两类El Niño型对西北太平洋季风槽及热带气旋生成的可能影响

通过对1948~2015年不同El Ni?o事件下西北太平洋季风槽变化和热带气旋(tropical cyclone,TC)生成进行分析,初步探讨了不同El Ni?o型事件对季风槽及其对TC的可能影响。分析结果表明,较东太平洋增暖(eastern Pacific warming,EPW)年,中太平洋增暖(central Pacific warming,CPW)年季风槽偏弱,位置相对偏西、偏北。在CPW年,中(西和东)太平洋海温增暖(降低)引起了从中到西太平洋热带地区的西风异常和中太平洋地区上升运动及对流活动加强,使得季风槽加强东伸,同时西太平洋副高偏弱、偏北,季风槽向北推进;而在EPW年,赤道东(西)太平洋海温增暖(降低)使得赤道地区西风异常显著加强东扩,异常Walker环流的上升支东移至东太平洋,季风活动加强,副高偏强、偏南,这使得季风槽较CPW年相比更强、更偏东。利于TC生成的大尺度环境因子随季风槽强度和位置的变化而发生改变,在CPW年,低层气旋性涡度、高层辐散、高的中层相对湿度以及低垂直风切变区随着季风槽向北移动;而在EPW年,这些因子随季风槽向南、向东偏移。这些大尺度环境因子的变化使得西北太平洋TC生成的位置在CPW年比EPW年更加偏北、偏西。     

Connection between the Silk Road Pattern in July and the following January temperature over East Asia

This study investigates a cross-seasonal influence of the Silk Road Pattern (SRP) in July and discusses the related mechanism. Both the reanalysis and observational datasets indicate that the July SRP is closely related to the following January temperature over East Asia during 1958/59–2001/02. Linear regression results reveal that, following a higher-than-normal SRP index in July, the Siberian high, Aleutian low, Urals high, East Asian trough, and meridional shear of the East Asian jet intensify significantly in January. Such atmospheric circulation anomalies are favorable for northerly wind anomalies over East Asia, leading to more southward advection of cold air and causing a decrease in temperature. Further analysis indicates that the North Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) might play a critical role in storing the anomalous signal of the July SRP. The significant SSTAs related to the July SRP weaken in October and November, re-emerge in December, and strengthen in the following January. Such an SSTA pattern in January can induce a surface anomalous cyclone over North Pacific and lead to dominant convergence anomalies over northwestern Pacific. Correspondingly, significant divergence anomalies appear, collocated in the upper-level troposphere in situ. Due to the advection of vorticity by divergent wind, which can be regarded as a wave source, a stationary Rossby wave originates from North Pacific and propagates eastward to East Asia, leading to temperature anomalies through its influence on the large-scale atmospheric circulation.     

ANALYSES OF THE DYNAMIC EFFECTS ON WINTER CIRCULATION OF THE TWO MAIN MOUNTAINS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE——Ⅱ.VERTICAL PROPAGATION OF PLANETARY WAVES

A linear,hemispheric and stationary spectral model with multilayers in the vertical was employed to simulate thevertical propagation of waves triggered by mountains.Results show that,in cooperation with the East Asia zonal meanflow,Tibetan Plateau can excite a strong wavenumber 1 perturbation in the stratosphere with its ridge and trough lo-cated over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans respectively.On the other hand,the stratospheric wavenumber 1 perturbationcaused by the mechanical forcing of the Rocky Mountains in cooperation with the North America zonal mean flow isvery weak.Calculations from observational data of the vertical profile of critical wavenumber for vertically propagatingwaves imply that the tropospheric wavenumber 1 perturbation can hardly penetrate the North America tropopause up-wards,whereas it can freely propagate through the East Asia tropopause into the stratosphere.Two-dimensional E-Pcross-sections obtained from both observational data and simulated results also demonstrate that waves excited by theRocky Mountains are refracted towards low latitudes in the troposphere during their upward propagation:whereas,inaddition to the above mentioned equatorward leaning branch,the wavenumber 1 and 2 planetary waves excited by theTibetan Plateau possess another branch which is refracted to high latitudes during upward propagation and penetratesthe tropopause into the stratosphere.It is therefore concluded that the difference in the horizontal and vertical wavepropagations in the two hemispheres is a result of the different dynamical forcing induced by the two main mountains inthe Northern Hemisphere.     

ANALYSES OF THE DYNAMIC EFFECTS ON WINTER CIRCULATION OF THE TWO MAIN MOUNTAINS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE--Ⅱ.VERTICAL PROPAGATION OF PLANETARY WAVES

A linear,hemispheric and stationary spectral model with multilayers in the vertical was employed to simulate the vertical propagation of waves triggered by mountains.Results show that,in cooperation with the East Asia zonal mean flow,Tibetan Plateau can excite a strong wavenumber 1 perturbation in the stratosphere with its ridge and trough located over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans respectively.On the other hand,the stratospheric wavenumber 1 perturbation caused by the mechanical forcing of the Rocky Mountains in cooperation with the North America zonal mean flow is very weak.Calculations from observational data of the vertical profile of critical wavenumber for vertically propagating waves imply that the tropospheric wavenumber 1 perturbation can hardly penetrate the North America tropopause upwards,whereas it can freely propagate through the East Asia tropopause into the stratosphere.Two-dimensional E-Pcross-sections obtained from both observational data and simulated results also demonstrate that waves excited by the Rocky Mountains are refracted towards low latitudes in the troposphere during their upward propagation:whereas,in addition to the above mentioned equatorward leaning branch,the wavenumber 1 and 2 planetary waves excited by the Tibetan Plateau possess another branch which is refracted to high latitudes during upward propagation and penetrates the tropopause into the stratosphere.It is therefore concluded that the difference in the horizontal and vertical wave propagations in the two hemispheres is a result of the different dynamical forcing induced by the two main mountains in the Northern Hemisphere.     

80年代北半球夏季大气环流遥相关的年际变化的研究

近年来的许多观测事实表明,全球大气环流的变化存在着相关性。Wallace和Gutzler发现大气环流的异常存在着五种遥相关型:太平洋北美型,西大西洋型,东大西洋型,西太平洋型和欧亚型。黄荣辉从理论和数值试验方面指出,冬季热带东太平洋海温的异常会引起中高纬度大气环流的异常。黄荣辉等人近期的研究还揭示出夏季热带西太平洋海温的异常,会在东南亚、东亚与太平洋北     

Overview of the Major 2012-2013 Northern Hemisphere Stratospheric Sudden Warming：Evolution and Its Association with Surface Weather

In this study, we analyzed the dynamical evolution of the ma jor 2012-2013 Northern Hemisphere （NH） stratospheric sudden warming （SSW） on the basis of ERA-Interim reanalysis data provided by the ECMWF. The intermittent upward-propagating planetary wave activities beginning in late November 2012 led to a prominent wavenumber-2 disturbance of the polar vortex in early December 2012. However, no major SSW occurred. In mid December 2012, when the polar vortex had not fully recovered, a mixture of persistent wavenumber-1 and -2 planetary waves led to gradual weakening of the polar vortex before the vortex split on 7 January 2013. Evolution of the geopotential height and Eliassen-Palm flux between 500 and 5 hPa indicates that the frequent occurrence of tropospheric ridges over North Pacific and the west coast of North America contributed to the pronounced upward planetary wave activities throughout the troposphere and stratosphere. After mid January 2013, the wavenumber-2 planetary waves became enhanced again within the troposphere, with a deepened trough over East Asia and North America and two ridges between the troughs. The enhanced tropospheric planetary waves may contribute to the long-lasting splitting of the polar vortex in the lower stratosphere. The 2012-2013 SSW shows combined features of both vortex displacement and vortex splitting. Therefore, the anomalies of tropospheric circulation and surface temperature after the 2012-2013 SSW resemble neither vortex-displaced nor vortex-split SSWs, but the combination of all SSWs. The remarkable tropospheric ridge extending from the Bering Sea into the Arctic Ocean together with the resulting deepened East Asian trough may play important roles in bringing cold air from the high Arctic to central North America and northern Eurasia at the surface.     

盛夏两类东亚高空西风急流北跳的动力过程

在气候态上,7月底东亚高空西风急流中心突然从40°N北跳到45°N以北.逐年统计分析显示此次急流北跳存在两类典型方式:急流北侧西风强度增强引起的北跳(第一类)和急流中心西风强度的减弱引起的北跳(第二类).本文基于1958年到2002年的NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,采用波活动通量诊断这两类典型北跳相应的动力过程,进一步...     

北半球两大地形下游冬季环流的动力分析——Ⅱ.行星波的垂直传播

线性、定常、多层半球谱模式模拟结果表明,在东亚纬向气流下,青藏高原能在平流层激发出强大的1波扰动,脊槽分别位于太平洋和大西洋上空。在北美纬向气流下,落基山在平流层激发的1波很弱。观测资料计算指出,对流层行星1波很难通过北美对流层顶上传,但却能自由穿过东亚高纬度地区的对流层顶向平流层传播。北美地形所激发的波动在上传过程中均折向低纬传播。青藏高原所激发的行星1波和2波在上传过程中有分支:折向低纬的一支主要局限在对流层中;折向高纬的一支进入平流层。模拟和分析证明,这些差异是北半球两大地形不同的动力作用的结果。     

Decadal variation of the Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode and its influence on the East Asian trough

We analyze the decadal variation of the stratosphere troposphere coupled system around the year 2000 by using the NCEP reanalysis-2 data.Specifically,the relationship between the Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode(NAM) and the tropospheric East Asian trough is investigated in order to find the effective stratospheric signals during cold air outbreaks in China.Statistical analyses and dynamic diagnoses both indicate that after 2000,increased stratospheric polar vortex disturbances occur and the NAM is mainly in negative phase.The tropospheric polar areas are directly affected by the polar vortex,and in the midlatitudes,the Ural blocking high and East Asian trough are more active,which lead to enhanced cold air activities in eastern and northern China.Further investigation reveals that under this circulation pattern,downward propagations of negative NAM index are closely related to the intensity variation of the East Asian trough.When negative NAM anomalies propagate down to the upper troposphere and reach a certain intensity(standardized NAM index less than 1),they result in apparent reinforcement of the East Asian trough,which reaches its maximum intensity about one week later.The northerly wind behind the trough transports cold air southward and eastward,and the range of influence and the intensity are closely associated with the trough location.Therefore,the NAM index can be used as a measure of the signals from the disturbed stratosphere to give some indication of cold air activities in China.     

华北夏季旱涝的环流特征分析

本文运用月降水量、500hPa、100hPa月平均高度场和海平面气压场，在对50a华北夏季旱涝等级重新评定的基础上，分析了与华北夏季旱涝年对应的环流异常特征。结果表明华北旱涝年，对应整个北半球上各层都存在显著的环流异常变化。旱年500hPa环流异常使得极涡偏心，相应乌拉尔山和北美的气候槽偏强；中纬度位于华北的平均槽东移到朝鲜日本一带，而西部脊东移控制华北；低纬西太平洋副高偏东，印度低压槽偏弱。涝年则相反。在海平面气压场上，除了在与高层对应的显著异常区有相应变化外，在我国东部大陆大部及赤道中东太平洋上也有一显著的异常区，证实夏季风和KNSO与华北旱涝存在密切的联系。在100hPa高度场旱涝年环流差异主要表现为南亚高压南北界的位置变化。     

Extratropical cyclone variability in the Northern Hemisphere winter from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data

 The winter climatology of Northern Hemisphere cyclone activity was derived from 6-hourly NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data for the period from 1958 to 1999, using software which provides improved accuracy in cyclone identification in comparison to numerical tracking schemes. Cyclone characteristics over the Kuroshio and Gulfstream are very different to those over continental North America and the Arctic. Analysis of Northern Hemisphere cyclones shows secular and decadal-scale changes in cyclone frequency, intensity, lifetime and deepening rates. The western Pacific and Atlantic are characterized by an increase in cyclone intensity and deepening during the 42-year period, although the eastern Pacific and continental North America demonstrate opposite tendencies in most cyclone characteristics. There is an increase of the number of cyclones in the Arctic and in the western Pacific and a downward tendency over the Gulf Stream and subpolar Pacific. Decadal scale variability in cyclone activity over the Atlantic and Pacific exhibits south-north dipole-like patterns. Atlantic and Pacific cyclone activity associated with the NAO and PNA is analyzed. Atlantic cyclone frequency demonstrates a high correlation with NAO and reflects the NAO shift in the mid 1970s, associated with considerable changes in European storm tracks. The PNA is largely linked to the eastern Pacific cyclone frequencies, and controls cyclone activity over the Gulf region and the North American coast during the last two decades. Assessment of the accuracy of the results and comparison with those derived using numerical algorithms, shows that biases inherent in numerical procedures are not negligible. Received: 7 July 2000 / Accepted: 30 November 2000     

ENSO teleconnections in projections of future climate in ECHAM5/MPI-OM

The teleconnections of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in future climate projections are investigated using results of the coupled climate model ECHAM5/MPI-OM. For this, the IPCC SRES scenario A1B and a quadrupled CO₂ simulation are considered. It is found that changes of the mean state in the tropical Pacific are likely to condition ENSO teleconnections in the Pacific North America (PNA) region and in the North Atlantic European (NAE) region. With increasing greenhouse gas emissions the changes of the mean states in the tropical and sub-tropical Pacific are El Niño-like in this particular model. Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific are increased predominantly in its eastern part and redistribute the precipitation further eastward. The dynamical response of the atmosphere is such that the equatorial east–west (Walker) circulation and the eastern Pacific inverse Hadley circulation are decreased. Over the subtropical East Pacific and North Atlantic the 200 hPa westerly wind is substantially increased. Composite maps of different climate parameters for positive and negative ENSO events are used to reveal changes of the ENSO teleconnections. Mean sea level pressure and upper tropospheric zonal winds indicate an eastward shift of the well-known teleconnection patterns in the PNA region and an increasing North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) like response over the NAE region. Surface temperature and precipitation underline this effect, particularly over the North Pacific and the central North Atlantic. Moreover, in the NAE region the 200 hPa westerly wind is increasingly related to the stationary wave activity. Here the stationary waves appear NAO-like.     

Stationary Wave Activity Associated with the East Asian Winter Monsoon Pathway

The pathway of the East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM) that usually leads to the out-of-phase pattern of surface air temperature between northern and southern East Asia is an important feature in the variability of the EAWM besides its strength.Using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts 40-year(ERA40) reanalysis dataset,this study investigates the pathway-related stationary wave activity to explore the mechanism of the interannual variations in the EAWM pathway.It reveals that when the southern pathway of the EAWM is strong,the phase of the climatological stationary wave tends to be shifted westward significantly in both the horizontal and vertical directions by an anomalous wavenumber 2 pattern at mid-latitudes,whereas the changes are relatively small in the subtropics.The horizontal changes in the stationary wave phase facilitate a north-south-oriented East Asian trough in the middle troposphere that eventually produces the strong southern pathway of the EAWM.The vertical changes in the stationary wave,in contrast,feature a westward-tilted phase line with height over the North Pacific,indicating enhanced upward propagation of waves into the stratosphere.This result suggests that the phase of stationary waves at mid-latitudes dominate the interannual variations in the EAWM pathway.Moreover,it supports our previous interpretation of the possible role of the North Pacific sea surface temperature(SST) in the EAWM pathway variability.It also implies that the excitation of anomalous mid-latitude stationary waves may be the key in the response of the EAWM pathway to the North Pacific SST.     

东亚-太平洋遥相关型形成过程与ENSO盛期海温关系的研究

利用1961～2000年NCEP/NCAR再分析资料、扩展重建的海表温度资料(ERSST)和中国730个站旬降水资料,采用SVD和扩展SVD（ESVD）分析、合成分析、相关分析等方法,在分析中国梅雨期降水与同期大气环流和前期冬季海温之间关系的基础上,研究了ENSO盛期海温异常导致与长江流域梅雨期降水密切相关的东亚/太平洋（EAP）遥相关型形成的过程,及与ENSO相关的海温和大气环流异常的持续性问题。结果表明,梅雨期EAP遥相关型的出现与ENSO遥强迫作用有密切关系。联系冬季ENSO和梅雨期EAP遥相关型的关键过程主要有三个:（1）西北太平洋低纬地区异常反气旋环流的形成和维持, 它在冬季形成后一直可维持到夏季,使得夏季西北太平洋副热带高压偏南偏强;（2）东亚大槽持续偏弱,冷空气活动路径偏北偏东,使西北太平洋海温呈亲潮区偏冷、黑潮区偏暖的海温分布; （3）PNA遥相关型的持续发展,使北冰洋地区高度增高。后二者通过局地海气相互作用和大气内部调整过程对初夏鄂霍次克海阻塞形势的形成起重要作用。另外,持续性分析表明,ENSO年大气环流和海温距平型的持续性要比非ENSO年大得多。在ENSO年大气环流和海温之间存在很强的相互作用耦合关系,ENSO引起的大气环流异常可导致太平洋海温异常,而海温异常一旦形成反过来又可导致大气环流异常的稳定和维持,对后期初夏东亚季风和我国天气气候产生明显滞后效应。     

北极涛动与东亚冬季气候在年际尺度上的联系:准定常行星波的作用

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料和我国160站月平均气温资料,首先采用线性回归的方法分析了从1958至1998年40个冬季北极涛动(AO)与东亚气候异常的关系.结果表明,当AO处于正位相时,东亚地区200 hPa的急流明显北跳,东亚大槽显著减弱,而在中国的华北、东北到西伯利亚出现大范围的地表南风异常,使得低空从西伯利亚到我国的东北、华北以及韩国、日本有显著的暖异常; 而当AO处于负位相时,则往往出现相反的情形.进一步的相关和合成分析发现,准定常行星波活动可以在AO与东亚气候之间起到桥梁作用.AO可以通过影响中高纬平流层下层的西风强弱,进而影响到准定常行星波的垂直传播,使得对流层下层中高纬地区的行星波振幅发生变化,从而导致低层的西伯利亚高压和阿留申低压同时减弱或增强,最终导致东亚地区异常偏暖或偏冷; 其中低层中高纬地区纬向波数2的扰动对西伯利亚高压和阿留申低压的变化起了最主要的作用.作者提出的AO通过影响准定常行星波的活动而导致东亚气候异常的机理,不但强调了西伯利亚高压的贡献,而且特别从波动的意义上强调了阿留申低压的重要性.文中还讨论了值得进一步研究的有关问题.     

Intercomparison of the Summertime Subtropical High from the ERA-40 and NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis over East Eurasia and the western North Pacific

An intercomparison of summertime (JJA) subtropical geopotential heights from the ERA-40 and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis is specifically conducted over East Eurasia and the western North Pacific. The NCEP/NCAR is obviously lower than the ERA-40 in the mid-to-lower troposphere in most regions of East Eurasia before the mid-1970s, but becomes higher than the ERA-40 after the mid-1970s and thus demonstrates stronger increased trends during the period of 1958--2001. Both reanalyses are lower than the observations in most regions of China. The NCEP/NCAR especially shows tremendously systematic lower values before the mid-1960s and displays abrupt changes before the 1970s. Several indices of the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH), calculated from both reanalyzed summer geopotential heights, also reveal that the variation trend of the NCEP/NCAR is stronger than that of the ERA-40 in the mid-to-lower troposphere from 1958 to 2001. Through singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis, the summer geopotential heights at 500 hPa from the ERA-40 are better than the NCEP/NCAR counterparts at interacting with the precipitation over the East Asian monsoon region. The results indicate that the NCEP/NCAR in the mid-and-lower troposphere may overestimate interdecadal changes and should be used cautiously to study the relationship between the WNPSH and precipitation ove ther East Asia Monsoon region before the mid-1970s.     

The impact of combined ENSO and PDO on the PNA climate: a 1,000-year climate modeling study

This study analyzes the atmospheric response to the combined Pacific interannual ENSO and decadal–interdecadal PDO variability, with a focus on the Pacific-North American (PNA) sector, using a 1,000-year long integration of the Canadian Center for Climate Modelling and Analysis (CCCma) coupled climate model. Both the tropospheric circulation and the North American temperature suggest an enhanced PNA-like climate response and impacts on North America when ENSO and PDO variability are in phase. The anomalies of the centers of action for the PNA-like pattern are significantly different from zero and the anomaly pattern is field significant. In association with the stationary wave anomalies, large stationary wave activity fluxes appear in the mid-high latitudes originating from the North Pacific and flowing downstream toward North America. There are significant Rossby wave source anomalies in the extratropical North Pacific and in the subtropical North Pacific. In addition, the axis of the Pacific storm track shifts southward with the positive PNA. Atmospheric heating anomalies associated with ENSO variability are confined primarily to the tropics. There is an anomalous heating center over the northeast Pacific, together with anomalies with the same polarity in the tropical Pacific, for the PDO variability. The in-phase combination of ENSO and PDO would in turn provide anomalous atmospheric energy transports towards North America from both the Tropical Pacific and the North Pacific, which tends to favor the occurrence of stationary wave anomalies and would lead to a PNA-like wave anomaly structure. The modeling results also confirm our analysis based on the observational record in the twentieth century.     

Harmonious Inter-decadal Changes of July–August Upper Tropospheric Temperature Across the North Atlantic, Eurasian Continent,and North Pacific

The authors have developed an integral view of the inter-decadal variability of July–August(JA)tro- pospheric temperature across the entire subtropical Northern Hemisphere.Using reanalysis data and com- plementary balloon-borne measurements,the authors identify one major mode of variability for the period 1958–2001 which exhibits a significant cooling center over East Asia and warming centers over the North Atlantic and North Pacific.The cooling(warming)signals barotropically penetrate through the troposphe...     

Are the teleconnections of Central Pacific and Eastern Pacific El Niño distinct in boreal wintertime?

A meteorological reanalysis dataset and experiments of the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model, Version 2 (GEOS V2 CCM) are used to study the boreal winter season teleconnections in the Pacific-North America region and in the stratosphere generated by Central Pacific and Eastern Pacific El Niño. In the reanalysis data, the sign of the North Pacific and stratospheric response to Central Pacific El Niño is sensitive to the composite size, the specific Central Pacific El Niño index used, and the month or seasonal average that is examined, highlighting the limitations of the short observational record. Long model integrations suggest that the response to the two types of El Niño are similar in both the extratropical troposphere and stratosphere. Namely, both Central Pacific and Eastern Pacific El Niño lead to a deepened North Pacific low and a weakened polar vortex, and the effects are stronger in late winter than in early winter. However, the long experiments do indicate some differences between the two types of El Niño events regarding the latitude of the North Pacific trough, the early winter polar stratospheric response, surface temperature and precipitation over North America, and globally averaged surface temperature. These differences are generally consistent with, though smaller than, those noted in previous studies.     

Interannual and Interdecadal Variations of the Mid-Atlantic Trough and Associated American-Atlantic-Eurasian Climate Anomalies

The mid-Atlantic trough (MAT) is one of the most prominent circulation systems over the subtropical North Atlantic during the boreal summer, and it can be viewed as a bridge linking the climate in the American-Atlantic-Eurasian region. The upper-tropospheric MAT attains its maximum intensity of 200–150?hPa in June and July. An index measuring the variability of MAT intensity is defined, which reveals significant interannual and interdecadal variations of the trough.

On interannual time scales, the variation of MAT is significantly associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation, a southeastward propagating stationary wave that possibly originates from the northeastern Pacific, and the Atlantic Meridional Mode. A stronger trough is associated with warmer surface temperatures and higher pressure over central-northern North America and the extratropical North Atlantic and with colder surface temperatures and lower pressure over the Arctic, the subtropical North Atlantic, and the northeastern Pacific. In the meantime, significant negative precipitation anomalies occur over the north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, as well as the northeastern Atlantic because of the anomalous low-level northeasterly winds over these areas. On an interdecadal time scale, the variation of MAT seems to be related to the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation. Warmer surface temperatures appear over almost the entire North Atlantic, southern Europe, East Asia, and the North Pacific during the weak phase of the trough. A weak trough is also associated with the dipole pattern of anomalous precipitation over the extratropical North Atlantic, Greenland, and northeastern North America, corresponding to a dipole of low-level atmospheric circulation over these regions.