Holocene climatic change in Morocco: a quantitative reconstruction from pollen data

 Annual precipitation, July and January temperatures were reconstructed from a continuous Holocene pollen sequence from the Middle Atlas, Morocco, using the best modern analogues method. The reconstructions show a clear difference between the early and late Holocene: from ∼10 ka to ∼6.5 ka the climate was drier and warmer than during the period since 6.5 ka. The average value of annual precipitation was ∼870 mm until 6.5 ka, then rose to ∼940 mm. Between 10 ka and 6.5 ka January and July temperatures were about 4 °C higher than the present. Both temperatures show a marked decrease between 7 ka and 6 ka. After 6.5 ka July and January temperatures fluctuated between 21 and 23 °C, and 2.5 and 5 °C respectively. January temperatures show a period of intermediate values (∼3.5 °C) between 4 ka and 5.5 ka. The reconstructed climate values generally match palaeolimnological data from the same core, which show five intervals of low lake level during the Holocene. They are also consistent with regional-scale COHMAP simulated palaeoclimate that shows contrasting patterns of rainfall variation between the northwesternmost part of Africa and the intertropical band. Received: 7 July 1997 / Accepted: 28 May 1998     

Reconstructions of spring/summer precipitation for the Eastern Mediterranean from tree-ring widths and its connection to large-scale atmospheric circulation

This study represents the first large-scale systematic dendroclimatic sampling focused on developing chronologies from different species in the eastern Mediterranean region. Six reconstructions were developed from chronologies ranging in length from 115 years to 600 years. The first reconstruction (1885–2000) was derived from principal components (PCs) of 36 combined chronologies. The remaining five, 1800–2000, 1700–2000, 1600–2000, 1500–2000 and 1400–2000 were developed from PCs of 32, 18, 14, 9, and 7 chronologies, respectively. Calibration and verification statistics for the period 1931–2000 show good levels of skill for all reconstructions. The longest period of consecutive dry years, defined as those with less than 90% of the mean of the observed May–August precipitation, was 5 years (1591–1595) and occurred only once during the last 600 years. The longest reconstructed wet period was 5 years (1601–1605 and 1751–1755). No long term trends were found in May–August precipitation during the last few centuries. Regression maps are used to identify the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation on regional precipitation. In general, tree-ring indices are influenced by May–August precipitation, which is driven by anomalous below (above) normal pressure at all atmospheric levels and by convection (subsidence) and small pressure gradients at sea level. These atmospheric conditions also control the anomaly surface air temperature distribution which indicates below (above) normal values in the southern regions and warmer (cooler) conditions north of around 40°N. A compositing technique is used to extract information on large-scale climate signals from extreme wet and dry summers for the second half of the twentieth century and an independent reconstruction over the last 237 years. Similar main modes of atmospheric patterns and surface air temperature distribution related to extreme dry and wet summers were identified both for the most recent 50 years and the last 237 years. Except for the last few decades, running correlation analyses between the major European-scale circulation patterns and eastern Mediteranean spring/summer precipitation over the last 237 years are non-stationary and insignificant, suggesting that local and/or sub-regional geographic factors and processes are important influences on tree-ring variability over the last few centuries.     

Temperature and Precipitation Changes in China During the Holocene

We review here proxy records of temperature and precipitation in China during the Holocene, especially the last two millennia. The quality of proxy data, methodology of reconstruction, and uncertainties in reconstruction were emphasized in comparing different temperature and precipitation reconstruction and clarifying temporal and spatial patterns of temperature and precipitation during the Holocene. The Holocene climate was generally warm and wet. The warmest period occurred in 9.6-6.2 cal ka BP, whereas a period of maximum monsoon precipitation started at about 11.0 cal ka BP and lasted until about 8.0-5.0 cal ka BP. There were a series of millennial-scale cold or dry events superimposed on the general trend of climate changes. During past two millennia, a warming trend in the 20th century was clearly detected, but the warming magnitude was smaller than the maximum level of the Medieval Warm Period and the Middle Holocene. Cold conditions occurred over the whole of China during the Little Ice Age （AD 1400-AD 1900）, but the warming of the Medieval Warm Period （AD 900-AD 1300） was not distinct in China, especially west China. The spatial pattern of precipitation showed significant regional differences in China, especially east China. The modern warm period has lasted 20 years from 1987 to 2006. Bi-decadal oscillation in precipitation variability was apparent over China during the 20th century. Solar activity and volcanic eruptions both were major forcings governing the climate variability during the last millennium.     

Multiple factors causing Holocene lake-level change in monsoonal and arid central Asia as identified by model experiments

Lake-level records provide a rich resource of information about past changes in effective moisture, but water-balance fluctuations can be driven by a number of different climate variables and it is often difficult to pinpoint their exact cause. This understanding is essential, however, for reconciling divergent paleo-records or for making predictions about future lake-level variations. This research uses a series of models, the NCAR CCSM3, a lake energy-balance and a lake water-balance model, to examine the reasons for lake-level changes in monsoonal Asia and arid central Asia between the early (8.5 ka), middle (6.0 ka) and late (ca. 1800 AD) Holocene. Our results indicate that the components of the lake water balance responsible for lake-level changes varied by region and through time. High lake levels at 8.5 and 6.0 ka in the monsoon region were caused by the combined effects of low lake evaporation and high precipitation. The low lake evaporation resulted from low winter solar radiation and high summer cloud cover. Precipitation associated with the mid-latitude westerlies increased from the early to middle Holocene and maintained high lake levels throughout most of arid central Asia ca. 6 ka. The modeled evolution of lake level in arid central Asia from the mid to late Holocene was spatially heterogeneous, due to different sensitivities of the northern and southern parts of the region to seasonally-changing insolation, particularly regarding the duration of lake ice cover. The model results do not suggest that precipitation and lake evaporation changes compete with one another in forcing lake-level change, as has been hypothesized.     

Temperature and Precipitation Changes in China During the Holocene

We review here proxy records of temperatare and precipitation in China during the Holocene,especially the last two millennia.The quality of proxy data,methodology of reconstruction,and uncertainties in reconstruction were emphasized in comparing different temperatare and precipitation reconstruction and clarilying temporal and spatial patterns of temperature and precipitation during the Holocene.The Holocene climate was generally warm and wet.The warmest period occurred in 9.6-6.2 cal ka BP,whereas a period of maximum monsoon precipitation started at about 11.0 cal ka BP and lasted until about 8.O-5.0 cal ka BP.There were a series of millennial-scale cold or dry events superimposed on the general trend of climate changes.During past two millennia,a warming trend in the 20th century was clearly detected,but the warming magnitude was smaller than the maximum level of the Medieval Warm Period and the Middle Holocene.Cold conditions occurred over the whole of China during the Little Ice Age (AD 1400-AD 1900),but the warming of the Medieval Warm Period(AD 900-AD 1300)was not distinct in China,especially west China.The spatial pattern of precipitation showed significant regional differences in China,especially east China.The modern warm period has lasted 20、years from 1987 to 2006.Bi-decadal oscillation in precipitation variability was apparent over China during the 20th century. Solar activity and volcanic eruptions both were major forcings governing the climate variability during the last millennium.     

Changes in Fire and Climate in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula (Mediterranean Basin)

Fire is a dominant ecological factor in Mediterranean ecosystems, and changes in the fire regime can have important consequences for the stability of our landscapes. In this framework I asked firstly, what is the trend in fire number and area burned in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, and then, to what extent is the inter-annual variability of fires determined by climatic factors. To answer these questions I analysed the meteorological data (temperature and precipitation) from 350 stations covering the eastern Iberian Peninsula (1950–2000), and the fire records for the same area (historical data, 1874–1968, and data from recent decades, 1968–2000). The results suggested a slight tendency towards decreasing summer rainfall and a clear pattern of increasing annual and summer temperatures (on average, annual temperatures increased 0.35 °C per decade from 1950 to 2000). The analysis of fire records suggested a clear increase in the annual number of fires and area burned during the last century; however, in the last three decades the number of fires also increased but the area burned did not show a clear trend. For this period the inter-annual variability in area burned was significantly related to the summer rainfall, that is, in wet summers the area burned was lower that in dry summers. Furthermore, summer rainfall was significantly cross-correlated with summer area burned for a time-lag of 2 years, suggesting that high rainfall may increase fuel loads that burn 2 years later.     

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     

Fully coupled climate/dynamical vegetation model simulations over Northern Africa during the mid-Holocene

 The climate and vegetation patterns of the middle Holocene (6000 years ago; 6 ka) over Northern Africa are simulated using a fully-synchronous climate and dynamical vegetation model. The coupled model predicts a northward shift in tropical rainforest and tropical deciduous forest vegetation by about 5 degrees of latitude, and an increase in grassland at the present-day simulated Saharan boundaries. The northward expansion of vegetation over North Africa at 6 ka is initiated by an orbitally-induced amplification of the summer monsoon, and enhanced by feedback effects induced by the vegetation. These combined processes lead to a major reduction in Saharan desert area at 6 ka relative to present-day of about 50%. However, as shown in previous asynchronous modelling studies, the coupled climate/vegetation model does not fully reproduce the vegetation patterns inferred from palaeoenvironmental records, which suggest that steppe vegetation may have existed across most of Northern Africa. Orbital changes produce an intensification of monsoonal precipitation during the peak rainy season (July to September), whilst vegetation feedbacks, in addition to producing further increases in the peak intensity, play an important role in extending the rainy season from May/June through to November. The orbitally induced increases in precipitation are relatively uniform from west to east, in contrast to vegetation feedback-induced increases in precipitation which are concentrated in western North Africa. Annual-average precipitation increases caused by vegetation feedbacks are simulated to be of similar importance to orbital effects in the west, whilst they are relatively unimportant farther to the east. The orbital, vegetation and combined orbital and vegetation-induced changes in climate, from the simulations presented in this study, have been compared with results from previous modelling studies over the appropriate North African domain. Consequently, the important role of vegetation parametrizations in determining the magnitude of vegetation feedbacks has been illustrated. Further modelling studies which include the effects of changes in ocean temperature and changes in soil properties may be needed, along with additional observations, to resolve the discrepancy between model predictions of vegetation and palaeorecords for North Africa. Received: 15 June 1999 / Accepted: 14 December 1999     

Climatic changes in Eurasia and Africa at the last glacial maximum and mid-Holocene: reconstruction from pollen data using inverse vegetation modelling

In order to improve the reliability of climate reconstruction, especially the climatologies outside the modern observed climate space, an improved inverse vegetation model using a recent version of BIOME4 has been designed to quantitatively reconstruct past climates, based on pollen biome scores from the BIOME6000 project. The method has been validated with surface pollen spectra from Eurasia and Africa, and applied to palaeoclimate reconstruction. At 6 cal ka BP (calendar years), the climate was generally wetter than today in southern Europe and northern Africa, especially in the summer. Winter temperatures were higher (1–5°C) than present in southern Scandinavia, northeastern Europe, and southern Africa, but cooler in southern Eurasia and in tropical Africa, especially in Mediterranean regions. Summer temperatures were generally higher than today in most of Eurasia and Africa, with a significant warming from ∼3 to 5°C over northwestern and southern Europe, southern Africa, and eastern Africa. In contrast, summers were 1–3°C cooler than present in the Mediterranean lowlands and in a band from the eastern Black Sea to Siberia. At 21 cal ka BP, a marked hydrological change can be seen in the tropical zone, where annual precipitation was ∼200–1,000 mm/year lower than today in equatorial East Africa compared to the present. A robust inverse relationship is shown between precipitation change and elevation in Africa. This relationship indicates that precipitation likely had an important role in controlling equilibrium-line altitudes (ELA) changes in the tropics during the LGM period. In Eurasia, hydrological decreases follow a longitudinal gradient from Europe to Siberia. Winter temperatures were ∼10–17°C lower than today in Eurasia with a more significant decrease in northern regions. In Africa, winter temperature was ∼10–15°C lower than present in the south, while it was only reduced by ∼0–3°C in the tropical zone. Comparison of palaeoclimate reconstructions using LGM and modern CO₂ concentrations reveals that the effect of CO₂ on pollen-based LGM reconstructions differs by vegetation type. Reconstructions for pollen sites in steppic vegetation in Europe show warmer winter temperatures under LGM CO₂ concentrations than under modern concentrations, and reconstructions for sites in xerophytic woods/scrub in tropical high altitude regions of Africa are wetter for LGM CO₂ concentrations than for modern concentrations, because our reconstructions account for decreased plant water use efficiency.     

The South Atlantic dipole and variations in the characteristics of the South American Monsoon in the WCRP-CMIP3 multi-model simulations

This study investigates relationships between Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) and the variability of the characteristics of the South American Monsoon System (SAMS), such as the onset dates and total precipitation over central eastern Brazil. The observed onset and total summer monsoon precipitation are estimated for the period 1979?C2007. SST patterns are obtained from the Empirical Orthogonal Function. It is shown that variations in SST on interannual timescales over the South Atlantic Ocean play an important role in the total summer monsoon precipitation. Negative (positive) SST anomalies over the topical South Atlantic along with positive (negative) SST anomalies over the extratropical South Atlantic are associated with early (late) onsets and wet (dry) summers over southeastern Brazil and late (early) onset and dry (wet) summers over northeastern Brazil. Simulations from Phase 3 of the World Climate Research Programme Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP-3) are assessed for the 20th century climate scenario (1971?C2000). Most CMIP3 coupled models reproduce the main modes of variability of the South Atlantic Ocean. GFDL2.0 and MIROC-M are the models that best represent the SST variability over the South Atlantic. On the other hand, these models do not succeed in representing the relationship between SST and SAMS variability.     

Wet and Dry Monthly Anomalies Across the Mediterranean Basin and their Relationship with Circulation, 1860–1990

Summary  Anomalously wet and dry months in the Mediterranean basin were identified during the period 1860–1990 from observations at five stations located along the west-east axis of the Mediterranean basin (Barcelona, Florence, Malta, Athens and Jerusalem), supplemented by data from Madrid and Lisbon. Wet and dry months were characterized by hydric indices (HI) based on values of the standardized precipitation anomalies. Different patterns of anomalously wet and dry months were qualitatively identified on the basis of the spatial distributions of the hydric indices. The standardized sea level pressure values at 56 grid points in the domain 35° N–65° N, 30° W–40° E, for each of the anomalously wet and dry months, were subjected to T-mode Principal Component Analysis. The mean hydric indices associated with each principal component in each season are arranged in four distinct different spatial distributions for wet months and in three for dry months as following: (a) Mediterranean wide distribution of positive/negative anomalies; (b1) Strong positive anomalies to the west, but weaker to eastern Mediterranean; (b2) Strong negative anomalies to the west, but weaker or normal to the east; (c1) Strong positive anomalies to the west and to the east and weaker ones to the central Mediterranean; (c2) Negative anomalies to the west and east, but weaker, or normal, or positive to the central Mediterranean; (d) Relatively strong positive anomalies to the east and weaker ones to the western Mediterranean. Finally, monthly mean charts of standardized anomaly and mean sea level pressure are presented for each principalcomponent in each season. These charts are used to interpret the spatial distribution of the positive and negative precipitation anomalies in terms of mean circulation over the domain. Received December 10, 1998 Revised June 14, 1999     

CONVECTIVE ANOMALIES IN TROPICAL OCEAN AREAS AND LONG-LEAD FORECAST OF SUMMER RAINFALL IN SHANDONG

This study focuses on deep convection anomalies in tropical regions in winter-spring period and their possible influence on the following summer rainfall in Shandong province. On the basis of monthly precipitation wet and dry summers in Shandong are defined according to a precipitation index. Then monthly OLR data, observed by NOAA satellites, are used to diagnose the features of deep convection for both wet and dry summers. It is found that negative anomalies seem dominant prior to wet summers, while large areas of positive anomalies appear prior to dry summers in tropical oceans. The differences are remarkable especially in the western, middle and eastern tropical Pacific as well as in the tropical Indian Ocean. Correlative analysis confirms the relations between OLR and precipitation. Subtropical High, which plays an essential role in summer rainfall, is also connected with the deep conviction. Altogether eight EOF-CCA forecast models are established on the basis of the above study. The assessment of the models relies on the gauge observing precipitation in 1997 and 1998. The results show that models using spring OLR data appear to be more practicable than those using winter OLR data, and the models established with OLR in western Pacific and the Indian Ocean perform better than the others.     

长江中下游地区冬夏干湿韵律特征分析

通过分析中国160站1952—2013年的月平均降水观测资料,揭示了长江中下游地区冬季和夏季降水间存在显著的韵律现象,即当该地区冬季降水异常偏少(偏多)时,次年夏季降水也趋于异常偏少(偏多),这里称之为干(湿)韵律现象。对干、湿韵律年大气环流背景的分析结果显示,干韵律年和湿韵律年对应的环流形势基本相反:在干(湿)韵律年冬季,东亚地区500 hPa位势高度距平呈现西高东低(东高西低)的分布型,中国南方东部主要受偏北(南)风异常控制,这不利(有利)于低纬度暖湿气流向长江中下游地区输送,导致该地区冬季降水异常偏少(多);在次年夏季,西北太平洋副热带高压异常偏弱(强),不利(有利)于西南暖湿气流向中国东部地区输送,使得长江中下游地区夏季降水也异常偏少(多)。研究进一步指出,长江中下游地区的冬夏干、湿韵律现象与东亚冬夏季风活动的强度密切相关。干、湿韵律现象多在东亚冬夏季风强度变化一致的情况下出现:冬、夏季风一致偏强时多导致干韵律现象,而一致偏弱时易导致湿韵律现象。     

Albedo changes, Milankovitch forcing, and late Quaternary climate changes in the central Andes

 Late Quaternary humidity changes resulted in substantial modifications of the land surface characteristics in the Altiplano of the Atacama Desert, central Andes. Reconstructions of surface albedo, top-of-atmosphere (TOA) albedo, and short-wave net radiation in the Andes of northern Chile for 20, 14, 10, 7 and 0 ka suggest that surface and TOA albedo increased substantially during periods of relatively humid environmental conditions (i.e., with large palaeolakes, glaciers and dense vegetation). The decrease of summer shortwave net radiation and seasonality during the late-glacial/early Holocene humid phase (14 to 10 ka) due to Earth’s surface and atmospheric characteristics added to the effect of orbitally driven negative deviations of Southern Hemisphere austral summer insolation and minimum seasonality at 20 °S. Therefore, in situ radiative forcing is, in contrast to the Northern Hemisphere tropics, not a suitable explanation for enhanced convective precipitation and, ultimately, humid climatic conditions. Our results suggest that late Quaternary humidity changes on the Altiplano reflect a collective response to (1) environmental changes in the source area of the moisture (e.g., re-expansion of the rain forest and increased release of latent heat over Amazonia and the Chaco, warm sea surface temperatures in the E Pacific) and, (2) large-scale circulation patterns and wave structures in the upper troposphere (strength and position of the Bolivian High, divergent flow stimulating convection over the Altiplano), or that they even reflect a response to (3) interhemispherical teleconnections. Received: 6 October 1997 / Accepted: 20 May 1998     

The Association Between Circulation Anomaliesin the Mid-Troposphere and Area Burnedby Wildland Fire in Canada

Summary  There is evidence that the area burned by wildland fire has increased in certain regions of Canada in recent decades. One cause for this increase is changes in the mid-tropospheric circulation at 500 hPa over northern North America. This study examines the physical links between anomalous mid-tropospheric circulation over various regions of Canada and wildland fire severity. Analysis of monthly and seasonal burned areas for the period 1953 to 1995 reveals a bimodal distribution with distinct low and extreme high burned area years. The high/low burned area years coincide with positive/negative 500 hPa height anomalies over north-western, western, west-central and east-central Canada. Total area burned and the 500 hPa height anomaly data are analyzed for statistical relationships using the Spearman rank correlation non-parametric measure. Results for the May to August fire season indicate statistically significant correlations between regional total area burned and clusters of anomalous 500 hPa geopotential height values immediately over, and immediately upstream of the affected region. For the north-western and west-central regions, significantly correlated clusters are found in the central Pacific as well, providing evidence of the influence of a teleconnection structure on the summer climate of western and north-western North America. Two sample comparison tests show statistically significant differences in both the means and variances of the fire data populations during negative and positive phases of mid-tropospheric flow, and the means of the height anomaly populations during extremely high and extremely low area burned seasons. Increases in regional total area burned are related to increases in mean 500 hPa heights, taken from the significantly correlated clusters of height values, between two successive periods 1953–74 and 1975–95. For Canada as a whole, the five lowest area burned seasons all occurred during the early period, while the five highest seasons occurred during the later period. The difference in the geopotential height fields between the two periods identifies an increase in 500 hPa heights over most of Canada with an amplification of the western Canada ridge and an eastward shifted Canadian Polar Trough (CPT). Received October 19, 1998     

Changes in fire regimes since the Last Glacial Maximum: an assessment based on a global synthesis and analysis of charcoal data

Fire activity has varied globally and continuously since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in response to long-term changes in global climate and shorter-term regional changes in climate, vegetation, and human land use. We have synthesized sedimentary charcoal records of biomass burning since the LGM and present global maps showing changes in fire activity for time slices during the past 21,000 years (as differences in charcoal accumulation values compared to pre-industrial). There is strong broad-scale coherence in fire activity after the LGM, but spatial heterogeneity in the signals increases thereafter. In North America, Europe and southern South America, charcoal records indicate less-than-present fire activity during the deglacial period, from 21,000 to ∼11,000 cal yr BP. In contrast, the tropical latitudes of South America and Africa show greater-than-present fire activity from ∼19,000 to ∼17,000 cal yr BP and most sites from Indochina and Australia show greater-than-present fire activity from 16,000 to ∼13,000 cal yr BP. Many sites indicate greater-than-present or near-present activity during the Holocene with the exception of eastern North America and eastern Asia from 8,000 to ∼3,000 cal yr BP, Indonesia and Australia from 11,000 to 4,000 cal yr BP, and southern South America from 6,000 to 3,000 cal yr BP where fire activity was less than present. Regional coherence in the patterns of change in fire activity was evident throughout the post-glacial period. These complex patterns can largely be explained in terms of large-scale climate controls modulated by local changes in vegetation and fuel load. The readers are requested to refer to the section “List of contributors” for the complete list of author affiliation details.     

超强厄尔尼诺事件对中国东部春夏季极端降水频率的影响

利用中国国家气象信息中心提供的中国地面逐日降水0.5°×0.5°格点数据集,研究了超强厄尔尼诺事件衰减年春、夏季中国东部极端降水发生概率的变化,并通过诊断超强厄尔尼诺自身及其衍生模态各自的水汽输送和垂直运动特征,探讨了超强厄尔尼诺事件对中国东部极端降水的影响机制。结果表明,超强厄尔尼诺事件衰减年春季,整个中国东部尤其是江淮以北地区,极端降水事件发生概率显著增大。同年夏季,长江流域极端降水发生概率比常规年份高出近1倍,而在华南和华北地区则相对减小。诊断分析显示,春季超强厄尔尼诺自身及其与热带太平洋地区年循环相互作用衍生出的组合模态（C-mode）均对降水的环流背景影响显著,热带太平洋西北部低空存在强盛的反气旋性异常环流,导致大量水汽在中国东部汇聚并上升,有利于该地区极端降水事件的发生。夏季,厄尔尼诺事件已经消亡,但与C-mode影响相关联的西北太平洋异常反气旋环流仍然存在,长江流域维持极端降水事件发生的有利条件。此外,研究也显示,超强厄尔尼诺事件衰减年春、夏季中国东部对流层中上层持续有异常经向风活动,频繁的南北冷暖气流交汇可能导致强对流事件发生次数增多,这也为该区域极端降水的频发提供了支持。      

Observed,reconstructed, and simulated decadal variability of summer precipitation over eastern China

Based on observations made during recent decades, reconstructed precipitation for the period A.D. 1736–2000, dry–wet index data for A.D. 500–2000, and a 1000-yr control simulation using the Community Earth System Model with fixed pre-industrial external forcing, the decadal variability of summer precipitation over eastern China is studied. Power spectrum analysis shows that the dominant cycles for the decadal variation of summer precipitation are: 22–24 and quasi-70 yr over the North China Plain; 32–36, 44–48, and quasi-70 yr in the Jiang–Huai area; and 32–36 and 44–48 yr in the Jiang–Nan area. Bandpass decomposition from observation, reconstruction, and simulation reveals that the variability of summer precipitation over the North China Plain, Jiang–Huai area, and Jiang–Nan area, at scales of 20–35, 35–50, and 50–80 yr, is not consistent across the entire millennium. We also find that the warm (cold) phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation generally corresponds to dry (wet) conditions over the North China Plain, but wet (dry) conditions in the Jiang–Nan area, from A.D. 1800, when the PDO became strengthened. However, such a correspondence does not exist throughout the entire last millennium. Data–model comparison suggests that these decadal oscillations and their temporal evolution over eastern China, including the decadal shifts in the spatial pattern of the precipitation anomaly observed in the late 1970s, early 1990s, and early 2000s, might result from internal variability of the climate system.     

The 2001 Mesoscale Convective Systems over Iberia and the Balearic Islands

Summary This paper characterizes Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) during 2001 over Iberia and the Balearic Islands and their meteorological settings. Enhanced infrared Meteosat imagery has been used to detect their occurrence over the Western Mediterranean region between June and December 2001 according to satellite-defined criteria based on the MCS physical characteristics. Twelve MCSs have been identified. The results show that the occurrence of 2001 MCSs is limited to the August–October period, with September being the most active period. They tend to develop during the late afternoon or early night, with preferred eastern Iberian coast locations and eastward migrations. A cloud shield area of 50.000 km² is rarely exceeded. When our results are compared with previous studies, it is possible to assert that though 2001 MCS activity was moderate, the convective season was substantially less prolonged than usual, with shorter MCS life cycles and higher average speeds. The average MCS precipitation rate was 3.3 mm·h⁻¹ but a wide range of values varying from scarce precipitation to intense events of 130 mm·24 h⁻¹ (6 September) were collected. The results suggest that, during 2001, MCS rainfall was the principal source of precipitation in the Mediterranean region during the convective season, but its impact varied according to the location. Synoptic analysis based on NCEP/NCAR reanalysis show that several common precursors could be identified over the Western Mediterranean Sea when the 2001 MCSs occurred: a low-level tongue of moist air and precipitable water (PW) exceeding 25 mm through the southern portion of the Western Mediterranean area, low-level zonal warm advection over 2 °C·24 h⁻¹ towards eastern Iberia, a modest 1000–850 hPa equivalent potential temperature (θ_e) difference over 20 °C located close to the eastern Iberian coast, a mid level trough (sometimes a cut-off low) over Northern Africa or Southern Spain and high levels geostrophic vorticity advection exceeding 12·10⁻¹⁰ s⁻² over eastern Iberia and Northern Africa. Finally, the results suggest that synoptic, orographic and a warm-air advection were the most relevant forcing mechanisms during 2001.     

Paleoclimatic implications of the high stand of Lake Lahontan derived from models of evaporation and lake level

Based on previous climate model simulations of a split of the polar jet stream during the late Pleistocene, we hypothesize that (1) 20–13.5 ka BP, season-to-season variation in the latitudinal maximum of the jet stream core led to enhanced wetness in the Great Basin, and (2) after 13.5 ka BP, northward movement of the jet stream resulted in increased aridity similar to today. We suggest that the enhanced effective wetness was due to increased precipitation combined with an energy-limited reduction in evaporation rates that was caused by increased summer cloud cover. A physically based thermal evaporation model was used to simulate evaporation for Lake Lahontan under various hypothesized paleoclimates. The simulated evaporation rates, together with hypothetical rates of precipitation and discharge, were input to a water balance model of Lake Lahontan. A 42% reduction in evaporation rate, combined with maximum historical rates of precipitation (1.8 times the mean annual rate) and discharge (2.4 times the mean annual rate), were sufficient to maintain Lake Lahontan at its 20-15 ka BP level. When discharge was increased to 3.8 times the present-day, mean annual rate, the 13.5 ka BP maximum level of Lake Lahontan was attained within 1400 years. A 135-m drop from the maximum level to Holocene levels was simulated within 300 years under the imposition of the present-day hydrologic balance.