Regional features of precipitation over Asia and summer extreme precipitation over Southeast Asia and their associations with atmospheric–oceanic conditions

The variations of both total and extreme precipitations over Asia are characterized by large regional features and seasonality. Extreme precipitation mainly occurs in summer and then in autumn over South Asia but it is a prominent phenomenon in all seasons over Southeast Asia. It explains above 40% of the total precipitation in winter over India, while the ratio of extreme precipitation to total precipitation is 30% or smaller in all seasons over southern-central China. Over Southeast Asia, the largest ratio appears in winter. The extreme precipitation over Southeast Asia (EPSEA) exhibits significant positive trends in all seasons except autumn. The long-term increase in summer EPSEA is associated with significant surface warming over extratropical Asia and the Indo-Pacific oceans and linked to a large-scale anomalous cyclonic pattern over Southeast Asia. An increase in de-trended summer EPSEA is associated with less significant surface warming. However, it is still clearly linked to an anomalous cyclonic pattern over Southeast Asia, contributed by intensifications of monsoon flow from the west, trade wind from the east, and cross-equatorial flow over Indonesia. The antecedent features of increased summer EPSEA include an overall warming over the tropical–subtropical northern hemisphere and an anomalous cyclonic pattern over Southeast Asia in winter and spring. When the large-scale Asian monsoon (measured by the Webster-Yang monsoon index) or the South Asian monsoon is strong, summer extreme precipitation mainly increases over tropical Asia. When monsoon is strong over Southeast Asia or East Asia, extreme precipitation increases over Southeast Asia and decreases over East Asia. A strong summer monsoon over Southeast Asia or East Asia is also followed by decreased autumn extreme precipitation over Southeast Asia.     

夏季南海低空越赤道气流变化与亚澳季风区降水异常的联系

基于1979—2014年ERA-Interim逐月风场和水汽通量资料及GPCP逐月降水率资料,采用相关分析及合成分析等方法研究了夏季南海低空越赤道气流的变化特征及其与亚澳季风区降水异常的联系。结果表明:1)夏季南海低空越赤道气流强度的年际变化特征明显,具有3~4 a的周期。2)夏季南海低空越赤道气流强度变化与热带东印度洋和海洋性大陆区域降水异常具有显著的负相关关系、与热带西太平洋降水异常存在明显的正相关关系、与我国中部地区降水异常存在较好的负相关关系。3)当夏季南海低空越赤道气流强度偏强时,850 hPa上自阿拉伯海向东一直延伸到热带西太平洋为西风异常,这种环流形势有利于热带西太平洋出现水汽辐合,使得该区域降水出现明显偏多,同时热带东印度洋低层为东风异常,受其影响,热带东印度洋和海洋性大陆区域出现水汽辐散,使得该区域降水偏少;此外,在我国东南沿海为一个气旋式风场异常,不利于来自热带海洋的水汽输送到达我国中部地区,使得该地区降水偏少;反之亦然。4)当夏季南海低空越赤道气流偏强时,东亚地区局地Hadley环流表现为异常偏弱,低空偏南越赤道气流异常在20°N附近与来自北半球的冷空气交汇上升,赤道附近及30~40°N地区出现异常下沉运动,使得热带海洋性大陆区域和我国中部地区降水减少;反之亦然。     

THE TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MOISTURE BUDGETS OVER ASIAN AND AUSTRALIAN MONSOON REGIONS

Apparent moisture sink and water vapor transport flux are calculated by using NCAR/NCEP reanalyzed daily data for water vapor and wind fields at various levels from 1980 to 1989. With the aid of EOF analysis method, temporal and spatial characteristics of moisture budgets over Asian and Australian monsoon regions are studied. The results show that there is apparent seasonal transition of moisture sink and water vapor transport between Asian monsoon region and Australian monsoon region. In winter, the Asian monsoon region is a moisture source, in which three cross-equatorial water vapor transport channels in the "continent bridge". at 80°E and 40°E ～ 50°E transport water vapor to the Australian monsoon region and southern Indian Ocean which are moisture sinks. In summer, Australian monsoon region and southern Indian Ocean are moisture sources and by the three cross-equatorial transport channels water vapor is transport to the Asian monsoon region which is a moisture sink. In spring and autumn, ITCZ is the main moisture sink and there is no apparent water vapor transport between Asian monsoon region and Australian monsoon region.     

Land–sea heating contrast in an idealized Asian summer monsoon

Mechanisms determining the tropospheric temperature gradient that is related to the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon are examined in an intermediate atmospheric model coupled with a mixed-layer ocean and a simple land surface model with an idealized Afro–Eurasian continent and no physical topography. These include processes involving in the influence of the Eurasian continent, thermal effects of the Tibetan Plateau and effects of sea surface temperature. The mechanical effect on the large-scale flow induced by the Plateau is not included in this study. The idealized land–sea geometry without topography induces a positive meridional tropospheric temperature gradient thus a weak Asian summer monsoon circulation. Higher prescribed heating and weaker surface albedo over Eurasia and the Tibetan Plateau, which mimic effects of different land surface processes and the thermal effect of the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, strengthens the meridional temperature gradient, and so as cold tropical SST anomalies. The strengthened meridional temperature gradient enhances the Asian summer monsoon circulation and favors the strong convection. The corresponding monsoon rainbelt extends northward and northeastward and creates variations of the monsoon rainfall anomalies in different subregions. The surface albedo over the Tibetan Plateau has a relatively weak inverse relation with the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon. The longitudinal gradient of ENSO-like SST anomalies induces a more complicated pattern of the tropospheric temperature anomalies. First, the positive (negative) longitudinal gradient induced by the El Niño (La Niña)-like SST anomalies weakens (strengthens) the Walker circulation and the circulation between South Asia and northern Africa and therefore the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon, while the corresponding monsoon rainbelt extends northward (southward). The El Niño (La Niña)-like SST anomalies also induces colder (warmer) tropospheric temperature over Eurasia and warmer (colder) tropospheric temperature over the Indian Ocean. The associated negative (positive) meridional gradient of the tropospheric temperature anomalies is consistent with the existence of the weak (strong) Asian summer monsoon.     

青藏高原影响亚洲夏季气候研究的最新进展

文中回顾了近 10a来吴国雄等在青藏高原影响亚洲夏季气候研究方面的最新进展。通过分析东西风交界面的演变证明 ,由于青藏高原的春季加热 ,亚洲季风区对流层低层冬季盛行偏东风转变为夏季偏西南风最早发生在孟加拉湾东部 ,与其相伴随的激烈对流降水出现在其东面。因此孟加拉湾东部至中印半岛西部是亚洲季风最早爆发的地区。同时也指出盛夏伊朗高原和青藏高原加热所激发的同相环流嵌套在欧亚大陆尺度的热力环流中 ,从而加强了东亚的夏季风 ,加剧了中西亚的干旱 ;并通过其所激发的波动对夏季东亚的气候格局产生重要影响。文中还比较了夏季南亚高压的伊朗模态和青藏模态性质的异同及其对亚洲夏季降水异常分布的不同影响。     

夏季亚洲—太平洋涛动与大气环流和季风降水

利用ERA-40再分析资料和数值模拟,分析了在亚洲-太平洋区域的大气遥相关以及与亚洲季风降水和西北太平洋热带气旋活动气候特征的关系,探讨了青藏高原加热和太平洋海表温度(SST)对遥相关的影响,结果表明:亚洲-太平洋涛动(Asian-Pacific Oscillation,APO)是夏季对流层扰动温度在亚洲与太平洋中纬度之间的一种"跷跷板"现象,当亚洲大陆中纬度对流层偏冷时,中、东太平洋中纬度对流层偏暖,反之亦然;这种遥相关也出现在平流层中,只是其位相与对流层的相反.APO为研究亚洲与太平洋大气环流相互作用提供了一个途径.APO指数也是亚洲-太平洋对流层热力差异指数,它具有年际和年代际的多时间尺度变化特征,在1958-2001年亚洲与太平洋之间的对流层热力差异呈现出减弱趋势,同时也有显著的5.5 a周期.APO形成可能与太阳辐射在亚洲陆地和太平洋的加热差异所造成的纬向垂直环流有关,数值模拟进一步表明:夏季青藏高原加热可以造成高原附近对流层温度升高、上升运动加强,太平洋下沉运动加强、温度下降,从而形成APO现象;而太平洋年代际涛动和赤道东太平洋的厄尔尼若现象对APO的影响可能较小.当夏季APO异常时,南亚高压、欧亚中纬度西风急流、南亚热带东风急流以及太平洋上空的副热带高压都出现显著变化,并伴随着亚洲季风降水及西北太平洋热带气旋活动异常.过去40多年来的长江中上游地区夏季变冷与APO有关,可能是全球大气环流年代际变化在该区域的一种反映.APO异常信号可以传播到南、北两极.此外,亚洲-太平洋之间的这种遥相关型也出现在其他季节.     

青藏高原云-辐射-加热效应和南亚夏季风--1985年与1987年对比分析

文中首先利用NCEP NCAR再分析的风场资料 ,分析了南亚夏季风的时空特征 ,选取了有代表性的典型强、弱夏季风年 ,继而利用ISCCP C2、ERBE S4卫星观测资料和NCEP NCAR再分析资料 ,对比分析了强、弱夏季风前期青藏高原地区的云—辐射—加热状况及其在海、陆差异中的作用。分析结果表明 ,南亚夏季风强或弱 ,其前期青藏高原地区的云—辐射—加热效应有明显的差异。在强 (弱 )南亚夏季风的前期 ,青藏高原大部分地区为相对少 (多 )云区 ,其云量变化不仅表明了此区的云—辐射—加热效应的不同 ,更重要的是与此同时出现的海、陆之间云量分布的“跷跷板”现象 ,进一步改变了海、陆之间的热力差异。而且 ,在强南亚夏季风年 ,这种热力差异不但开始得早 ,而且持续时间长、作用范围大 ,从而对南亚夏季风的形成和变化产生重要的影响     

Current Progresses in Study of Impacts of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Summer Climate

The current progresses in the study of impacts of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian summer climate in the last decade are reviewed. By analyzing evolution of the transitional zone between westerly to the north and easterly to the south (WEB), it is shown that due to the strong heating over the Tibetan Plateau in spring, the overturning in the prevailing wind direction from easterly in winter to westerly in summer occurs firstly over the eastern Bay of Bengal (BOB), accompanied with vigorous convective precipitation to its east. The area between eastern BOB and western Indo-China Peninsula thus becomes the area with the earliest onset of Asian monsoon, which may be referred as BOB monsoon in short. It is shown that the summertime circulations triggered by the thermal forcing of the Iranian Plateau and the Tibetan Plateau are embedded in phase with the continental-scale circulation forced by the diabatic heating over the Eurasian Continent. As a result, the East Asian summer monsoon is intensified and the drought climate over the western and central Asian areas is enhanced. Together with perturbations triggered by the Tibetan Plateau, the above scenarios and the associated heating have important influences on the climate patterns over Asia. Furthermore, the characteristics of the Tibetan mode of the summertime South Asian high are compared with those of Iranian mode. Results demonstrate that corresponding to each of the bimodality of the South Asian high, the rainfall anomaly distributions over Asia exhibit different patterns.     

Tibetan Plateau summer precipitation: covariability with circulation indices

Relations between Tibetan Plateau precipitation and large-scale climate indices are studied based on the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the boreal summer season. The focus is on the decadal variability of links between the large-scale circulation and the plateau drought and wetness. Analysis of teleconnectivity of the continental northern hemisphere standardized summer precipitation reveals the Tibetan Plateau as a major SPI teleconnectivity center in south-eastern Asia connecting remote correlation patterns over Eurasia. Employing a moving window approach, changes in covariability and synchronizations between Tibetan Plateau summer SPI and climate indices are analyzed on decadal time scales. Decadal variability in the relationships between Tibetan Plateau summer SPI and the large-scale climate system is characterized by three shifts related to changes in the North Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the tropical Pacific. Changes in the North Atlantic variability (North Atlantic Oscillation) result in a stable level of Tibetan Plateau summer SPI variability; the response to changes in tropical Pacific variability is prominent in various indices such as Asian monsoon, Pacific/North America, and East Atlantic/Western Russia pattern.

     

Factors favorable to frequent extreme precipitation in the upper Yangtze River Valley

Extreme precipitation events in the upper Yangtze River Valley (YRV) have recently become an increasingly important focus in China because they often cause droughts and floods. Unfortunately, little is known about the climate processes responsible for these events. This paper investigates factors favorable to frequent extreme precipitation events in the upper YRV. Our results reveal that a weakened South China Sea summer monsoon trough, intensified Eurasian-Pacific blocking highs, an intensified South Asian High, a southward subtropical westerly jet and an intensified Western North Pacific Subtropical High (WNPSH) increase atmospheric instability and enhance the convergence of moisture over the upper YRV, which result in more extreme precipitation events. The snow depth over the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) in winter and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) over three key regions in summer are important external forcing factors in the atmospheric circulation anomalies. Deep snow on the Tibetan Plateau in winter can weaken the subsequent East Asian summer monsoon circulation above by increasing the soil moisture content in summer and weakening the land–sea thermal contrast over East Asia. The positive SSTA in the western North Pacific may affect southwestward extension of the WNPSH and the blocking high over northeastern Asia by arousing the East Asian-Pacific pattern. The positive SSTA in the North Atlantic can affect extreme precipitation event frequency in the upper YRV via a wave train pattern along the westerly jet between the North Atlantic and East Asia. A tripolar pattern from west to east over the Indian Ocean can strengthen moisture transport by enhancing Somali cross-equatorial flow.     

Diversity of the Coupling Wheels in the East Asian Summer Monsoon on the Interannual Time Scale: Challenge of Summer Rainfall Forecasting in China

Two types of three-dimensional circulation of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) act as the coupling wheels determining the seasonal rainfall anomalies in China during 1979–2015. The first coupling mode features the interaction between the Mongolian cyclone over North Asia and the South Asian high(SAH) anomalies over the Tibetan Plateau at 200 hPa. The second mode presents the coupling between the anomalous low-level western Pacific anticyclone and upperlevel SAH via the meridional flow over Southeast Asia. These two modes are responsible for the summer rainfall anomalies over China in 24 and 7 out of 37 years, respectively. However, the dominant SST anomalies in the tropical Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and the North Atlantic Ocean fail to account for the first coupling wheel's interannual variability, illustrating the challenges in forecasting summer rainfall over China.     

ON THE PROCESS OF SUMMER MONSOON ONSET OVER EAST ASIA*

Using daily observational rainfall data covered 194 stations of China from 1961 to 1995 and NCEP model analyzed pentad precipitation data of global grid point from 1979 to 1997,the distribution of onset date of rainy season over Asian area from spring to summer is studied in this paper.The analyzed results show that there exist two stages of rainy season onset over East Asian region from spring to summer rainy season onset accompanying subtropical monsoon and tropical monsoon respectively.The former rain belt is mainly formed by the convergence of cold air and the recurred southwesterly flow from western part of subtropical high and westerly flow from the so-called western trough of subtropical region occurring during winter to spring over South Asia.The latter is formed in the process of subtropical monsoon rain belt over inshore regions of South China Sea originally coming from south of Changjiang (Yangtze) River Basin advancing with northward shift of subtropical high after the onset of tropical monsoon over South China Sea.The pre-flood rainy season over South China region then came into mature period and the second peak of rainfall appeared.Meiyu,the rainy season over Changjiang-Huaihe River Basin and North China then formed consequently.The process of summer tropical monsoon onset over South China Sea in 1998 is also discussed in this paper.It indicated that the monsoon during summer tropical monsoon onset over South China Sea is the result of the westerly flow over middle part of South China Sea,which is from the new generated cyclone formed in north subtropical high entering into South China Sea,converged with the tropical southwesterly flow recurred by the intensified cross-equatorial flow.     

A Possible Impact of Cooling over the Tibetan Plateau on the Mid-Holocene East Asian Monsoon Climate

By using a 9-level global atmospheric general circulation model developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP9L-AGCM) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the authors investigated the response of the East Asian monsoon climate to changes both in orbital forcing and the snow and glaciers over the Tibetan Plateau at the mid-Holocene, about 6000 calendar years before the present (6 kyr BP). With the Earth’s orbital parameters appropriate for the mid-Holocene, the IAP9L-AGCM computed warmer and wetter conditions in boreal summer than for the present day. Under the precondition of continental snow and glacier cover existing over part of the Tibetan Plateau at the mid-Holocene, the authors examined the regional climate response to the Tibetan Plateau cooling. The simulations indicated that climate changes in South Asia and parts of central Asia as well as in East Asia are sensitive to the Tibetan Plateau cooling at the mid-Holocene, showing a significant decrease in precipitation in northern India, northern China and southern Mongolia and an increase in Southeast Asia during boreal summer. The latter seems to correspond to the weakening, southeastward shift of the Asian summer monsoon system resulting from reduced heat contrast between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific and Indian Oceans when a cooling over the Tibetan Plateau was imposed. The simulation results suggest that the snow and glacier environment over the Tibetan Plateau is an important factor for mid-Holocene climate change in the areas highly influenced by the Asian monsoon.     

青藏高原调控区域能量过程和全球气候的机理

本文总结了中国国家自然科学基金委重点项目“青藏高原调控区域能量过程及其影响机理”的研究进展。着重阐明了春夏季伊朗高原和青藏高原(TIP)地表热通量特征及变化原因、TIP上空独特的水汽、云宏观和微观垂直结构,以及降水和云辐射效应;在夏季两个高原地区的感热加热存在相互影响和反馈,形成观测到的加热与大气垂直环流之间的准平衡耦合系统,由此提出了TIP系统(TIPS)的概念;项目还从天文和水文的角度佐证了TIPS对亚洲夏季风的影响,揭示TIPS导致上对流层暖、下平流层冷的南亚高压的形成机理及TIPS影响北半球环流和印度洋海气相互作用的物理过程;揭示TIPS系统对南亚高压年际变化的影响,提出高原位涡强迫激发中国东部激烈天气过程的一种新机制。此外还揭示了CMIP5模式对高原表面温度模拟存在冷偏差的原因和其中的物理过程,这是大气环流与冰雪反照率的动力耦合的结果。     

2005年初夏亚洲季风异常及对华南强降雨影响

利用国家气象中心1957-2006年基本观测站点逐日降水量资料,NCEP/NCAR所提供的2005年5—7月逐日OLR资料、日平均再分析资料及其相应的多年平均资料,采用诊断分析方法讨论了2005年初夏华南持续强降雨雨情、亚洲季风异常特征及其对华南持续强降雨的影响。结果表明:2005年南海季风在5月第6候爆发,较正常偏晚2候左右,导致华南前汛期比常年同期明显推迟;之后,南亚西南季风倾向于向东传播,西北太平洋副热带高压偏东偏弱,越赤道气流偏弱,使西南季风偏北风分量偏小,而东亚槽偏深,诸多因素使得西南季风在华南一带长时间维持,造成华南持续强降雨。同时还分析了澳大利亚冷高压、青藏高原南部到孟加拉湾一带热源的异常特征及其对亚洲季风和华南降雨的影响。     

The effects of land-surface characteristics on the East Asian summer monsoon

 The Community Climate Model version 2 (CCM2) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) was used to investigate the effects of the land-surface characteristics on the East Asian summer monsoon. Four numerical experiments were performed in this study. They include the control run, the biosphere–atmosphere transfer scheme (BATS) run, the heavy snow run, and the light snow run. The results show that CCM2 can reasonably simulate many characteristics of the East Asian summer monsoon, such as the 850-hPa southwesterlies, 200-hPa easterlies, high precipitation rate, two monsoon subsystems, the low-level subtropical high, and the upper level South Asian anticyclone. Nevertheless, the model still exhibits some systematic errors, including oversimulation of the temperature over the Eurasian continent, which in turn intensifies the monsoon circulations. In the BATS run, the model can significantly relieve the temperature bias over the continent in spring and early summer. However, the effect of BATS decreases in the summer due to excessive incoming solar radiation. The Eurasian continent is still occupied by an oversimulated thermal low in summer. In the heavy snow case, the high albedo of snow and larger soil moisture suppress the warming rate of the surface and atmosphere in the early summer and hence the cooler troposphere results in a weaker monsoon circulation. Moreover, anomalous cyclonic flows are found in the leeside of Tibetan Plateau (i.e. the southwest vortex in China) in the heavy snow case. This may shed a light on the precipitation anomalies (floods) over Yangtze River Valley (Central China) and eastern Asia due to intensified baroclinic disturbances. Received: 8 September 1999 / Accepted: 5 June 2000     

亚洲季风季节进程的若干认识

简要归纳了不同时期随着观测资料的更新对亚洲季风季节进程的若干认识。南海季风试验前,研究认识了东亚季风系统与南亚季风系统的区别。南海季风试验后,对季风进程有了更多的认识,江南副热带雨季开始于4月初,中印半岛热带雨季开始于4月底,南海热带雨季突然建立于5月中旬,都具有半年际的干湿转换。南海中部季风爆发后,亚洲季风在南亚、青藏高原东侧和东亚-太平洋地区全面爆发并由南向北推进。利用近年来高分辨率资料并考虑热带地区半岛陆海地形与热力的影响,认识到亚洲存在5个夏季季风槽与降水相联系的系统,它们分别是西南亚(阿拉伯海)夏季热带季风、南亚(孟加拉湾)夏季热带季风、东南亚(南海)夏季热带季风、西北太平洋夏季热带季风和东亚夏季副热带季风。     

A NUMERICAL EXPERIMENT STUDY ON THE FORMING MECHANISMS OF LOW-LATITUDE CIRCULATION CELLS AND PRECIPITATION DURING AN EAST ASIAN COLD SURGE

The forming mechanisms of low-latitude circulation cells and precipitation during an East Asian cold surge have been studied by using a five-layer primitive equation model.Numerical experiments show that in mid-high latitudes,the propagation of the East Asian winter monsoon is nearly a dry process;in low-latitudes,the effects of cumulus convection intensify the northeast monsoon and northeast trade wind;however,they also prevent the intertropical convergence zone(ITCZ) from further southward invasion,and strengthen the meridional and zonal cells over East Asia. Numerical results also indicate that the winter monsoon precipitation in Indonesia and Northern Australia can exist independently.Both the South China Sea(SCS) cold surge and the West Pacific northeast cross-equatorial trade wind are of importance for the formation of the Northern Australia summer monsoon and its precipitation.Numerical results show that the development of cumulus convection,triggered by the SCS cold surge,is a crucial factor in forming the heavy monsoon precipitation and low-level stationary disturbances in Indonesia and Borneo.The tropical topography and northeast trade wind disturbances only affect the intensity of precipitation there.     

青藏高原对亚洲季风平均环流影响的数值试验

利用垂直方向具有９层σ面、水平方向菱形截断波数为１５的全球大气环流谱模式和有、无青藏高原大地形两种情况下１０年积分的模拟结果，研究了青藏高原大地形对亚洲季风平均环流的影响。结果表明：有、无青藏高原大地形，亚洲冬、夏季季风平均环流均存在很大的差异。去除地形，使夏季高层的南亚高压、低层的大陆热低压、副热带高压及冬季的大陆冷高压在位置或强度上发生了改变；地形的有、无决定着冬季东亚大槽的强度；索马里越赤道气流有地形时明显较无地形时强；地形的有无还影响着降水强度和雨带的分布。另外，副热带高压中心及雨带的季节性移动与高原大地形的存在与否亦有很大的关系