青藏高原热状况和海温异常对亚洲季风季节转换年际变化的影响

本文根据季节转换前后副高脊面附近经向温度梯度变号的本质，利用相关分析和合成分析等方法研究了季节转换年际变化与外部影响因子的联系. 结果表明，冬春季青藏高原热状况和ENSO（El Nio/Southern Oscillation，厄尔尼诺/南方涛动）是决定亚洲季风区季节转换年际变化的主要因素. 当冬、春季海温呈现El Nio异常时，Walker环流减弱，于是西太平洋暖池区对流活动受到抑制，而赤道东太平洋对流活动加强则强迫赤道印度洋地区产生绝热下沉运动，使得印度洋地区大气偏暖，结果增大了南北向温度梯度，季节转换往往偏晚. 反之，季节转换偏早. 初春高原上空对流层中高层的气温异常对于判断季节转换迟早有很好的指示意义.     

热带太平洋-印度洋温跃层海温异常联合模及其演变

利用SODA次表层海温再分析资料和卫星遥感海面高度异常数据,分析了热带太平洋和印度洋温跃层海温之间的联系,提出了太平洋-印度洋温跃层海温异常联合模(PITM)的概念、并定义了该联合模指数.结果表明,联合模指数具有准两年和3~5年的年际变化周期以及2011-2012年的年际变化周期,并具有季节锁相和振幅不对称等特征.联合模的演变过程与温跃层海温异常(TOTA)的发展和传播过程紧密相联:在太平洋,TOTA一般从西太平洋出发沿赤道(5°S-5°N)向东传播,到达东太平洋之后折向北,再沿10°N-14°N纬度带向西传播到达太平洋西岸并向赤道西太平洋扩展,形成一条回路;南太平洋也有类似回路但信号较弱;在印度洋,则主要沿8°S-12°S纬度带向西传播,到达西岸后折向北,然后迅速沿赤道(1.25°S-1.25°N)向东扩展,也形成一条回路.对NCEP/NCAR再分析风场资料的合成分析则表明,联合模的演变过程与大气环流尤其是纬向垂直环流(Walker环流)的变化密切相关,联合模的正位相对应着赤道印度洋区域顺时针的Walker环流以及赤道太平洋区域逆时针的Walker环流;而联合模的负相位则有相反的情况.此外,联合模演变过程中,TOTA的传播发展与850 hPa异常纬向风的传播发展有很好的相关.     

Influences of Indian Ocean interannual variability on different stages of El Nio: A FOAM1.5 model approach

Both the tropical Indian and tropical Pacific Oceans are active atmosphere-ocean interactive regions with robust interannual variability, which also constitutes a linkage between the two basins in the mode of variability. Using a global atmosphereocean coupled model, we conducted two experiments(CTRL and PC) to explore the contributions of Indian Ocean interannual sea surface temperature(SST) modes to the occurrence of El Ni?o events. The results show that interannual variability of the SST in the Indian Ocean induces a rapid growth of El Ni?o events during the boreal autumn in an El Ni?o developing year. However, it weakens El Ni?o events or even promotes cold phase conversions in an El Ni?o decaying year. Therefore, the entire period of the El Ni?o is shortened by the interannual variations of the Indian Ocean SST. Specifically, during the El Ni?o developing years, the positive Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD) events force an anomalous Walker circulation, which then enhances the existing westerly wind anomalies over the west Pacific. This will cause a warmer El Ni?o event, with some modulations by ocean advection and oceanic Rossby and Kelvin waves. However, with the onset of the South Asian monsoon, the Indian Ocean Basin(IOB) warming SST anomalies excite low level easterly wind anomalies over the west tropical Pacific during the El Ni?o decaying years. As a result, the El Ni?o event is prompted to change from a warm phase to a cold phase. At the same time, an associated atmospheric anticyclone anomaly appears and leads to a decreasing precipitation anomaly over the northwest Pacific. In summary, with remote forcing in the atmospheric circulation, the IOD mode usually affects the El Ni?o during the developing years, whereas the IOB mode affects the El Ni?o during the decaying years.     

北太平洋海表面高度的年际变化及其机制

利用15年（1993～2007年）月平均的海表面高度（SSH）异常资料,分析了北太平洋海表面高度的年际变化的时空结构,并研究了热通量和风应力两个因子对其的强迫作用.结果表明,北太平洋年际时间尺度SSH变化的大值区在黑潮延伸区和西太平洋暖池区.EOF分解第一模态的空间结构沿纬向呈带状分布,第二模态为沿经向呈带状分布.热通量强迫作用在中纬度的东北太平洋可以解释SSH年际变化40%以上.风应力对SSH的作用包括正压和斜压两个方面.正压Sverdrup平衡模型模拟的SSH年际变化较弱,仅能解释高纬度副极地环流西部的20%~40%.由大尺度风应力强迫的第一阶斜压Rossby波模型可以解释热带地区的20%~60%,中纬度中部的20%~40%,以及阿拉斯加环流东部和副极地环流西部的20%~60%.风应力强迫的一阶斜压Rossby波模型对SSH的强迫机理又可分为局地风应力强迫和西传Rossby波作用.其中,风应力的局地强迫作用（Ekman抽吸）在东北太平洋、白令海以及热带中部有显著的预报技巧,可以解释SSH年际变异的40%以上.Rossby波的传播作用在中纬度海域的副热带环流中西部和夏威夷岛以东起着重要作用,可解释20%~60%.     

夏季西北太平洋大气环流异常及其与热带印度洋-太平洋海温变化的关系

本文分析了夏季西北太平洋大气环流异常特征及其与海温变化的关系,发现夏季西北太平洋异常反气旋/气旋(WNPAC/WNPC)是西北太平洋地区对流层中低层存在的重要大气环流异常现象,与东亚-西北太平洋低纬度至高纬度的经向PJ波列及欧亚中高纬度东西纬向波列的变化有关,通过与中高纬度环流变化的联系,对东亚及欧亚中高纬度气候有重要影响.夏季WNPAC/WNPC与热带海温变化的关系存在明显的不对称性,显著的WNPAC一般出现在El Niño衰减年夏季,与前期El Niño成熟年冬季的赤道东太平洋暖海温异常和El Niño衰减年春夏季印度洋海盆尺度的暖海温异常有明显的正相关关系,进一步表明了WNPAC在El Niño事件影响夏季气候中的重要桥梁作用;而夏季显著的WNPC与前期和同期热带海温变化的关系存在明显的不确定性,主要与夏季热带印度洋和赤道中东太平洋之间东暖西冷的热力差异异常引起的孟加拉湾-赤道西太平洋西风异常有关.进一步分析WNPAC/WNPC与海温变化关系不对称的可能原因,发现El Niño和La Niña衰减年夏季热带印度洋和太平洋海温变化所引起的印-太之间海温(热力)差异的一致性特征可能是导致WNPAC/WNPC与海温变化关系不对称的主要原因.     

赤道MJO活动对南海夏季风爆发的影响

利用1979—2013年NCEP/DOE再分析资料的大气多要素日平均资料、美国NOAA日平均向外长波辐射资料和ERSST月平均海温资料,分析赤道大气季节内振荡(简称MJO)活动对南海夏季风爆发的影响及其与热带海温信号等的协同作用.结果表明,赤道MJO活动与南海夏季风爆发密切联系,MJO的湿位相(即对流活跃位相)处于西太平洋位相时,有利于南海夏季风爆发,而MJO湿位相处于印度洋位相时,则不利于南海夏季风爆发.赤道MJO活动影响南海夏季风爆发的物理过程主要是大气对热源响应的结果,当MJO湿位相处于西太平洋位相时,一方面热带西太平洋对流加强使潜热释放增加,导致处于热源西北侧的南海—西北太平洋地区对流层低层由于Rossby响应产生气旋性环流异常,气旋性环流异常则有利于西太平洋副热带高压的东退,另一方面菲律宾附近热源促进对流层高层南亚高压在中南半岛和南海北部的建立,使南海地区高层为偏东风,从而有利于南海夏季风建立;当湿位相MJO处于印度洋位相时,热带西太平洋对流减弱转为大气冷源,情况基本相反,不利于南海夏季风建立.MJO活动、孟加拉湾气旋性环流与年际尺度海温变化协同作用,共同对南海夏季风爆发迟早产生影响,近35年南海夏季风爆发时间与海温信号不一致的年份,基本上是由于季节转换期间的MJO活动特征及孟加拉湾气旋性环流是否形成而造成,因此三者综合考虑对于提高季风爆发时间预测水平具有重要意义.     

华南前汛期降水异常与太平洋海表温度异常的关系

利用近50年华南地区站点逐日降水观测资料和全球大气、海洋分析资料,分析了华南前汛期降水异常的变化特征及其与太平洋海温异常的联系.结果表明,近50年来华南前汛期降水总体呈现减少趋势.影响华南前汛期降水异常的太平洋海温异常型是一个类似于ENSO的西太平洋暖池模态,即显著海温异常区域位于西太平洋暖池.西太平洋暖池区域(120°E-180°E,20°S-20°N)前期冬季海温异常同华南前汛期降水存在显著的负相关关系,是具有预报意义的海温关键区.该关键区海温异常影响华南前汛期降水的可能物理过程是:当前期冬季暖池异常偏暖时,菲律宾周围地区对流活动加强,导致Walker环流及东亚太平洋中低纬局地Hadley环流增强;该异常通过影响东亚－太平洋遥相关波列,使前汛期期间西太平洋副高加强西伸,脊线位置偏北,同时副热带西风急流减弱北退.随着Hadley环流上升支的增强,东亚副热带地区下沉运动也增强了,华南地区对流活动受到抑制.而且由于副高的增强,经过其北侧向华南地区的西南水汽输送辐合也减弱了,因此前汛期降水偏少.冷海温年的情形则相反,华南前汛期降水偏多.近50年来华南前汛期降水总体呈现趋势性减少正是由于前冬西太平洋暖池趋势性增暖所致.     

南印度洋副热带偶极模在ENSO事件中的作用

南印度洋副热带偶极模（Subtropical Dipole Pattern,SDP）是印度洋存在的另一种很明显的偶极型海温差异现象,在年际和年代际尺度上均有十分明显的表现.而目前有关印度洋海气相互作用的研究主要集中在赤道印度洋地区,针对南印度洋地区的工作还比较少,特别是有关南印度洋海温与ENSO（El NiDo-Southern Oscillation）事件关系的研究.本文初步探讨了年际尺度上南印度洋副热带偶极型海温变化差异与ENSO事件的关系,发现SDP与ENSO事件有密切的联系,SDP事件就像连接正负ENSO位相转换的一个中间环节,SDP事件前后期ENSO的位相刚好完全相反.进一步,本文通过分析SDP事件前后期海温、高低层风、低层辐合辐散、高空云量和辐射等的变化特征研究了南印度洋偶极型海温异常在ENSO事件中的作用,结果表明：SDP在ENSO事件中的作用不仅涉及海气相互作用的正负反馈过程,还与热带和副热带大气环流之间的相互作用有关,特别是与东南印度洋海温变化所引起的异常纬向风由赤道印度洋向赤道太平洋传播的过程等有十分直接的关系;同时,SDP对ENSO事件的影响在很大程度上还依赖于大尺度平均气流随季节的变换.     

南印度洋海温偶极子型振荡及其气候影响

印度洋海表温度（Sea Surface Temperature，简称SST）的方差分析和相关分析表明南印度洋也存在一个海温偶极子型振荡，并定义了一个南印度洋海表温度异常偶极子指数.夏、秋季（南半球冬、春）的南印度洋偶极子指数与后期热带500hPa和100hPa高度场异常有显著而持续的相关，在冬、春达到最大，并可以持续到次年夏、秋.前期夏、秋季节的南印度洋偶极模对次年我国大陆东部夏季降水异常有显著的影响，对应偶极子正位相，次年夏季印度洋、南海（东亚）夏季风偏弱；副高加强且南撤、西伸，南亚高压偏强且位置偏东，易形成我国长江流域降水偏多，华南降水偏少；负位相年反之.后期冬季西太平洋暖池是联系南印度洋偶极子与次年我国夏季降水异常关系的一条重要途径.南印度洋偶极子表现出了明显的独立于ENSO（El Nio Southern Oscillation，简称ENSO）的特征.     

El Nino演变不同阶段东亚大气环流年际异常型的数值模拟

给定1948～1999年逐月变化的全球观测的海表温度分布，使用全球大气环流模式（CCM3/NCAR）模拟了大气对海表温度变化的响应，利用SVD和合成检验方法，分析了El Nino发展阶段夏季、成熟阶段冬季以及衰亡阶段夏季东亚大气环流的年际异常型.结果表明：El Nino发展阶段夏季，中国东北、朝鲜半岛以及日本海附近为高度负异常中心，西太平洋副高偏弱、偏东，东亚夏季风增强；El Nino成熟阶段冬季，东亚大槽加强，东亚北部冬季风加强；El Nino衰亡阶段夏季，西太平洋副高偏强、偏南、西伸，东亚夏季风减弱；El Nino事件在其衰亡阶段夏季与东亚大气环流异常的关系最紧密，其次是成熟阶段冬季，最后是发展阶段夏季.模拟的El Nino演变不同阶段东亚大气环流年际异常型易于解释以往研究中观测分析揭示的由El Nino造成的我国东部气温和降水异常型.     

Tropical drought patterns and their linkages to large-scale climate variability over Peninsular Malaysia

Ocean–atmosphere modes of climate variability in the Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as monsoons, regulate the regional wet and dry episodes in tropical regions. However, how those modes of climate variability, and their interactions, lead to spatial differences in drought patterns over tropical Asia at seasonal to interannual time scales remains unclear. This study aims to analyse the hydroclimate processes for both short- and long-term spatial drought patterns (3-, 6, 12- and 24-months) over Peninsular Malaysia using the Standardized Precipitation Index, Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, and Palmer Drought Severity Index. Besides that, a generalized least squares regression is used to explore underlying circulation mechanisms of these spatio-temporal drought patterns. The tested drought indices indicate a tendency towards wetter conditions over Peninsular Malaysia. Based on principal component analysis, distinct spatio-temporal drought patterns are revealed, suggesting North–South and East–West gradients in drought distribution. The Pacific El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the South Western Indian Ocean (SWIO) variability, and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) are significant contributors to the observed spatio-temporal variability in drought. Both the ENSO and the SWIO modulate the North–South gradient in drought conditions over Peninsular Malaysia, while the QBO contributes more to the East–West gradient. Through modulating regional moisture fluxes, the warm phases of the ENSO and the SWIO, and the western phases of the QBO weaken the southwest and northeast monsoon, leading to precipitation deficits and droughts over Peninsular Malaysia. The East–West or North–South gradients in droughts are related to the middle mountains blocking southwest and northeast moisture fluxes towards Peninsular Malaysia. In addition, the ENSO and QBO variations are significantly leading to short-term droughts (less than a year), while the SWIO is significantly associated with longer-duration droughts (2 years or more). Overall, this work demonstrates how spatio-temporal drought patterns in tropical regions are related to monsoons and moisture transports affected by the oscillations over the Pacific and Indian oceans, which is important for national water risk management.     

Variability and trends in runoff in the rivers of British Columbia's Coast and Insular Mountains

This study examines the 1914–2015 runoff trends and variability for 136 rivers draining British Columbia's Coast and Insular Mountains. Rivers are partitioned into eastward and westward flowing rivers based on flow direction from the Coast Mountains. Thus, eastward and westward runoff trends and influence of topography on runoff are explored. Our findings indicate that rivers flowing eastward to the Nechako and Chilcotin plateaus contribute the lowest annual runoff compared to westward rivers where runoff is high. Low interannual runoff variability is evident in westward rivers and their alpine watersheds, whereas eastward rivers exhibit high interannual runoff variability. On Vancouver Island, some of the rivers with the highest annual runoff exhibit high interannual variability. A significant (p < .05) negative correlation exists between mean annual runoff (R_m) and latitude, gauged area, mean elevation, and its corresponding coefficient of variation. However, a significant positive correlation was found between the glacierized area of mountainous regions and R_m. The mean coefficient of variation in annual runoff is significantly negatively correlated with latitude and glacierized area, but significantly positively correlated with longitude. Annual and seasonal runoff trend analyses of each river were performed for an early (1936–2015), a middle (1966–2015), and a late (1986–2015) period using the Mann–Kendall test. Trend analyses revealed a shift towards more positive detectable (signal‐to‐noise ratio > 1) trends in annual and seasonal runoff from the middle to the late period across the study domain. Most positive detectable seasonal runoff trends in the middle period occur in spring in glacierized westward rivers located >1,200 m, whereas in the late period, they all occur in fall and are regionally coherent around Vancouver Island and south coastal BC. Rivers draining eastward exhibit more positive trends over 1986–2015 compared to westward rivers. This study provides crucial information on the hydrology of mountain watersheds across British Columbia's coast in response to Pacific Decadal Oscillation phase changes, the elevational amplification of regional climate change, and their influences on precipitation and glacier retreat.     

Modeling the circulation in the Gulf of Tonkin, South China Sea

The circulation in the Gulf of Tonkin (Beibu Gulf) was studied using the Princeton Ocean Model, which was forced with the daily surface and lateral boundary fluxes for 2006 and 2007, as well as tidal harmonics and monthly climatological river discharges. In the southern Gulf, the vertically averaged circulation was anti-cyclonic in summer and changed to cyclonic in winter. Although it was highly correlated with the local wind, the southern gyre was driven primarily by the South China Sea (SCS) general circulation from the south. Flows in the Qiongzhou Strait that played a significant role in determining the circulation variability in the northeastern Gulf could be eastward or westward at any given day in summer or winter, but the seasonal mean current was eastward from late spring through summer and westward during the rest of the year, with an annual mean westward transport of ～0.1 Sv into the Gulf. Different water masses were distinguished at the surface with the warm and saline SCS water in the south, relatively fresh plume waters along the northern and western coasts of the Gulf, and the mixture of the two in between. At lower levels, two cold water masses were identified in the model, and each had T/S distributions qualitatively similar to the observations obtained in 2007. These two water masses were produced throughout the winter, sheltered from the surface warming by a thermocline as the season progressed, and eventually disappeared in late fall.     

Interactions between mesoscale eddy variability and Indian Ocean dipole events in the Southeastern tropical Indian Ocean—case studies for 1994 and 1997/1998

Interannual modulation of mesoscale eddy activity at the intraseasonal timescale in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean and its relation to the Indian Ocean dipole mode (IOD) events are investigated using results from a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. The model reproduces observed characteristics of the intraseasonal variability and its interannual modulation fairly well, with large variances of the intraseasonal variability during the 1994 and 1997/1998 IOD events. Large negative temperature anomaly off the coasts of Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands in boreal summer, due to seasonal variation and interannual anomaly, extended further to the east in 1994, and the associated strong Indonesian throughflow enhanced the baroclinic instability in the upper layer, generating anomalously large mesoscale eddy activity. The eddy heat transport, in turn, significantly affected decaying phase of the 1994 IOD event. On the other hand, the development of the cold region off the Java Island associated with the 1997/1998 IOD event occurred in boreal winter, causing weaker baroclinic instability and hence weaker eddy activity off Java. This led to little influence on the heat budget in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean for the 1997/1998 IOD event.     

Variability in Solomon Sea circulation derived from altimeter sea level data

The Solomon Sea is a key region in the Pacific Ocean where equatorial and subtropical circulations are connected. The region exhibits the highest levels in sea level variability in the entire south tropical Pacific Ocean. Altimeter data was utilized to explore sea level and western boundary currents in this poorly understood portion of the ocean. Since the geography of the region is extremely intricate, with numerous islands and complex bathymetry, specifically reprocessed along-track data in addition to standard gridded data were utilized in this study. Sea level anomalies (SLA) in the Solomon Sea principally evolve at seasonal and interannual time scales. The annual cycle is phased by Rossby waves arriving in the Solomon Strait, whereas the interannual signature corresponds to the basin-scale ENSO mode. The highest SLA variability are concentrated in the eastern Solomon Sea, particularly at the mouth of the Solomon Strait, where they are associated with a high eddy kinetic energy signal that was particularly active during the phase transition during the 1997–1998 ENSO event. Track data appear especially helpful for documenting the fine structure of surface coastal currents. The annual variability of the boundary currents that emerged from altimetry compared quite well with the variability seen at the thermocline level, as based on numerical simulations. At interannual time scales, western boundary current transport anomalies counterbalance changes in western equatorial Pacific warm water volume, confirming the phasing of South Pacific western boundary currents to ENSO. Altimetry appears to be a valuable source of information for variability in low latitude western boundary currents and their associated transport in the South Pacific.     

A theoretical investigation of the tropical Indo-Pacific tripole mode

The El Ni o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)phenomenon in the tropical Pacific has been a focus of ocean and climate studies in the last few decades.Recently,the short-term climate variability in the tropical Indian Ocean has attracted increasingly more attention,especially with the proposition of the Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD)mode.However,these phenomena are often studied separately without much consideration of their interaction.Observations reveal a striking out-of-phase relationship between zonal gradients of sea surface height anomaly(SSHA)and sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA)in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans.Since the two oceans share the ascending branch of the Walker cells over the warm pool,the variation within one of them will affect the other.The accompanied zonal surface wind anomalies are always opposite over the two basins,thus producing a tripole structure with opposite zonal gradients of SSHA/SSTA in the two oceans.This mode of variability has been referred to as Indo-Pacific Tripole(IPT).Based on observational data analyses and a simple ocean-atmosphere coupled model,this study tries to identify the characteristics and physical mechanism of IPT with a particular emphasis on the relationships among ENSO,IOD,and IPT.The model includes the basic oceanic and atmospheric variables and the feedbacks between them,and takes into account the inter-basin connection through an atmospheric bridge,thus providing a valuable framework for further research on the short-term tropical climate variability.     

初夏西北太平洋副高东西变动对中国南部降水东西差异的影响

西北太平洋副热带高压(以下简称副高)是影响中国气候的大尺度环流系统,为了进一步了解副高对中国气候的影响,本文利用站点观测资料和大气环流再分析资料,通过资料诊断分析和数值模拟方法,探讨了6月副高东西变动对中国南部降水的影响,以及影响副高东西变动的前期海洋因子.结果表明副高东西变动对中国西南和华南地区降水的影响明显不同:副高偏东有利于降水西南偏多而华南偏少,偏西则降水变化刚好相反.其原因与副高东西变化引起的环流差异有关,华南降水与副高东(西)变动时西太平洋地区副高西北侧的东北(西南)风异常以及东亚中低纬度地区异常经向波列的变化直接有关,而西南降水异常不仅与副高东西变动在东南亚地区引起的纬向风异常有关,与青藏高原大地形动力作用对副高北侧异常纬向风的变化也有十分密切的联系.此外,副高东西变动时影响西南和华南地区的水汽来源不同,影响西南的水汽主要来源于赤道印度洋80°E附近越赤道气流,而影响华南的水汽主要来源于副高南侧偏东气流从西北太平洋地区输送的水汽.进一步分析发现前期冬春季热带西北太平洋和赤道西太平洋海温变化的偶极差异与后期初夏副高东西变动有密切联系,冬春季西北太平洋暖海温和赤道西太平洋冷海温变化有利于后期初夏副高偏西,相反则有利于副高偏东,数值模拟结果在一定程度证实了资料诊断分析结果.     

An intermediate coupled model for the tropical ocean-atmosphere system

An intermediate ocean-atmosphere coupled model is developed to simulate and predict the tropical interannual variability. Originating from the basic physical framework of the Zebiak-Cane(ZC) model, this tropical intermediate couple model(TICM) extends to the entire global tropics, with a surface heat flux parameterization and a surface wind bias correction added to improve model performance and inter-basin connections. The model well reproduces the variabilities in the tropical Pacific and Indian basins. The simulated El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) shows a period of 3–4 years and an amplitude of about 2°C, similar to those observed. The variabilities in the Indian Ocean, including the Indian Ocean basin mode(IOBM) and the Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD), are also reasonably captured with a realistic relationship to the Pacific. However, the tropical Atlantic variability in the TICM has a westward bias and is overly influenced by the tropical Pacific. A 47-year hindcast experiment using the TICM for the period of 1970–2016 indicates that ENSO is the most predictable mode in the tropics. Skillful predictions of ENSO can be made one year ahead, similar to the skill of the latest version of the ZC model, while a "spring predictability barrier" still exists as in other models. In the tropical Indian Ocean, the predictability seems much higher in the west than in the east. The correlation skill of IOD prediction reaches 0.5 at a 5-month lead, which is comparable to that of the state-of-the-art coupled general circulation models. The prediction of IOD shows a significant "winter-spring predictability barrier", implying combined influences from the tropical Pacific and the local sea-air interaction in the eastern Indian Ocean. The TICM has little predictive skill in the equatorial Atlantic for lead times longer than 3 months, which is a common problem of current climate models badly in need of further investigation.     

Interactive Aspects of the Indian and the African Summer Monsoon Systems

This study addresses an understanding of the possible mutual interactions of sub-seasonal variability of the two neighboring regional monsoon systems through data analysis. The NCEP/NCAR re-analysis and OLR data for three years was used to reveal the large-scale organization of convective episodes on synoptic (~5 days) and low frequency (15–50 day) scales. It is found that synoptic scale organization over both the sectors is influenced by the eastward migration of large-scale convective episodes associated with the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) on the low frequency scale. The organization of convection associated with the African monsoon on the synoptic scale is influenced by the pulsatory character of lower mid-troposphere and upper troposphere wind regimes moving westward over the African sector. Over the Indian region formation of low pressure areas and depressions in the monsoon trough occur in an overlapping manner under an envelope of low frequency seasonal oscillation. We have also found some correspondence between the summer monsoon rainfall over tropical North Africa and India on a decadal basis, which would suggest a common mode of multi-decadal variability in the two monsoon systems. The study points out the need to organize simultaneous field campaigns over the Indian and the African monsoon regions so as to bring out observational features of possible interactions between the two neighboring systems, which could then be validated through modeling studies.     

欧亚地区夏季大气环流年际变化的关键区及亚洲夏季风的关联信号

本文利用资料分析和数值模拟方法研究了欧亚地区夏季大气环流的相关性及其与亚洲夏季风的关联信号,以期为欧亚地区的气候变异及可预测性研究提供科学依据.结果表明:欧亚区域同期(JJA)500 hPa高度场年际变化的关键区包括热带区、中纬度的贝加尔湖和巴尔喀什湖之间以及欧洲地中海附近地区;表面气温的关键区主要位于热带海洋;海平面气压的关键区包括热带的海洋性大陆区域、印度洋和非洲大陆赤道附近部分区域、中高纬的贝加尔湖与巴尔喀什湖之间的地区.另外,夏季大气环流年际变化的春季关键区明显西移/南退,特别是表面气温(其西太平洋区不再是关键区).公用气候系统模式CCSM4.0的大气模式在给定海温年际变化的情况下对于上述大气环流相关场及其关键区的模拟基本合理,其中500 hPa高度场的模拟结果较好,海平面气压场的结果逊之;对于同期和前期的结果,模式都有夸大西太平洋海温影响的倾向.对于东亚夏季风指数与大气环流的同期年际变化信号而言,其空间分布基本表现为以30°N为界呈西南东北向的波列状分布;其春季前期信号中,30°N以南的显著区几乎都位于海洋,30°N以北主要位于欧洲、巴尔喀什湖与贝加尔湖之间的地区.南亚夏季风指数的前期显著相关区比同期明显西移/南退.总之,模式的模拟结果和观测结果相当吻合,但其同期模拟结果比前期的更好一些.这些结果说明:模式对于大气环流年际变化的耦合变化信息的刻画是基本合理的,这为利用气候模式进行有关可预测性研究和降尺度预测研究奠定了基础.