Tropical Pacific impacts of convective momentum transport in the SNU coupled GCM

Impacts of convective momentum transport (CMT) on tropical Pacific climate are examined, using an atmospheric (AGCM) and coupled GCM (CGCM) from Seoul National University. The CMT scheme affects the surface mainly via a convection-compensating atmospheric subsidence which conveys momentum downward through most of the troposphere. AGCM simulations—with SSTs prescribed from climatological and El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions—show substantial changes in circulation when CMT is added, such as an eastward shift of the climatological trade winds and west Pacific convection. The CMT also alters the ENSO wind anomalies by shifting them eastward and widening them meridionally, despite only subtle changes in the precipitation anomaly patterns. During ENSO, CMT affects the low-level winds mainly via the anomalous convection acting on the climatological westerly wind shear over the central Pacific—so that an eastward shift of convection transfers more westerly momentum toward the surface than would occur without CMT. By altering the low-level circulation, the CMT further alters the precipitation, which in turn feeds back on the CMT. In the CGCM, CMT affects the simulated climatology by shifting the mean convection and trade winds eastward and warming the equatorial SST; the ENSO period and amplitude also increase. In contrast to the AGCM simulations, CMT substantially alters the El Nino precipitation anomaly patterns in the CGCM. Also discussed are possible impacts of the CMT-induced changes in climatology on the simulated ENSO.     

An analysis on the physical process of the influence of AO on ENSO

The influence of the spring AO on ENSO has been demonstrated in several recent studies. This analysis further explores the physical process of the influence of AO on ENSO using the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data over the period 1958–2010. We focus on the formation of the westerly wind burst in the tropical western Pacific, and examine the evolution and formation of the atmospheric circulation, atmospheric heating, and SST anomalies in association with the spring AO variability. The spring AO variability is found to be independent from the East Asian winter monsoon activity. The spring AO associated circulation anomalies are supported by the interaction between synoptic-scale eddies and the mean-flow and its associated vorticity transportation. Surface wind changes may affect surface heat fluxes and the oceanic heat transport, resulting in the SST change. The AO associated warming in the equatorial SSTs results primarily from the ocean heat transport in the face of net surface heat flux damping. The tropical SST warming is accompanied by anomalous atmospheric heating in the subtropical north and south Pacific, which sustains the anomalous westerly wind in the equatorial western Pacific through a Gill-like atmospheric response from spring to summer. The anomalous westerly excites an eastward propagating and downwelling equatorial Kelvin wave, leading to SST warming in the tropical central-eastern Pacific in summer-fall. The tropical SST, atmospheric heating, and atmospheric circulation anomalies sustain and develop through the Bjerknes feedback mechanism, which eventually result in an El Niño-like warming in the tropical eastern Pacific in winter.     

Role of tropical atlantic SST variability as a modulator of El Niño teleconnections

The present study suggests that the off-equatorial North Atlantic (NATL) SST warming plays a significant role in modulating El Niño teleconnection and its impact on the North Atlantic and European regions. The El Niño events accompanied by NATL SST warming exhibit south-north dipole pattern over the Western Europe to Atlantic, while the ENSO teleconnection pattern without NATL warming exhibits a Rossby wave-like pattern confined over the North Pacific and western Atlantic. Especially, the El Niño events with NATL warming show positive (negative) geopotential-height anomalies over the North Atlantic (Western Europe) which resemble the negative phase of the NAO. Consistently, it is shown using a simple statistical model that NATL SSTA in addition to the tropical Pacific SSTA leads to better prediction on regional climate variation over the North Atlantic and European regions. This role of NATL SST on ENSO teleconnection is also validated and discussed in a long term simulation of coupled global circulation model (CGCM).     

Phase‐locked and asymmetric correlations of the wintertime atmospheric patterns with the ENSO

Abstract

Teleconnections between sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the Pacific and the dominant patterns of wintertime Northern Hemisphere 500‐hPa height are examined by applying statistical techniques such as rotated principal component analysis and composite analysis. It is shown that the Pacific/North American (PNA) patterns in December through March are correlated most significantly with the ENSO‐related SST anomalies in the previous October, while the western Pacific (WP) patterns in December through February are most closely linked to the ENSO‐related SST anomalies in the same season. In addition, the PNA response to the ENSO signal during La Niña events is more significant than that during El Niño events, while the WP response is stronger during El Niño events than during La Niña events. A composite analysis shows that in the El Niño winters the North Pacific centre of the PNA pattern is located about 10 degrees east of its normal position, leading to a less significant correlation between the ENSO signal and the PNA pattern in these winters.

The ENSO‐related SST anomalies include a large centre of action over the tropical Pacific and an oppositely signed anomaly centre over the North Pacific. The North Pacific centre appears to the west of the dateline in September and October. This ENSO‐related seed of SST anomalies slowly moves eastward in the following months, gradually cutting off its connection with SST anomalies over the tropical Pacific and being coupled with the PNA pattern. It is pointed out that, although the wintertime SST anomaly over the North Pacific may appear as a mode linearly independent of the ENSO signal in the same season, it is partially related to the ENSO signal in the preceding autumn.

Possible dynamical explanations of the above results are discussed. It is suggested that the WP pattern can be linked to the tropical Pacific heat source via advection of vorticity by the upper‐tropospheric divergent/convergent flow, and the intensification of vorticity gradients associated with a stronger east Asian jet is likely to be responsible for a more significant WP pattern response to the ENSO signal in the El Niño winters. On the other hand, the ENSO‐related PNA pattern could be considered a manifestation of the eastward extension (El Niño) or westward withdrawal (La Niña) of the east Asian jet stream due to the local Hadley cell over the Pacific. In addition, the ENSO‐related seed of extratropical SST anomaly over the western Pacific in autumn may also play an important role in the development of the PNA pattern in the following winter.     

Southern Hemisphere extra-tropical forcing: a new paradigm for El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation

The main goal of this paper is to shed additional light on the reciprocal dynamical linkages between mid-latitude Southern Hemisphere climate and the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal. While our analysis confirms that ENSO is a dominant source of interannual variability in the Southern Hemisphere, it is also suggested here that subtropical dipole variability in both the Southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans triggered by Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude variability may also provide a controlling influence on ENSO in the equatorial Pacific. This subtropical forcing operates through various coupled air?Csea feedbacks involving the propagation of subtropical sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies into the deep tropics of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans from boreal winter to boreal spring and a subsequent dynamical atmospheric response to these SST anomalies linking the three tropical basins at the beginning of the boreal spring. This atmospheric response is characterized by a significant weakening of the equatorial Atlantic and Indian Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This weakened ITCZ forces an equatorial ??cold Kelvin wave?? response in the middle to upper troposphere that extends eastward from the heat sink regions into the western Pacific. By modulating the vertical temperature gradient and the stability of the atmosphere over the equatorial western Pacific Ocean, this Kelvin wave response promotes persistent zonal wind and convective anomalies over the western equatorial Pacific, which may trigger El Ni?o onset at the end of the boreal winter. These different processes explain why South Atlantic and Indian subtropical dipole time series indices are highly significant precursors of the Ni?o34 SST index several months in advance before the El Ni?o onset in the equatorial Pacific. This study illustrates that the atmospheric internal variability in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere may significantly influence ENSO variability. However, this surprising relationship is observed only during recent decades, after the so-called 1976/1977 climate regime shift, suggesting a possible linkage with global warming or decadal fluctuations of the climate system.     

中纬度北太平洋依赖于ENSO事件及独立于ENSO事件的变率特征:观测事实与海气耦合模式模拟

观测事实显示,在E1 Ni(?)o发生期间,伴随着赤道中东太平洋的增暖,中纬度北大平洋中部表层海温（SST）常出现冷距平,而北美大陆西海岸SST则出现暖距平。借助观测资料分析和海气耦合模式模拟两种手段,检验了北太平洋对ENSO事件的上述响应。观测证据和数值模拟都支持有关学者提出的“大气桥”概念,即大气对赤道中东太平洋SST异常增暖的响应,随后强迫中纬度北太平洋,并导致那里SST的变冷,从而起到了连接热带和热带外特别是中纬度北太平洋的“桥梁”的作用。关于其机制,本文认为主要是海洋对大气强迫的动力响应导致那里的SST变冷,尽管潜热通量的贡献也很显著。至少模式结果证明短波辐射、长波辐射和感热通量的贡献都是次要的。进一步的分析揭示,北太平洋存在着线性独立于ENSO事件的所谓“北太平洋模态”,在空间型上,它和线性地依赖于ENSO事件的模态非常相近,即它们的纬向结构都呈现出扁平的“双极”型,只是彼此间SST距平极大值的中心位置不同。模拟结果表明,北太平洋模态与大气的耦合作用,主要是通过海气热通量交换实现的,其中短波辐射和长波辐射的作用居主导地位,而潜热通量的贡献则基本可以忽略。     

1月份两类ENSO的海气环流模态分析

本文对1950～2001年1月份的大气风场和大洋流场做了联合复EOF（Empirical Orthogonal Function）分解,用以探讨1月份两类ENSO（El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation）的海气环流及耦合情况,所得结果主要有:该分解第1、2模态空间场分别相应于东部型、中部型ENSO,前者在赤道太平洋东部和中部都有海温动力异常,并以东部异常最强,后者仅在中部存在此异常,两模态的时间系数都与ENSO有很好相关,为此第1、2模态可分别称为东部型、中部型ENSO的风场流场（异常）模态。东部型ENSO模态具有3～6年的年际变化和13～14年的年代际变化,中部型则有明显的7年年际变化和12、17年的年代际变化,两者中约13年的周期与冬季北太平洋NPGO（North Pacific Gyre Oscillation）的周期相同。东、中部型El Ni?o期间,沃克环流上升支分别从印尼东移至赤道西、中太平洋,并有所减弱;南、北支哈得莱环流则分别位于日界线以东及该线附近,且均有所加强,从而使南、北太平洋副热带高压偏强;而在5°S的南美沿岸则分别有垂直运动上升和下沉异常。在海气耦合上,两类ENSO模态在赤道中太平洋均存在西风异常与海洋赤道Kelvin波和Rossby波的波包解耦合,而海温动力异常对大气的影响则都起到负反馈作用,从而有利于ENSO的维持和稳定。     

两类ENSO对中国北方冬季平均气温和极端低温的不同影响

利用1961-2012年观测、再分析资料以及全球大气环流模式数值试验,探讨了中国北方冬季平均气温对于不同类型（即东部型和中部型）ENSO事件的气候响应,并分析了不同类型ENSO对极端低温事件的可能影响,重点关注了北大西洋涛动（NAO）在其中的桥梁作用。结果表明,ENSO信号能通过调制北大西洋地区的大气环流改变欧亚中高纬度地区的纬向温度平流输送和西伯利亚高压的强度,进而影响中国北方冬季气温,由于不同类型ENSO事件海温分布的差异,这种影响具有明显的非线性特征。在两类厄尔尼诺和东部型拉尼娜事件冬季,北大西洋涛动均呈现负位相,不利于北大西洋的暖湿空气向欧亚大陆输送,西伯利亚高压偏强,因而中国北方地区较气候态偏冷。中部型厄尔尼诺和东部型拉尼娜事件冬季气温负异常的显著区域分别位于东北大范围地区、内蒙古河套附近;东部型厄尔尼诺事件冬季显著的冷异常信号仅局限于黑龙江北部与大兴安岭地区;而中部型拉尼娜事件冬季虽伴随北大西洋涛动正位相,但其空间结构向西偏移,对下游中国北方地区气温的直接影响并不显著,可能受局地信号干扰较大。数值试验再现了北大西洋涛动以及中国北方冬季气温对不同类型ENSO的响应,进一步佐证了上述结论。此外,两类厄尔尼诺事件冬季中国东北地区日平均气温容易偏低,极端低温事件的发生频次增多;而两类拉尼娜事件对极端低温的影响较弱。      

Role of the Indian Ocean sea surface temperature in shaping the natural variability in the flow of Nile River

A significant fraction of the inter-annual variability in the Nile River flow is shaped by El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Here, we investigate a similar role for the Indian Ocean (IO) sea surface temperature (SST) in shaping the inter-annual variability of the Nile River flow. Using observations of global SST distribution and river flow in addition to atmospheric general circulation model sensitivity experiments, we show that North and Middle IO SSTs play a significant intermediate role in the teleconnection between ENSO and the Nile flow. Applying partial coherency analyses, we demonstrate that the connection between North and Middle IO SSTs and Nile flow is strongly coupled to ENSO. During El Niño events, SST in the North and Middle IO increases in response to the warming in the Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean and forces a Gill-type circulation with enhanced westerly low-level flow over East Africa and the Western IO. This anomalous low-level flow enhances the low-level flux of air and moisture away from the Upper Blue Nile (UBN) basin resulting in reduction of rainfall and river flow. SSTs in the South IO also play a significant role in shaping the variability of the Nile flow that is independent from ENSO. A warming over the South IO, generates a cyclonic flow in the boundary layer, which reduces the cross-equatorial meridional transport of air and moisture towards the UBN basin, favoring a reduction in rainfall and river flow. This independence between the roles of ENSO and South IO SSTs allows for development of new combined indices of SSTs to explain the inter-annual variability of the Nile flow. The proposed teleconnections have important implications regarding mechanisms that shape the regional impacts of climate change over the Nile basin.     

Analysis of the Slab Ocean El Nino atmospheric feedbacks in observed and simulated ENSO dynamics

In a recent study it was illustrated that the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) mode can exist in the absence of any ocean dynamics. This oscillating mode exists just due to the interaction between atmospheric heat fluxes and ocean heat capacity. The primary purpose of this study is to further explore these atmospheric Slab Ocean ENSO dynamics and therefore the role of positive atmospheric feedbacks in model simulations and observations. The positive solar radiation feedback to sea surface temperature (SST), due to reduced cloud cover for anomalous warm SSTs, is the main positive feedback in the Slab Ocean El Nino dynamics. The strength of this positive cloud feedback is strongly related to the strength of the equatorial cold tongue. The combination of positive latent and sensible heat fluxes to the west and negative ones to the east of positive anomalies leads to the westward propagation of the SST anomalies, which allows for oscillating behavior with a preferred period of 6–7 years. Several indications are found that parts of these dynamics are indeed observed and simulated in other atmospheric or coupled general circulation models (AGCMs or CGCMs). The CMIP3 AGCM-slab ensemble of 13 different AGCM simulations shows unstable ocean–atmosphere interactions along the equatorial Pacific related to stronger cold tongues. In observations and in the CMIP3 and CMIP5 CGCM model ensemble the strength and sign of the cloud feedback is a function of the strength of the cold tongue. In summary, this indicates that the Slab Ocean El Nino dynamics are indeed a characteristic of the equatorial Pacific climate that is only dominant or significantly contributing to the ENSO dynamics if the SST cold tongue is sufficiently strong. In the observations this is only the case during strong La Nina conditions. The presence of the Slab Ocean ENSO atmospheric feedbacks in observations and CGCM model simulations implies that the family of physical ENSO modes does have another member, which is entirely driven by atmospheric processes and does not need to have the same spatial pattern nor the same time scales as the main ENSO dynamics.     

ENSO and Western North Pacific tropical cyclone activity simulated in a CGCM

A high-resolution (T213) coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model (CGCM) has been used to examine the relationship between El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the western North Pacific (WNP). The model simulates ENSO-like events similar to those observed, though the amplitude of the simulated Niño34 sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly is twice as large as observed. In El Niño (La Niña) years, the annual number of model TCs in the southeast quadrant of the WNP increases (decreases), while it decreases (increases) in the northwest quadrant. In spite of the significant difference in the mean genesis location of model TCs between El Niño and La Niña years, however, there is no significant simultaneous correlation between the annual number of model TCs over the entire WNP and model Niño34 SST anomalies. The annual number of model TCs, however, tends to decrease in the years following El Niño, relating to the development of anticyclonic circulation around the Philippine Sea in response to the SST anomalies in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. Furthermore, it seems that the number of model TCs tends to increase in the years before El Niño. It is also shown that the number of TCs moving into the East Asia is fewer in October of El Niño years than La Niña years, related to the anomalous southward shift of mid-latitude westerlies, though no impact of ENSO on TC tracks is found in other months. It is found that model TCs have longer lifetimes due to the southeastward shift of mean TC genesis location in El Niño years than in La Niña years. As the result of longer fetch of TCs over warm SST, model TCs appear to be more intense in El Niño years. These relationships between ENSO and TC activity in the WNP are in good agreement with observational evidence, suggesting that a finer-resolution CGCM may become a powerful tool for understanding interannual variability of TC activity.     

Impacts of Sea Surface Temperature on the Interannual Variability of Winter Haze Days in Guangdong Province

The impact of sea surface temperature (SST) on winter haze in Guangdong province (WHDGD) was analyzed on the interannual scale. It was pointed out that the northern Indian Ocean and the northwest Pacific SST play a leading role in the variation of WHDGD. Cold (warm) SST anomalies over the northern Indian Ocean and the Northwest Pacific stimulate the eastward propagation of cold (warm) Kelvin waves through the Gill forced response, causing Ekman convergence (divergence) in the western Pacific, inducing abnormal cyclonic (anticyclonic) circulation. It excites the positive (negative) Western Pacific teleconnection pattern (WP), which results in the temperature and the precipitation decrease (increase) in Guangdong and forms the meteorological variables conditions that are conducive (not conducive) to the formation of haze. ENSO has an asymmetric influence on WHDGD. In El Ni?o (La Ni?a) winters, there are strong (weak) coordinated variations between the northern Indian Ocean, the northwest Pacific, and the eastern Pacific, which stimulate the negative (positive) phase of WP teleconnection. In El Ni?o winters, the enhanced moisture is attributed to the joint effects of the horizontal advection from the surrounding ocean, vertical advection from the moisture convergence, and the increased atmospheric apparent moisture sink (Q2) from soil evaporation. The weakening of the atmospheric apparent heat source (Q1) in the upper layer is not conducive to the formation of inversion stratification. In contrast, in La Ni?a winters, the reduced moisture is attributed to the reduced upward water vapor transport and Q2 loss. Due to the Q1 increase in the upper layer, the temperature inversion forms and suppresses the diffusion of haze.     

Role of stochastic forcing in ENSO in observations and a coupled GCM

A procedure is presented to estimate the role of atmospheric stochastic forcing (SF) in El Ni?o–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) simulated by a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model (CGCM), in direct comparison to observations represented by a global reanalysis product. SF is extracted from the CGCM and reanalysis as surface wind anomalies linearly independent of the sea-surface temperature anomalies. Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) is isolated from SF to quantify its role in ENSO. A coupled ocean–atmosphere model of intermediate complexity is forced with SF, as well as its MJO and non-MJO components, from the reanalysis and CGCM. The role of SF is estimated by comparing the original ENSO in observations and the CGCM with that reproduced by the intermediate model. ENSO statistics in both reanalysis and CGCM are better reproduced when the intermediate model is tuned to be weakly stable than unstable. The intermediate model driven by SF from the reanalysis reproduces most characteristics of observed ENSO, such as its spectrum, seasonal phase-locking, fast decorrelation of ENSO SST during boreal spring, and its lag-correlation with SF. In contrast, not all characteristics of ENSO in the CGCM are reproduced by the intermediate model when SF from the CGCM is used. The seasonal phase-locking of ENSO in the CGCM is not reproduced at all. ENSO, therefore, appears to be driven by SF to a lesser degree in the CGCM than in observations. Characteristics of observed ENSO reproduced by the intermediate model (driven by SF) can be largely attributed to the MJO; which, for instance, is responsible for the fast decorrelation of ENSO SST during boreal spring in both reanalysis and CGCM. The non-MJO component seems to be more responsible than the MJO for erroneous features of ENSO in the CGCM.     

Summer monsoon circulation and precipitation over the tropical Indian Ocean during ENSO in the NCEP climate forecast system

This study investigates the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnections to tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) and their relationship with the Indian summer monsoon in the coupled general circulation model climate forecast system (CFS). The model shows good skill in simulating the impact of El Niño over the Indian Oceanic rim during its decay phase (the summer following peak phase of El Niño). Summer surface circulation patterns during the developing phase of El Niño are more influenced by local Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies in the model unlike in observations. Eastern TIO cooling similar to that of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a dominant model feature in summer. This anomalous SST pattern therefore is attributed to the tendency of the model to simulate more frequent IOD events. On the other hand, in the model baroclinic response to the diabatic heating anomalies induced by the El Niño related warm SSTs is weak, resulting in reduced zonal extension of the Rossby wave response. This is mostly due to weak eastern Pacific summer time SST anomalies in the model during the developing phase of El Niño as compared to observations. Both eastern TIO cooling and weak SST warming in El Niño region combined together undermine the ENSO teleconnections to the TIO and south Asia regions. The model is able to capture the spatial patterns of SST, circulation and precipitation well during the decay phase of El Niño over the Indo-western Pacific including the typical spring asymmetric mode and summer basin-wide warming in TIO. The model simulated El Niño decay one or two seasons later, resulting long persistent warm SST and circulation anomalies mainly over the southwest TIO. In response to the late decay of El Niño, Ekman pumping shows two maxima over the southern TIO. In conjunction with this unrealistic Ekman pumping, westward propagating Rossby waves display two peaks, which play key role in the long-persistence of the TIO warming in the model (for more than a season after summer). This study strongly supports the need of simulating the correct onset and decay phases of El Niño/La Niña for capturing the realistic ENSO teleconnections. These results have strong implications for the forecasting of Indian summer monsoon as this model is currently being adopted as an operational model in India.     

Contrasting Indian Ocean SST variability with and without ENSO influence: A coupled atmosphere-ocean GCM study

Summary In this study, we perform experiments with a coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (CGCM) to examine ENSO’s influence on the interannual sea-surface temperature (SST) variability of the tropical Indian Ocean. The control experiment includes both the Indian and Pacific Oceans in the ocean model component of the CGCM (the Indo-Pacific Run). The anomaly experiment excludes ENSO’s influence by including only the Indian Ocean while prescribing monthly-varying climatological SSTs for the Pacific Ocean (the Indian-Ocean Run). In the Indo-Pacific Run, an oscillatory mode of the Indian Ocean SST variability is identified by a multi-channel singular spectral analysis (MSSA). The oscillatory mode comprises two patterns that can be identified with the Indian Ocean Zonal Mode (IOZM) and a basin-wide warming/cooling mode respectively. In the model, the IOZM peaks about 3–5 months after ENSO reaches its maximum intensity. The basin mode peaks 8 months after the IOZM. The timing and associated SST patterns suggests that the IOZM is related to ENSO, and the basin-wide warming/cooling develops as a result of the decay of the IOZM spreading SST anomalies from western Indian Ocean to the eastern Indian Ocean. In contrast, in the Indian-Ocean Run, no oscillatory modes can be identified by the MSSA, even though the Indian Ocean SST variability is characterized by east–west SST contrast patterns similar to the IOZM. In both control and anomaly runs, IOZM-like SST variability appears to be associated with forcings from fluctuations of the Indian monsoon. Our modeling results suggest that the oscillatory feature of the IOZM is primarily forced by ENSO.     

中高纬度印度洋海温与西北太平洋夏季台风生成数的相关性

从独立性、显著性和滞后性角度分析西北太平洋夏季台风生成数(WNPTYF)与前期中高纬度印度洋海表温度(SST)的关系, 结果表明:前期中高纬度印度洋SST与WNPTYF相关显著, 且独立于热带东太平洋SST(或ENSO)对WNPTYF影响;中高纬度印度洋SST年际变化对WNPTYF年际变化的指示能力相当或超过热 带东太平洋, 综合两者的影响预测夏季西北太平洋台风生成数的变化有非常重要的现实意义。进一步的分析表明, 中高纬度印度洋SST对WNPTYF影响有明显的滞后性, 前期相关显著而同期相关不显著。这种滞后性意味着其前期中高纬度印度洋SST对WNPTYF的影响并不是通过SST的持续性, 而很可能是通过南半球大气活动的持续性及异常信号在大气中的传播而影响到夏季的环流, 最终影响WNPTYF异常。这种影响机制有待进一步研究。     

ENSO对冬季北太平洋水汽输送及大气河的影响

利用1979-2016年ERA-Interim再分析资料,分析了ENSO对冬季北太平洋地区水汽输送特征的影响,包括整层水汽含量、整层水汽输送及其散度和大气河频率。结果表明,在El Ni1o年冬季,东北太平洋地区的气旋式环流异常增强了自副热带太平洋向北美西海岸的水汽输送,导致区域性的水汽辐合与辐散异常;La Ni1a年冬季的水汽输送特征与厄尔尼诺年大致相反。根据尺度分解的方法,对水汽输送及其散度的异常成因进行分析,得到结论如下:除El Ni1o年黑潮及其续流区外,ENSO年冬季北太平洋的水汽输送异常主要由环流异常导致;水汽输送散度异常则主要由环流异常的散度、气候态比湿的经向梯度和异常比湿的纬向梯度三部分决定。此外,El Ni1o年冬季北太平洋大气河频率分布的向极弯曲增强,分布更加集中;而La Ni1a年冬季大气河频率分布更加分散,纬向跨度减小,经向跨度增加。     

Relationships between the East Asian-western north pacific monsoon and ENSO simulated by FGOALS-s2

The relationships between ENSO and the East Asian-western North Pacific monsoon simulated by the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model, Spectral Version 2 (FGOALS-s2), a state-of-the-art coupled general circulation model (CGCM), are evaluated. For El Nio developing summers, FGOALS-s2 reproduces the anomalous cyclone over the western North Pacific (WNP) and associated negative precipitation anomalies in situ. In the observation, the anomalous cyclone is transformed to an anomalous anticyclone over the WNP (WNPAC) during El Nio mature winters. The model reproduces the WNPAC and associated positive precipitation anomalies over southeastern China during winter. However, the model fails to simulate the asymmetry of the wintertime circulation anomalies over the WNP between El Nio and La Nia. The simulated anomalous cyclone over the WNP (WNPC) associated with La Nia is generally symmetric about the WNPAC associated with El Nio, rather than shifted westward as that in the observation. The discrepancy can partially explain why simulated La Nin a events decay much faster than observed. In the observation, the WNPAC maintains throughout the El Nio decaying summer under the combined effects of local forcing of the WNP cold sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) and remote forcing from basinwide warming in the tropical Indian Ocean. FGOALS-s2 captures the two mechanisms and reproduces the WNPAC throughout the summer. However, owing to biases in the mean state, the precipitation anomalies over East Asia, especially those of the Meiyu rain belt, are much weaker than that in the observation.     

Contrasting Impacts of South and North Tropical Indian Ocean Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies on East Asian Summer Climate

Using observational data and model simulations,the author find that the North Indian Ocean(NIO)sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies can trigger an eastward atmospheric Kelvin wave propagating into the equatorial western Pacific,inducing an anomalous anticyclone over the subtropical Northwest Pacific(NWP)and resulting in prominent summer climate anomalies in the East Asia-Northwest Pacific(EANWP)region.However,the response of tropospheric temperatures and atmospheric Kelvin waves to the South Indian Ocean(SIO)SST anomalies is weak;as a result,the impact of the SIO SST anomalies on the EANWP summer climate is weak.The contrasting impacts of NIO and SIO SST anomalies on the EANWP summer climate is possibly due to the different mean state of SSTs in the two regions.In summer,the climatological SSTs in the NIO are higher than in the SIO,leading to a stronger response of atmospheric convection to the NIO SST anomalies than to the SIO SST anomalies.Thus,compared with the SIO SST anomalies,the NIO SST anomalies can lead to stronger tropospheric air temperature anomalies and atmospheric Kelvin waves to affect the EANWP summer climate.     

CMIP5模式对春季北极涛动影响后期冬季ENSO不对称性的模拟能力分析

根据观测资料的研究指出春季北极涛动(Arctic Oscillation, AO)对随后冬季厄尔尼诺-南方涛动(El Nino–Southern Oscillation, ENSO)的影响具有明显不对称性。春季AO处于正位相时,它对随后冬季厄尔尼诺(El Nino)事件的影响显著,然而春季AO负位相对随后冬季拉尼娜(La Nina)的影响不明显。本研究分析了30个来自CMIP5的耦合模式对春季AO与随后冬季ENSO不对称性关系的模拟能力。30个CMIP5耦合模式中,只有CNRM-CM5和GISS-E2-H-CC模式能较好地抓住春季AO与冬季ENSO的联系。进一步分析这两个模式中春季AO与冬季ENSO的不对称性关系,发现CNRM-CM5模式能较好地再现春季AO与冬季ENSO的非对称关系,即春季AO正(负)位相会导致赤道中东太平洋出现El Nino(La Nina)型海表温度增暖(冷却)。然而,GISS-E2-H-CC模式的模拟结果显示,春季AO对随后冬季ENSO的影响是对称的。本文随后解释了CNRM-CM5(GISS-E2-H-CC)模式能(不能)模拟出春季AO与冬季ENSO不对称关系的原因。对于CNRMCM5模式,在春季AO正位相年,副热带西北太平洋上空存在明显的异常气旋和正降水异常,正降水异常通过Gill型大气响应对赤道西太平洋异常西风的形成和维持起着重要作用,异常西风通过激发向东传播的暖赤道Kelvin波对随后冬季El Nino事件的发生产生显著的影响;然而,在春季AO负位相年,副热带北太平洋的异常反气旋和负降水异常较弱,导致赤道西太平洋的异常东风不明显,因此,春季AO负异常对随后冬季La Nina的影响不显著。所以,CNRM-CM5模式能够较好地抓住春季AO对随后冬季ENSO事件的非对称性影响。相比之下,对于GISS-E2-H-CC模式,春季AO正(负)位相年副热带西北太平洋上存在显著的正(负)降水异常,通过Gill型大气响应在赤道西太平洋激发出明显的异常西(东)风从而影响随后冬季的El Nino(La Nina)事件。因此,在GISS-E2-H-CC模式中,春季AO对随后冬季ENSO具有对称性影响。另外,模式捕捉春季AO对随后冬季ENSO非对称性影响的能力与模式对春季AO空间结构的模拟能力有一定的联系。