) over the mid-Pacific at lower latitudes and Lake Baikal (the North Pacific). Statistical tests indicate that in the 1976 case the low-latitude positive abrupt change is even more noticeable compared to the negative of the North Pacific, thus representing a large-scale jumping event of the northern 500-hPa height. Received April 9, 1999/Revised October 15, 1999     

Temperature and surface pressure anomalies in Israel and the North Atlantic Oscillation

Summary Teleconnections associated with changing patterns of temperature and pressure anomalies over Israel during the second half of the 20th century are investigated. Relatively high, statistically significant, correlation coefficients of −0.8 and +0.9 were found between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) Index anomalies and smoothed (5 year running mean) cool season temperature and surface pressure anomalies in Israel, respectively. A relatively high positive correlation, (r = 0.8) was also found between the NAO Index anomalies and smoothed geopotential height of the 1000 hPa pressure level, during the cool season at Bet Dagan radiosonde station located on the Israel Mediterranean coastal plain. Correlation coefficients between NAO Index anomalies and the higher standard pressure levels, 850 and 700 hPa, decrease gradually and become negative (not statistically significant) for the 500 hPa level. Received January 25, 2000/Revised March 6, 2001     

Lag-relationship between mid-tropospheric geopotential heights over the Northern Hemisphere and the Indian summer monsoon rainfall: Implications for forecasting

Summary In this study the relationship between mid-tropospheric geopotential heights over the Northern Hemisphere (20° N to 90° N, around the globe) and Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR: June to September total rainfall) have been examined. For this purpose, the monthly 500 hPa geopotential heights in a 2.5° lat./lon. grid over the Northern Hemisphere and the ISMR data for the period 1958 to 2003 have been used.The analysis demonstrates a dipole structure in the correlation pattern over the East Pacific Ocean in the month of January which intensifies in February and weakens in March.The average 500 hPa geopotential height over the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean during February (index one), has a significant positive relationship (r = 0.72) with the ISMR. In addition, the surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly over North-west Eurasia during January (index two) is found to be strongly related with the subsequent summer monsoon rainfall. These relationships are found to be consistent and robust during the period of analysis and these indices are found to be independent of each other.Hence, using index one and index two, a multiple linear regression model is developed for the prediction of the ISMR and the empirical relationships are verified on independent data. The forecast of the ISMR, using the above model, is found to be satisfactory.The dipole structure in the correlation pattern over the East Pacific region during February weakens once the ENSO (El-Nino and Southern Oscillation) events are excluded from the analysis. This suggests that the dipole type relationship between mid-tropospheric geopotential heights over the East Pacific Ocean and the ISMR may be a manifestation of the ENSO cycle.     

Monthly Synoptic Patterns Associated with Wet/Dry Conditions in the Eastern Mediterranean

Summary An investigation of the main features of large-scale synoptic patterns over Europe and the adjacent areas for extreme winter periods during 1980–1995 over the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) is performed. The NASA reanalysis data set is used to investigate composite sea level pressure (SLP), geopotential height of the 500 hPa surface (H-500) and precipitation–wet, normal and dry patterns for each month during the period October–March. It is found that the wet and dry cool seasons in the EM are associated with distinct SLP and H-500 anomaly patterns over Europe and the adjacent regions. During the dry spells large-scale positive SLP/H-500 anomaly areas prevail over Eastern Europe. A negative SLP anomaly is normally found during these periods over southwestern and Western Europe. During the wet cool seasons in the EM there are mainly negative SLP/H-500 anomaly areas over Eastern Europe to the north east of the EM. Positive SLP/H-500 anomalies are found over Western Europe. During wet months a trough zone between the Siberian and the Azorean Highs is positioned over the eastern part of the Mediterranean. During dry months the Siberian anticyclone is more intensive and the zone with low surface pressure is displaced to the central part of the northern Mediterranean. Received May 26, 1999 Revised August 26, 1999     

江西地区冬季气温异常与北半球500hPa高度场的关系

利用1960—2011年江西省81个台站月平均气温观测资料和NCEP/NCAR北半球逐月500 hPa高度场再分析资料,分析了江西地区冬季(当年12月至次年2月)气温异常的时空特征、冷暖典型年500 hPa高度距平场特征以及气温异常与北半球500 hPa高度场的相关性,并运用奇异值分解(SVD)方法探讨了北半球500 hPa高度场异常与江西地区冬季气温异常之间的耦合关系。结果表明:(1)江西地区省冬季气温以全区一致的变化为主;(2)影响江西地区冬季气温异常的500 hPa高度场关键区为北大西洋(20.0°—42.5°N,10°—70°W)和欧亚地区(25.0°—72.5°N,40°—150°E),影响时段分别为当年7月(前期)和当年冬季(同期);(3)前期7月北大西洋关键区500 hPa高度场与江西地区冬季气温呈显著的正相关关系,其中最显著的区域为赣北地区;冬季欧亚大陆关键区500 hPa高度场与江西地区冬季气温也呈显著的相关关系,其中最显著的区域为赣北、赣中地区。     

The transport of momentum, sensible heat, potential energy and moisture over the western Himalayas during the winter season

Summary The western Himalayas receive higher precipitation than the eastern Himalayas during the winter season (December–March). This differential pattern of winter precipitation over the Himalayas can be attributed to topography and to a higher frequency of disturbances over the western Himalayas, which result in variations in the circulation features. These circulation features, in turn, result in variations in the meridional transport of heat, momentum, potential energy, and moisture across the Himalayas due to mean and eddy motion. Significant meridional transport due to mean motion takes place in the upper troposphere at 300 hPa and 200 hPa. Transport east of 100° E dominates the transport over the western Himalayas. The eddy transport of heat, momentum, and potential energy is considerably smaller than that due to mean motion. Eddy transport magnitudes are smaller up to 500 hPa and increase rapidly aloft to 300 hPa and 200 hPa. Eddy transport over the western Himalayas is greater than over the eastern Himalayas.     

On the Utility of ENSO and PNA Indices for Long-Lead Forecasting of Summer Weather over the Crop-Growing Region of the Canadian Prairies

Summary The well known ENSO (El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation) phenomenon is quantitatively identified in terms of SST (sea surface temperature) anomalies over the equatorial central and eastern Pacific and sea level pressure difference over eastern and western regions of the equatorial Pacific. The PNA (Pacific North American) atmospheric flow pattern, originally identified by Wallace and Gutzler (1981) is representative of a certain preferred configuration of the mid-tropospheric geopotential height field in the longitudinal sector extending from the mid-Pacific to the southeastern United States. The PNA index is defined as a linear combination of normalized geopotential height anomalies at the 700 mb level at four selected locations. Using multiple regression analysis, suitable linear combinations of predictors based on monthly values of ENSO and PNA indices are obtained which can foreshadow the summer season’s weather over the crop-growing region of the Canadian prairie provinces with a lead time of 2 to 7 months. The utility of the ENSO and PNA indices for advance indication of summer weather with implications for grain yields over the Canadian prairies is further discussed. Received September 10, 1996 Revised October 13, 1997     

Intraseasonal variability of winter precipitation over central asia and the western tibetan plateau from 1979 to 2013 and its relationship with the North Atlantic Oscillation

Winter precipitation over Central Asia and the western Tibetan Plateau (CAWTP) is mainly a result of the interaction between the westerly circulation and the high mountains around the plateau. Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs), Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), linear regression and composite analysis were used to analyze winter daily precipitation and other meteorological elements in this region from 1979 to 2013, in order to understand how interactions between the regional circulation and topography affect the intraseasonal variability in precipitation. The SVD analysis shows that the winter daily precipitation variability distribution is characterized by a dipole pattern with opposite signs over the northern Pamir Plateau and over the Karakoram Himalaya, similar to the second mode of EOF analysis. This dipole pattern of precipitation anomaly is associated with local anomalies in both the 700 hPa moisture transport and the 500 hPa geopotential height and is probably caused by oscillations in the regional and large-scale circulations, which can influence the westerly disturbance tracks and water vapor transport. The linear regression shows that the anomalous mid-tropospheric circulation over CAWTP corresponds to an anti-phase variation of the 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies over the southern and northern North Atlantic 10 days earlier (at 95% significance level), that bears a similarity to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The composite analysis reveals that the NAO impacts the downstream regions including CAWTP by controlling south-north two branches of the middle latitude westerly circulation around the Eurasian border. During the positive phases of the NAO, the northern branch of the westerly circulation goes around the northwest Tibetan Plateau, whereas the southern branch encounters the southwest Tibetan Plateau, which leads to reduced precipitation over the northern Pamir Plateau and increased precipitation over the Karakoram Himalaya, and vice versa.     

The 1958�C2009 Greenland ice sheet surface melt and the mid-tropospheric atmospheric circulation

In order to assess the impact of the mid-tropospheric circulation over the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) on surface melt, as simulated by the regional climate model MAR, an automatic Circulation type classification (CTC) based on 500?hPa geopotential height from reanalyses is developed. General circulation correlates significantly with the surface melt anomalies for the summers in the period 1958?C2009. The record surface melt events observed during the summers of 2007?C2009 are linked to the exceptional persistence of atmospheric circulations favouring warm air advection. The CTC emphasizes that summer 500?hPa circulation patterns have changed since the beginning of the 2000s; this process is partly responsible for the recent warming observed over the GrIS.     

Synoptic reasons for heavy snowfalls in the Polish – German lowlands

Summary Daily circulation patterns responsible for heavy snowfalls in the Polish – German lowlands were analysed. Composite maps of sea level pressure (SLP) and 500 hPa geopotential height means and anomalies were constructed for the days with an increase in snow cover depth by ≥5 cm. Contour maps show negative anomalies of SLP and 500 hPa level over central Europe, indicating a low pressure system. Strong positive anomalies of SLP appear over Scandinavia and the northern Atlantic with the centre of positive anomalies located over Iceland. Weaker negative anomalies are observed in the Azores region. This confirms the strong negative correlation between snow cover appearance and the North Atlantic Oscillation index in Europe. The days with heavy snowfalls were clustered using the Ward’s method. Three types of circulation patterns were distinguished, each of them characterised by a low pressure system over central Europe. Type 3 represents the northern position of the low with its centre over the Baltic Sea, Type 2 shows the southern position of the low with its centre over the Adriatic and the Ionic Sea and Type 1 represents the low location between the two previous patterns with a wide meridional trough over the Atlantic. Author’s address: Ewa Bednorz, Institute of Physical Geography and Environmental Planning, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Dzięgielowa 27, 61-680 Poznań, Poland.     

RESEARCH ON INTERANNUAL CHANGE ABOUT TELECONNECTION OF GENERAL CIRCULATION IN SUMMER DURING 1980s OVER THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

In the paper the 5°×10°latitude-longitude grid point data of daily 500 hPa geopotential height over the NorthernHemisphere(NH)in summer(June—August)during 1980s are used.The base point(20°N,120°E)is selected to calcu-late point correlation between the base point and other grid points.We find that the summer heat source anomaly of thetropical western Pacific causes anomaly of summer general circulation over NH and teleconnection of general circula-tion similar to PNA pattern forms from East Asia to North America.The teleconnections show great interannualchanges.     

500 hPa Vorticity Analyses over Argentina: Their Climatologyand Capacity to Distinguish Synoptic-Scale Precipitation

Summary The Southern South America climatological 500 hPa relative vorticity mean state was examined using regional objective analyses of 500 hPa geopotential heights provided by the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional of Argentina. The dataset, covering the period June 1983 to July 1987, was stratified into two samples: the cold and warm seasons. Mean cyclonic vorticity south of 40° S results in a climatological trough over Patagonia with a northwest-southeast tilt. North of this latitude, mean anticyclonic circulation dominates with the exception of a centre of cyclonic vorticity over the Río de la Plata (35° S, 56° W). Seasonal changes appear to be small. Relative vorticity frequency distributions were also analysed. The association between precipitation and synoptic-scale features of the mid-troposphere circulation was investigated through vorticity fields. A particular distribution of vorticity anomalies associated with daily precipitation in Buenos Aires is revealed by biserial correlation coefficient fields. In winter, the strongest relationships are found between 35° S and 40° S over the Andes Mountains (minimum significant correlation coefficients indicating a cyclonic vorticity anomaly), and in the south of Brazil and east of Buenos Aires over the Atlantic Ocean down to a latitude of 40° S (maximum correlation coefficients related to anomalously anticyclonic circulation). This shows the preferential position of troughs and ridges that produce precipitation in Buenos Aires on the time scale of a day. In summer, centres of anomalously cyclonic and anticyclonic vorticity associated with precipitation shift slightly southward. For moderate or intense precipitation in Buenos Aires, advection of warm and wet air southwards appears to be more important in winter, while in summer the strong anomalous vorticity gradient north of the negative centre over the Andes Cordillera favours rainfall in Buenos Aires. Received April 17, 1997     

登陆我国台风与华北夏季降水的相关

利用1957-2002年华北104站月降水量、登陆我国台风频数、海平面气压场、850hPa流场、500hPa高度场资料，分析了华北地区夏季降水与登陆我国台风的关系。结果表明：华北中部和东部夏季降水量与登陆我国台风频数存在着显著的正相关，中心在华北中部的河北饶阳和保定一带。在登陆台风特多年，华北中、东部夏季降水增加（偏涝），南部降水减少（偏旱）；登陆台风特少年则相反。逐月分析发现．8月登陆我国台风频数与华北地区同期降水量相关最好，而且显著的正相关仍然位于华北中部和东部。多（少）登陆台风活动年无论是海平面气压距平场、850hPa流场距平、500hPa高度距平场还是冷空气异常，其特征均与华北中、东部夏季降水偏多（少）年相似。     

Annual cycle of the mid-tropospheric easterly jet over West Africa

Summary The paper examines the annual cycle of the mid-tropospheric easterly jet (MTJ) over West Africa against the background of many reviews indicating different locations and characteristics of the jet and considering it as a summer feature. NCEP–NCAR reanalysis zonal wind datasets for the period 1971–2000 and upper air datasets over the region are used. The results exhibit realistic spatial structure of the easterly jet. The long-term mean of the datasets suggests that the jet over West Africa is not only a summer feature but can also be found in winter with the same order of magnitude in the wind velocity at the core. The jet axis is located at about lat. 2° N close to the Guinean Coast in winter and at lat. 14° N in summer. The meridional oscillation of the jet suggests that as it advances northward, it maintains an altitude of 700 hPa in winter and transits in mid-spring to 650 hPa and reaches 600 hPa in summer. In the retreat, it displaces to 650 hPa at the end of September rather sharply to reach 700 hPa in October. The jet’s core has been observed to have a northeast–southwest orientation from season to season, covering a longitude of 29° from its southernmost to the northernmost positions.     

Duplex equilibria of Ural circulation anomalies

Atmospheric circulation anomalies over the Ural Mountains are crucial indicators of the anomalous downstream weather and climate over East Asia. Here, we provide a new perspective on the mechanism of Ural circulation anomalies. We use a simple theoretical model to determine that the relationship between the solar forcing and three Ural circulation patterns, namely, neutral type, trough anomaly and ridge anomaly, is a nonlinear relationship following the supercritical pitchfork bifurcation theory. The theory predicts that when the total solar irradiance (TSI) is below a critical value, trough and ridge anomalies represent duplex equilibria and are equally likely to occur at the same TSI. Based on 180 winter months record, we have estimated the bidimensional probability density of TSI and the monthly mean geopotential height at 500 hPa or zonal wind at 850 hPa over the Ural Mountains. Results show that Sc = 1360.9 W m−2 is a critical value of TSI, the neutral type pattern is the single circulation regime when TSI > Sc, whereas trough and ridge anomaly patterns are duplex circulation regimes when TSI < Sc. Besides, when TSI < Sc, during the same TSI range, trough and ridge anomaly events occur at nearly the same frequencies. These results generally agree with the theoretical model. We demonstrate that trough and ridge anomalies, as duplex equilibria, result from the large-scale zonal flow interacting with the Ural Mountains. Low TSI tends to strengthen the large-scale zonal flow over the Ural Mountains, hence inducing either a trough anomaly or ridge anomaly.     

Trends in northern midlatitude atmospheric wave power from 1950 to 2099

In a warming climate, atmospheric wave activity and associated weather patterns may change, although conflicting results have been reported on this topic. Additionally, atmospheric wave changes in a future climate have mainly focused on waves of a specified spatial scale, rather than a particular spatiotemporal scale. Here, changes in the variability of Rossby waves of multiple spatiotemporal scales are analyzed using the wavenumber-frequency power spectrum, a tool commonly applied to analyze atmospheric equatorial waves. Daily 500 hPa geopotential height data over 40°–60°N from historical (1950–2005) and future (2006–2099) simulations from 20 models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) under the RCP8.5 scenario were analyzed. When compared to the historical period, the late 21st century climate projections showed a decline in spectral power for both eastward and westward propagating waves with wavenumbers greater than 8 that spanned over all frequencies in all seasons, but an increase in mean power for eastward propagating waves with wavenumbers 1–7 over all frequencies was shown in winter and spring. This increase in power was accompanied by increased variance, i.e., an increased meridional extent of 500 hPa ridges and troughs, and was the result of increases in the mean number of high amplitude events and duration of activity within this wave band. These results indicate that large-scale (~ 104 km) eastward propagating weather systems may intensify with higher amplitudes for ridges and troughs, while short-scale (102–103 km) weather systems may decrease in their intensity due to reduced variability in the late 21st century under the high emissions scenario. Potential mechanisms for these changes are discussed, including enhanced Arctic warming and midlatitude-tropical interactions.     

2003年北半球大气环流及中国气候异常特征

2002年发生的厄尔尼诺事件于2003年初结束；受这次事件的影响，西太平洋副热带高压冬、春、夏、秋季持续偏强；夏季西伸脊点位置偏西；6、7月脊线位置偏南，8月偏北。初夏6月上中旬有贝加尔湖阻高影响，6月下旬至7月中旬有鄂霍次克海阻高影响；盛夏东亚夏季风异常偏强；青藏高原500hPa高度年趋势偏高，大部分地区冬季积雪少；热带对流强度年趋势偏弱。     

东亚夏季风指数的年际变化与东亚大气环流

文中从夏季东亚热带、副热带环流系统特点出发 ,定义了能较好表征东亚夏季风环流年际变化的特征指数 ,并分析了东亚夏季风指数的年际变化与东亚大气环流及夏季中国东部降水的关系。文中定义的东亚夏季风指数既反映了夏季东亚大气环流风场的变化特征 ,也较好地反映了夏季中国东部降水的年际变化特征。此外 ,还探讨了东亚夏季风指数变化的先兆信号