Interannual variability of Antarctic Oscillation and its influence on East Asian climate during boreal winter and spring

1 Introduction Antarctic Oscillation is a major mode of Southern Hemispheric (SH) extratropical atmospheric circula- tion. The SH Annual Mode represents a zonally sym- metric exchange of mass between polarward of 60°S and 40°S[1], therefore AAO indicates both the intensity of circumpolar low and zonal mean west wind at mid-high latitudes in SH. Positive phase of AAO tends to deepen circumpolar low and enhance west wind at mid-high latitudes in SH. Many studies show that AAO has bar…     

电离层电子总量水平梯度和相关系数

电离层电子总量水平梯度和相关系数是进行越境越障空间物理研究时的基本参量。本文分析了当同步信标卫星ATS-6停泊于东非地区上空时,在西欧观测到的太阳宁静年条件下电离层电子含量水平分布和空间相关性。指出纬向梯度、经向梯度、全梯度矢量的昼夜变化与季节特性。文中提出并论述中纬度TEC水平梯度矢量的指日效应:在北半球,冬季时梯度矢量指向的昼间进程是东南-南-西南,方位角变化小,幅值与幅值变化亦小;夏季时梯度矢量指向的昼间进程是东-南-西,方位角变化大,幅值与幅值变化亦大。梯度矢量箭头具有判然的指日性,即追随太阳方位角而变。梯度矢量幅值,在非低纬区条件下,随太阳仰角的增大而增大。文中还述及电子总量空间相关系数的表现规律并探讨了产生中纬度电离层这种时空行为的可能的动力学原因。     

前冬南半球环状模对春季华南降水的影响及其机理

利用相关、合成、奇异值分解等统计诊断和数值模拟方法,分析了前冬(12—2月)南半球环状模(SAM)对春季(3—5月)中国华南降水的可能影响及其机理.诊断分析的结果表明,前冬南半球环状模与春季华南降水存在显著的负相关关系,也即前冬SAM偏强(弱),对应春季华南降水偏少(多).为了探讨这种南半球中高纬信号影响滞后一个季节的华南降水的物理机制,需要考虑下垫面海洋的桥梁作用.诊断分析的结果表明,当前冬SAM偏强时,南半球中高纬海洋的潜热释放受到海表风速影响发生变化,导致30°S—45°S海温偏高, 45°S—70°S海温偏低,并且异常的海温信号可以持续到次年春季.这种前冬SAM偏强时的春季海温异常信号,对应着春季西北太平洋副热带高压位置偏东且强度偏弱,西北太平洋上盛行异常气旋式环流,华南地区上空对流层低层有异常东北风和风场辐散,西南水汽输送较常年减弱,为春季降水偏少提供了有利的条件.前冬SAM偏弱时,南半球中高纬的海温异常及其引起的华南区域大气环流异常相反,有利于华南降水偏多.利用CAM3进行海温敏感性试验,也证明了上述南半球中高纬海温异常对应的环流异常.模拟结果表明,SAM偏强时的海温异常,对应着华南上空对流层低层的东北风异常、风场辐散、以及下沉运动,不利于华南降水生成;SAM偏弱时的海温异常,对应的环流异常相反,有利于华南降水增多,验证了资料诊断的结论.综上,在前冬SAM影响春季华南降水的过程中,体现了海气耦合桥的作用,即:海洋储存了冬季SAM的异常信号并在春季释放,通过影响春季大气环流,进一步影响华南春季降水.因此,前冬SAM为华南春季降水预测提供了一个有意义的前期信号.     

北半球大气遥相关型与区域尺度大气扰动

北极涛动(AO)、北大西洋涛动(NAO)和太平洋-北美型(PNA)等北半球大气遥相关型,可以用大气位势高度的物理分解扰动分量解释.结果发现,AO反映的是北极地区行星尺度纬圈平均扰动分量的变化,PNA与持续性天气尺度扰动分量相联系,NAO是行星尺度纬圈平均扰动与天气尺度扰动共同作用的结果.对行星尺度纬圈平均扰动分量和天气尺度扰动分量用旋转经验正交函数(REOF)展开,不但可以证实人们已经命名的区域性大气涛动,还新发现了北极地区的两对偶极涛动、欧亚涛动(EAO)和"大西洋-欧亚型"(AEA)波列.这些涛动连接了相邻地区的异常天气和异常气候.     

Connections between the distribution of prevailing winds in the winter Northern Hemisphere, solar/geomagnetic activity and the QBO phase

The effect of solar/geomagnetic activity and QBO phase on the distribution of winds prevailing in the winter periods (January–March) in the Northern Hemisphere at the altitude of 850 mb was studied. Analysis has shown that the zonal flow over the North Atlantic under high geomagnetic activity intensifies and under low solar/geomagnetic activity weakens. Flow deviations, associated with geomagnetic activity, are more marked under the QBO-east phase, and flow deviations, associated with solar activity, are more marked under the QBO-west phase. The results reported by Venne and Dartt (1990) concerning the wind distribution in the winter (February–March) Northern Hemisphere under high and low solar activity and a QBO-west phase, have been confirmed, and supplemented with wind distributions under high and low geomagnetic activity.     

The evolution of coupling of Asian winter monsoon and high latitude climate of Northern Hemisphere

The evolution and driving mechanism of the Asian winter monsoon system are of great importance to understanding the present-day climate. Through high-resolution particle size analysis of the oldest loess-red clay sequence known so far (with a basal age of about 8 Ma) and comparison of the results with oxygen isotope curves from North Atlantic marine sediments, 4 stages of the evolution of the Asian winter monsoon were clearly demonstrated. During the first stage, between about 8.1 and 4.3 Ma, there was no relation between Asian winter monsoon and Northern Hemisphere ice volume and high latitude climate inferred from marine sediments. A weak relation developed during the second stage, about 4.3 to 3.5 Ma. During the third stage (3.5 to 2.6 Ma) an Asian winter monsoon system similar to the present formed, initiating a stronger relation between the winter monsoon and Northern Hemisphere ice volume and high latitude climate. In the final stage (2.6 to 0 Ma) the present Asian winter monsoon system was fortified and stabilized and changes in the winter monsoon system were almost in phase with Northern Hemisphere ice volume and climate. The staggered uplift of Tibetan Plateau at ≈8, 3.6, 2.6 Ma and later might be the driving force for the evolution of the Asian winter monsoon.

     

Spatial and temporal variability of Canadian seasonal precipitation (1900–2000)

Wavelet and cross-wavelet analysis are used to identify and describe spatial and temporal variability in Canadian seasonal precipitation, and to gain further insights into the dynamical relationship between the seasonal precipitation and the dominant modes of climate variability in the Northern Hemisphere. Results from applying continuous wavelet transform to seasonal precipitation series from 201 stations selected from Environment Canada Meteorological Network reveal striking climate-related features before and after the 1940s. The span of available observations, 1900–2000, allows for depicting variance and covariance for periods up to 12 years. Scale-averaged wavelet power spectra are used to simultaneously assess the temporal and spatial variability in each set of 201 seasonal precipitation time series. The most striking feature, in the 2–3-year period and in the 3–6-year period—the 6–12-year period is dominated by white noise and is not considered further—is a net distinction between the timing and intensity of the temporal variability in autumn, winter and spring–summer precipitation. It is found that the autumn season exhibits the most intense activity (or variance) in both the 2–3 year and the 3–6 year periods. The winter season corresponds to the least intense activity for the 2–3 year period, but it exhibits more activity than the spring–summer for the 3–6 year period.Cross-wavelet analysis is provided between the seasonal precipitation and four selected climatic indices: the Pacific North America (PNA), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode (NAM) originally called the Arctic Oscillation, and the sea surface temperature series over the Niño-3 region (ENSO). The wavelet cross-spectra revealed coherent space–time variability of the climate–precipitation relationship throughout Canada. It is shown that strong climate/precipitation activity (or covariance) in the 2–6 year period starts after 1940 whatever the climatic index and the season. Prior to year 1940, only local and weaker 2–6 year activity is revealed in western Canada essentially in winter and autumn, but overall a non-significant precipitation/climate relationship is observed prior to 1940. Correlation analysis in the 2–6 year band between the seasonal precipitation and the selected climatic indices revealed strong positive correlations with the ENSO, the NAO, and the NAM in eastern and western Canada for the post-1940 period. For the period prior to 1940, the correlation tend be negative for all the indices whatever the region. A particular feature in the correlation analysis results is the consistently stronger and positive NAM–precipitation correlations in all the regions since 1940. The cross-wavelet spectra and the correlation analysis in the 2–6 year band suggest the presence of a change point around 1940 in Canadian seasonal precipitation—that is found to be more likely related to NAM dynamics.     

1998年夏季全球大气环流异常的预测研究

应用日本东京大学气候系统研究中心(CCSR)发展起来的一个全球大气环流谱模式(T42L200版本),对l998年夏季气候异常和大气环流的预测问题进行了研究,定量地检查了该模式对夏季降水和大气环流异常的预测准确度.说明该模式对1998年的预测水平是比较高的;并证实大气环流在春季的初始异常对北半球夏季大气环流和降水异常起了很重要的作用,而对南半球的作用则小得多.就中国长江流域1998年的降水异常而言,初始环流的作用约占50%.     

Combined solar and QBO effects on the modes of low-frequency atmospheric variability in the Northern Hemisphere

We examine joint effects of the solar activity and phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) on modes of low-frequency variability of tropospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere in winter. The winter months (December–March) are stratified by the solar activity into two (below/above median) classes, and each of these classes is subdivided by the QBO phase (west or east). The variability modes are determined by rotated principal component analysis of 500 hPa heights separately in each class of solar activity and QBO phase. Detected are all the modes known to exist in the Northern Hemisphere. The solar activity and QBO jointly affect the shapes, spatial extent, and intensity of the modes; the QBO effects are, however, generally weaker than those of solar activity. For both solar maxima and minima, there is a tendency to the east/west phase of QBO to be accompanied by a lower/higher activity of zonally oriented modes and increased meridionality/zonality of circulation. This means that typical characteristics of circulation under solar minima, including a more meridional appearance of the modes and less activity of zonal modes, are strengthened during QBO-E; on the other hand, circulation characteristics typical of solar maxima, such as enhanced zonality of the modes and more active zonal modes, are more pronounced during QBO-W. Furthermore, the zonal modes in the Euro-Atlantic and Asian sectors (North Atlantic Oscillation, East Atlantic pattern, and North Asian pattern) shift southwards in QBO-E, the shift being stronger in solar maxima.     

南半球环流异常与长江中下游夏季旱涝的关系

本文对长江中下游夏季旱涝年前期（3、4、5月的季节平均）和同期（6、7、8月的季节平均）的南半球环流作对比分析，探讨南半球环流异常与长江中下游夏季旱涝的关系. 结果表明前期和同期南半球环流均有显著差异，春季南极涛动对长江中下游旱涝的影响较夏季显著，南半球副热带高压在春、夏两季中有很好季节持续性. 因此，春季南半球环流异常可以作为长江中下游夏季旱涝主要短期气候预测因子. 南、北半球中高纬环流相互作用是长江中下游夏季降水的一个重要因素，其可能的联系机制是从南半球高纬到北半球东亚沿岸经向分布的正压遥相关. 研究中还发现在长江中下游的涝年，整个对流层中南半球春、夏两季有持续增温，这说明了南北半球的温度梯度减弱也是东亚夏季风减弱的原因之一.     

Impact of climate indicators on continental‐scale potential groundwater recharge in Africa

In the last decades, human activity has been contributing to climate change that is closely associated with an increase in temperatures, increase in evaporation, intensification of extreme dry and wet rainfall events, and widespread melting of snow and ice. Understanding the intricate linkage between climate warming and the hydrological cycle is crucial for sustainable management of groundwater resources, especially in a vulnerable continent like Africa. This study investigates the relationship between climate‐change drivers and potential groundwater recharge (PGR) patterns across Africa for a long‐term record (1960–2010). Water‐balance components were simulated by using the PCR‐GLOBWB model and were reproduced in both gridded maps and latitudinal trends that vary in space with minima on the Tropics and maxima around the Equator. Statistical correlations between temperature, storm occurrences, drought, and PGR were examined in six climatic regions of Africa. Surprisingly, different effects of climate‐change controls on PGR were detected as a function of latitude in the last three decades (1980–2010). Temporal trends observed in the Northern Hemisphere of Africa reveal that the increase in temperature is significantly correlated to the decline of PGR, especially in the Northern Equatorial Africa. The climate indicators considered in this study were unable to explain the alarming negative trend of PGR observed in the Sahelian region, even though the Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) values report a 15% drought stress. On the other hand, increases in temperature have not been detected in the Southern Hemisphere of Africa, where increasing frequency of storm occurrences determine a rise of PGR, particularly in southern Africa. Time analysis highlights a strong seasonality effect, while PGR is in‐phase with rainfall patterns in the summer (Northern Hemisphere) and winter (Southern Hemisphere) and out‐of‐phase during the fall season. This study helps to elucidate the mechanism of the processes influencing groundwater resources in six climatic zones of Africa, even though modelling results need to be validated more extensively with direct measurements in future studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Eurasian snow cover and seasonal forecast of Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Abstract

This paper presents the relationship between Indian summer monsoon total rainfall and two parameters from Eurasian snow cover, one being the winter snow cover extent and the other the area of spring snowmelt. Satellite-derived Eurasian snow cover extent and Indian monsoon rainfall data were obtained from the NOAA/NESDIS and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the period 1966–1985. Seasonal cyclic variations of snow cover showed a higher swing in both the winter and the spring seasons of the cycle as compared to the remaining seasons of the year in the lower region of the cycle. The established inverse relation between winter snow cover and monsoon rainfall during June to September is further extended. Winter snow cover is very strongly correlated with spring snowmelt over Eurasia. Spring snowmelt area is obtained by subtracting the May snow cover extent from that of the previous February. The variations of spring snowmelt were also compared with Indian total monsoon rainfall. The detected correlation is stronger between snowmelt and monsoon rainfall than between the winter snow cover and the monsoon rainfall. There is also a significant multiple correlation among winter snow cover, spring snowmelt and monsoon rainfall. Lastly, a significant multiple correlation suggested a multiple regression equation which might improve the climatic prediction of monsoon rainfall over India.     

Solar cycle changes to planetary wave propagation and their influence on the middle atmosphere circulation

Recent observations suggest that there may be a causal relationship between solar activity and the strength of the winter Northern Hemisphere circulation in the stratosphere. A three-dimensional model of the atmosphere between 10–140 km was developed to assess the influence of solar minimum and solar maximum conditions on the propagation of planetary waves and the subsequent changes to the circulation of the stratosphere. Ultraviolet heating in the middle atmosphere was kept constant in order to emphasise the importance of non-linear dynamical coupling. A realistic thermo-sphere was achieved by relaxing the upper layers to the MSIS-90 empirical temperature model. In the summer hemisphere, strong radiative damping prevents significant dynamical coupling from taking place. Within the dynamically controlled winter hemisphere, small perturbations are reinforced over long periods of time, resulting in systematic changes to the stratospheric circulation. The winter vortex was significantly weakened during solar maximum and western phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation, in accordance with reported 30 mb geopotential height and total ozone measurements.     

North Atlantic Oscillation – Concepts And Studies

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of previous studies and concepts concerning the North Atlantic Oscillation. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and its recent homologue, the Arctic Oscillation/Northern Hemisphere annular mode (AO/NAM), are the most prominent modes of variability in the Northern Hemisphere winter climate. The NAO teleconnection is characterised by a meridional displacement of atmospheric mass over the North Atlantic area. Its state is usually expressed by the standardised air pressure difference between the Azores High and the Iceland Low. ThisNAO index is a measure of the strength of the westerly flow (positive with strong westerlies, and vice versa). Together with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, the NAO is a major source of seasonal to interdecadal variability in the global atmosphere. On interannual and shorter time scales, the NAO dynamics can be explained as a purely internal mode of variability of the atmospheric circulation. Interdecadal variability maybe influenced, however, by ocean and sea-ice processes.     

Hadley环流的年际和年代际变化特征及其与热带海温的关系

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析风场资料和NOAA海表温度(SST)资料，分析了冬、夏季Hadley环流的变化特征及其与热带海温在年际、年代际尺度上的关系. 结果表明，冬季北半球Hadley环流强度具有明显的年际和年代际变化，同时还呈现出明显的增强趋势. 伴随着Hadley环流的加强，环流中心位置南移，高度上升；夏季南半球Hadley环流变化主要表现为强、弱、强的年代际振动，没有明显的线性趋势. 研究还显示冬季Hadley环流与Nino3区SST正相关，这种相关性具有年代际变化特征. 年际尺度上，冬季北半球Hadley环流与Nino3区SST正相关；夏季南半球Hadley环流与Nino3区SST负相关，即当赤道中东太平洋SST异常偏暖(冷)时，冬、夏季Hadley环流变强(弱).     

Clay mineral records of East Asian monsoon evolution during late Quaternary in the southern South China Sea

High-resolution clay mineral records combined with oxygen isotopic stratigraphy over the past 190 ka during late Quaternary from core MD01-2393 off the Mekong River in the southern South China Sea are reported to reconstruct a history of East Asian monsoon evolution. The dominating clay mineral components indicate a strong glacial-interglacial cyclicity, with high glacial illite, chlorite, and kaolinite contents and high interglacial smectites content. The provenance analysis indicates the direct input of clay minerals via the Mekong River drainage basin. Illite and chlorite derived mainly from the upper reach of the Mekong River, where physical erosion of meta-sedimentary rocks is dominant. Kaolinite derived mainly from active erosion of inhered clays from reworked sediments in the middle reaches. Smectites originated mainly through bisiallitic soils in the middle to lower reaches of the Mekong River. The smectites/(illite+chlorite) and smectites/kaolinite ratios are determined as mineralogical indicato     

Spatial features of the manifestation of the geomagnetic field westward drift

The specific features of the spatial structure and time dynamics of the main geomagnetic field during the 20th century, proceeding from the present-day concepts of geomagnetic jerks have been studied. The variations, caused by global dissipation of the geomagnetic field dipole part, have been separated from the regional variations, described by nondipole spatial harmonics of the spherical harmonic expansion series. It has been indicated that the geomagnetic field westward drift manifests itself in a limited region of the Earth’s surface, forming the known Brazil anomaly. However, the drift component in the variations in the geomagnetic field morphological structures is globally found out during the considered almost 100-year period along the narrow belt around the geomagnetic axis. However, this drift is northwestward in the Northern Hemisphere, and the structures drift southeastward in the Southern Hemisphere. The detected variations of the drift nature are reflected in the variations in the integral geomagnetic characteristic, when changes in the position of the Earth’s magnetic center are considered. The direct correlation between the global geomagnetic variations of the drift nature and the trend variations in the orientation of the vector of the Earth daily rotation velocity has been detected.     

Wavenumber frequency spectra of the meridional transport of sensible heat in the mid-troposphere of the Southern Hemisphere

Summary The wavenumber-frequency spectra of the meridional transport of sensible heat at 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, and 70°S, at 500 mb in the Southern Hemisphere, show a definite spectral domain for the transport at various latitudes, which is dominated by the wave motion of the meridional component of the velocity. In middle latitudes, the spectral band of the meridional flux of sensible heat is oriented from a region of low wavenumbers and low frequencies to a region of high wavenumbers and negative frequencies assigned for waves moving from west to east. In low latitudes, the spectral band is confined to a narrow band centered near the zero frequency. It is found that most of the meridional transport of sensible heat at 500 mb in the Southern Hemisphere is accomplished by waves of medium wavelengths moving from west to east in middle and high latitudes. The meridional flux of sensible heat at 500 mb in the summer of the Southern Hemisphere is about three times that in the summer of the Northern Hemisphere. However, the meridional flux of sensible heat at 500 mb is about the same in the winter of both hemispheres. In the Southern Hemisphere practically all the meridional flux of sensible heat is associated with the moving waves in all seasons, whereas in the Northern Hemisphere the stationary waves contribute about 40% of the transport in winter.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Precipitation variation in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau recorded by the tree rings since 850 AD and its relevance to the Northern Hemisphere temperature

With their high resolution and reliability, tree rings play a very important role in global climate change study. The long tree-ring chronology is considered as one of the most important information sources to study the climatic change in the past several thousands years. In recent years, the tree-ring researches in China have made great progress, and the temperature and precipita- tion in some areas were reconstructed[1-20] which on- tributed to the global change studies in China. Due to the…     

北京沙尘频次的年际变化及其全球环流背景分析

本文采用相关和合成的分析方法，研究北京沙尘频次的年际变化及其冬、春季的全球环流背景.结果表明北京沙尘频次有年际变化的特点，并与全球范围内的环流异常相联系，特别是南、北半球的中高纬的环流异常.南半球环流异常与沙尘的联系在冬、春两季有很好的持续性和显著性，北半球中高纬环流异常与沙尘的联系冬季较春季显著.春季对流层高层的东亚西风急流增强能使低空的蒙古气旋加强和锋生，从而引起地面大风，为沙尘天气频次的增加提供动力条件.