The use of integrated circulation index for the description of synoptic situations in the Pacific Ocean tropics during El Niño-Southern Oscillation extreme events

The potential of Petrosyants-Gushchina integrated circulation index in respect to the problem of synoptic analysis in low latitudes is considered. The compositional models of synoptic situations, which led to the formation of extreme conditions in weather and climate over the Pacific Ocean, are constructed using the computed indices according to the data of NCEP/NCAR reanalysis for 1950–2002 separately for El Niño and La Niña events. It is demonstrated that the barometric circulation pattern of synoptic processes in tropics, being reproduced using indices, indicates the main peculiarities of atmospheric circulation in low latitudes and can be the quantitative indicator of the whole circulation system of El Niño-Southern Oscillation over the Pacific Ocean.     

城市热岛效应研究进展

随着城市规模的高速发展和城市人口的急剧膨胀,因城市下垫面结构的急剧变化和城市人为热排放的迅速增加所引起的城市热岛效应已逐渐成为严重影响城市人居环境和居民健康的重要因素。城市热岛效应研究已成为城市气候和区域气候研究中的热点问题。为更好地研究城市热岛效应,及时追踪国内外最新进展,综述了城市热岛的概念和形成机制,重点介绍了地面气象资料观测法、遥感监测法和边界层数值模式模拟法等3种城市热岛效应研究方法,总结了城市热岛效应国内外最新研究进展。最后基于现有城市热岛效应研究不够完善和深入,研究过于简单化和表面化,尺度局限于宏观大尺度以及各种方法自身的局限性等不足,指出在未来的城市热岛效应研究中,应突破现有的大中尺度,注意结合高分辨率卫星遥感影像进行多尺度多平台监测以及综合考虑气溶胶粒子对辐射强迫的影响等。     

Vegetation feedback under future global warming

It has been well documented that vegetation plays an important role in the climate system. However, vegetation is typically kept constant when climate models are used to project anthropogenic climate change under a range of emission scenarios in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emission Scenarios. Here, an atmospheric general circulation model, and an asynchronously coupled system of an atmospheric and an equilibrium terrestrial biosphere model are forced by monthly sea surface temperature and sea ice extent for the periods 2051?C2060 and 2090?C2098 as projected with 17 atmosphere?Cocean general circulation models participating in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, and by appropriate atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations under the A2 emission scenario. The effects of vegetation feedback under future global warming are then investigated. It is found that the simulated composition and distribution of vegetation during 2051?C2060 (2090?C2098) differ greatly from the present, and global vegetation tends to become denser as expressed by a 21% (36%) increase in global mean leaf area index, which is most pronounced at the middle and high northern latitudes. Vegetation feedback has little effect on globally averaged surface temperature. On a regional scale, however, it induces statistically significant changes in surface temperature, in particular over most parts of continental Eurasia east of about 60°E where annual surface temperature is expected to increase by 0.1?C1.0?K, with an average of about 0.4?K for each future period. These changes can mostly be explained by changes in surface albedo resulting from vegetation changes in the context of future global warming.     

An examination of climate sensitivity for idealised climate change experiments in an intermediate general circulation model

Radiative forcing and climate sensitivity have been widely used as concepts to understand climate change. This work performs climate change experiments with an intermediate general circulation model (IGCM) to examine the robustness of the radiative forcing concept for carbon dioxide and solar constant changes. This IGCM has been specifically developed as a computationally fast model, but one that allows an interaction between physical processes and large-scale dynamics; the model allows many long integrations to be performed relatively quickly. It employs a fast and accurate radiative transfer scheme, as well as simple convection and surface schemes, and a slab ocean, to model the effects of climate change mechanisms on the atmospheric temperatures and dynamics with a reasonable degree of complexity. The climatology of the IGCM run at T-21 resolution with 22 levels is compared to European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting Reanalysis data. The response of the model to changes in carbon dioxide and solar output are examined when these changes are applied globally and when constrained geographically (e.g. over land only). The CO₂ experiments have a roughly 17% higher climate sensitivity than the solar experiments. It is also found that a forcing at high latitudes causes a 40% higher climate sensitivity than a forcing only applied at low latitudes. It is found that, despite differences in the model feedbacks, climate sensitivity is roughly constant over a range of distributions of CO₂ and solar forcings. Hence, in the IGCM at least, the radiative forcing concept is capable of predicting global surface temperature changes to within 30%, for the perturbations described here. It is concluded that radiative forcing remains a useful tool for assessing the natural and anthropogenic impact of climate change mechanisms on surface temperature.     

Uncertainty in climate change projections: the role of internal variability

Uncertainty in future climate change presents a key challenge for adaptation planning. In this study, uncertainty arising from internal climate variability is investigated using a new 40-member ensemble conducted with the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model Version 3 (CCSM3) under the SRES A1B greenhouse gas and ozone recovery forcing scenarios during 2000–2060. The contribution of intrinsic atmospheric variability to the total uncertainty is further examined using a 10,000-year control integration of the atmospheric model component of CCSM3 under fixed boundary conditions. The global climate response is characterized in terms of air temperature, precipitation, and sea level pressure during winter and summer. The dominant source of uncertainty in the simulated climate response at middle and high latitudes is internal atmospheric variability associated with the annular modes of circulation variability. Coupled ocean-atmosphere variability plays a dominant role in the tropics, with attendant effects at higher latitudes via atmospheric teleconnections. Uncertainties in the forced response are generally larger for sea level pressure than precipitation, and smallest for air temperature. Accordingly, forced changes in air temperature can be detected earlier and with fewer ensemble members than those in atmospheric circulation and precipitation. Implications of the results for detection and attribution of observed climate change and for multi-model climate assessments are discussed. Internal variability is estimated to account for at least half of the inter-model spread in projected climate trends during 2005–2060 in the CMIP3 multi-model ensemble.     

Annual mean meridional energy transport modelled by a general circulation model for present and 2 × CO2 equilibrium climates

The meridional energy flux modelled by the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre general circulation model is examined. It is divided into atmospheric and oceanic components, and the resolved atmospheric components in turn into mean and eddy circulations. Comparison with observations shows the modelled total planetary meridional energy transport to be low, but shows better agreement for the resolved atmospheric component alone. The overall patterns of the individual circulation and energy components of the model also agree well, although strengths and locations do show some discrepancies. The doubled CO₂ climate change is analyzed in terms of the changes in each of the circulation and energy components. It is found that the changes are the relatively small residual of larger, and generally opposing changes in sensible heat and potential energy fluxes. Despite the general decrease in poleward energy flux, the poleward latent heat flux is found to increase. The reduction in poleward transport is found to be dominated by changes in the mean meridional circulation at low southern latitudes, and changes in both mean circulations and eddy fluxes elsewhere.     

An Interdecadal Change of Summer Atmospheric Circulation over Asian Mid-High Latitudes and Associated Effects

The atmospheric circulation over the mid-high latitudes in Asia has an important influence on regional climate, yet its long-term variation has not been fully explored. The main task of this study is to reveal the interdecadal variation features of summer atmospheric circulation over Asian mid-high latitudes in recent decades. The results show that the atmospheric circulation over mid-high latitudes of Asia has stronger interdecadal fluctuations than that over low latitudes and one significant change center appears near Lake Baikal. It is found that the atmospheric circulation near Lake Baikal has a significant interdecadal change around 1996 and a deep anomalous anticyclonic circulation has been controlling this region since then, which contributes to the significant increase in the surface temperature near Lake Baikal since 1997 and makes the region a remarkable warming center in Asia in recent 40 years. During 1997-2015, the pattern of less precipitation in the north and more precipitation in the south of east China is closely related to the anomalous anticyclonic circulation near Lake Baikal. Especially, this anomalous circulation near Lake Baikal has been found to contribute to the obvious interdecadal decrease of the precipitation in northeast China and north China near1997. The sea surface temperature(SST) of northwestern Atlantic is an important influence factor to the interdecadal change in the atmospheric circulation near Lake Baikal around 1996.     

An Interdecad l Change of Summer Atmospheric Circulation over Asian Mid-High Latitudes and Associated Effects

The atmospheric circulation over the mid-high latitudes in Asia has an important influence on regional climate, yet its long-term variation has not been fully explored. The main task of this study is to reveal the interdecadal variation features of summer atmospheric circulation over Asian mid-high latitudes in recent decades. The results show that the atmospheric circulation over mid-high latitudes of Asia has stronger interdecadal fluctuations than that over low latitudes and one significant change center appears near Lake Baikal. It is found that the atmospheric circulation near Lake Baikal has a significant interdecadal change around 1996 and a deep anomalous anticyclonic circulation has been controlling this region since then, which contributes to the significant increase in the surface temperature near Lake Baikal since 1997 and makes the region a remarkable warming center in Asia in recent 40 years. During 1997-2015, the pattern of less precipitation in the north and more precipitation in the south of east China is closely related to the anomalous anticyclonic circulation near Lake Baikal. Especially, this anomalous circulation near Lake Baikal has been found to contribute to the obvious interdecadal decrease of the precipitation in northeast China and north China near 1997. The sea surface temperature (SST) of northwestern Atlantic is an important influence factor to the interdecadal change in the atmospheric circulation near Lake Baikal around 1996.     

Vegetation Feedback at the Mid-Pliocene

A global atmospheric general circulation model and an asynchronously coupled global atmosphere-biome model are used to simulate vegetation feedback at the mid-Pliocene approximately 3.3 to 3.0 million years ago.For that period,the simulated vegetation differed from present conditions at 62%of the global ice-free land surface.Vegetation feedback had little overall impact on the global climate of the mid-Pliocene.At the regional scale,however,the interactive vegetation led to statistically significant increases in annual temperature over Greenland,the high latitudes of North America,the mid-high latitudes of eastern Eurasia,and western Tibet,and reductions in most of the land areas at low latitudes,owing to vegetation-induced changes in surface albedo.     

Adaptation of Pressure Based CFD Solvers for Mesoscale Atmospheric Problems

General purpose Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solvers are frequently used in small-scale urban pollution dispersion simulations without a large extent of ver- tical flow. Vertical flow, however, plays an important role in the formation of local breezes, such as urban heat island induced breezes that have great significance in the ventilation of large cities. The effects of atmospheric stratification, anelasticity and Coriolis force must be taken into account in such simulations. We introduce a general method for adapting pressure based CFD solvers to atmospheric flow simulations in order to take advantage of their high flexibility in geometrical modelling and meshing. Compressibility and thermal stratification effects are taken into account by utilizing a novel system of transformations of the field variables and by adding consequential source terms to the model equations of incompressible flow. Phenomena involving mesoscale to microscale coupled effects can be analyzed without model nesting, applying only local grid refinement of an arbitrary level. Elements of the method are validated against an analytical solution, results of a reference calculation, and a laboratory scale urban heat island circulation experiment. The new approach can be applied with benefits to several areas of application. Inclusion of the moisture transport phenomena and the surface energy balance are important further steps towards the practical application of the method.     

Climate Change: A Case Study Over India

Summary A brief account of various causes of climate change in recent decades and climate change trends in the Indian region is presented. It is of great importance to determine the influence of human activities on the likely climate change during recent decades. Local temperature is one of the major climatic elements to record the changes in the atmospheric environment caused by industrialization and urbanization. It is mentioned in the literature that there is either a cooling tendency or cessation of warming after the late 1950s at most of the Indian industrial cities. A case study of Nagpur, a centrally located city in India, is done to understand and the possible cause of cooling. Nagpur is the only city in India for which a long-term record of temperature, for urban (Mayo Hospital) and relatively suburban (Sonegaon Airport) area, is available. The study of the diurnal asymmetry in maximum and minimum temperatures indicates that the role of suspended particulate matter dominates over that of increasing greenhouse gases. Received April 15, 1998     

Numerical study of the nocturnal urban boundary layer

A two-dimensional time-dependent Earth-atmosphere model is developed which can be applied to the study of a class of atmospheric boundary-layer flows which owe their origin to horizontal inhomogeneities with respect to surface roughness and temperature. Our main application of the model is to explore the governing physical mechanisms of nocturnal urban atmospheric boundarylayer flow.A case study is presented in which a stable temperature stratification is assumed to exist in the rural upwind area. It is shown through integration of the numerical model that as this air passes over a city, the heat is redistributed due to increased surface friction (and hence increased turbulent mixing). This redistribution of heat results in the formation of an urban heat island.Additional numerical integrations of the model are conducted to examine the dependence of induced perturbations on: (1) the upwind temperature inversion; (2) the geostrophic wind speed; and (3) urbanization. The results show a linear relationship between heat-island intensity and the rural temperature inversion with the heat island increasing in intensity as the upwind inversion becomes stronger; that the heat-island intensity close to the surface is inversely proportional to the geostrophic wind; and that the effects of anthropogenic heat cause an increase in the perturbation temperature with the perturbation extending to higher altitudes. From this study, we conclude that with an upwind temperature inversion, a city of any size should generate a heat island as a result of increased surface roughness. The heat-island intensity should increase with city size because of two factors: larger cities are usually aerodynamically rougher; and larger cities have a larger anthropogenic heat output.Research supported in part by NSF Grant GA-16822.     

城市气候承载力定量化评价方法初探

本文从气候天然容量、城市气候压力和城市协调发展能力3个方面选取24个指标构建较完整的城市气候承载力评价指标体系。气候天然容量指数采用内梅罗指数法计算,城市气候压力指数和城市协调发展能力指数采用基于熵权的综合评价方法计算,进而构建城市气候承载力综合评价函数以量化评价结果。以上海市为例,对其气候承载力进行定量化评价。研究表明,本文建立的气候承载力评价指标体系是可行的,它可以描述某一城市时域上的变化,也可以对区域气候承载力开发利用过程中存在的问题进行甄别,并可作为气候预警响应的依据,为我国建立区域气候安全管理机制提供技术参考。分析上海市2004-2013年这10年间气候承载力的变化趋势,结果表明研究期内上海市气候承载力整体劣于基准年值,且因深受气候天然容量的影响而处于较大波动状态。     

Assessing the Impacts of Eurasian Snow Conditions on Climate Predictability with a Global Climate Model

On the basis of two ensemble experiments conducted by a general atmospheric circulation model (Institute of Atmospheric Physics nine-level atmospheric general circulation model coupled with land surface model, hereinafter referred to as IAP9L_CoLM), the impacts of realistic Eurasian snow conditions on summer climate predictability were investigated. The predictive skill of sea level pressures (SLP) and middle and upper tropospheric geopotential heights at mid-high latitudes of Eurasia was enhanced when improved Eurasian snow conditions were introduced into the model. Furthermore, the model skill in reproducing the interannual variation and spatial distribution of the surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies over China was improved by applying realistic (prescribed) Eurasian snow conditions. The predictive skill of the summer precipitation in China was low; however, when realistic snow conditions were employed, the predictability increased, illustrating the effectiveness of the application of realistic Eurasian snow conditions. Overall, the results of the present study suggested that Eurasian snow conditions have a significant effect on dynamical seasonal prediction in China. When Eurasian snow conditions in the global climate model (GCM) can be more realistically represented, the predictability of summer climate over China increases.     

Summer dryness due to an increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration

To investigate the hydrologic changes of climate in response to an increase of CO₂-concentration in the atmosphere, the results from numerical experiments with three climate models are analyzed and compared with each other. All three models consist of an atmospheric general circulation model and a simple mixed layer ocean with a horizontally uniform heat capacity. The first model has a limited computational domain and simple geography with a flat land surface. The second model has a global computational domain with realistic geography. The third model is identical to the second model except that it has a higher computational resolution. In each numerical experiment, the CO₂-induced change of climate is evaluated based upon a comparison between the two climates of a model with normal and four times the normal concentration of carbon dioxide in air. It is noted that the zonal mean value of soil moisture in summer reduces significantly in two separate zones of middle and high latitudes in response to the increase of the CO₂-concentration in air. This CO₂-induced summer dryness results not only from the earlier ending of the snowmelt season, but also from the earlier occurrence of the spring to summer reduction in rainfall rate. The former effect is particularly important in high latitudes, whereas the latter effect becomes important in middle latitudes. Other statistically significant changes include large increases in both soil moisture and runoff rate in high latitudes of a model during most of the annual cycle with the exception of the summer season. The penetration of moisture-rich, warm air into high latitudes is responsible for these increases.     

城市阻碍效应对局地台风降水的影响

城市阻碍效应是城市化影响降水形成过程的可能物理机制之一,在于其改变了风场、风场辐合,甚至改变了天气系统本身,进而改变了湿度平流,最终影响城市降水的落区、强度。风速越大,城市阻碍效应越明显。现有关于下垫面对台风降水影响研究主要着重分析地形及地表状况对台风降水落区及强度的影响,但对作为下垫面因子之一的城市对台风降水的影响作用考虑明显不够。全面系统回顾国内外有关城市阻碍效应对降水影响研究进展,以及下垫面对台风降水影响研究进展。上海是我国城市化程度最高的城市,同时平均每年受到2～3个台风影响。已有研究关注到了城市阻碍效应对上海局地台风降水影响作用,但是,对于表征台风降水的城市阻碍效应还存在明显不足。最后具体给出了未来有关城市阻碍效应在上海局地台风降水研究中的应用思考。     

Atmospheric anomalies related to interdecadal variability of SST in the North Pacific

Anomalous patterns of the atmospheric circulation and climate are studied corresponding to the two basic interdecadal variation modes of sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Pacific, namely, the 25-35-year mode and the 7-10-year mode. Results clearly indicate that corresponding to the positive and negative phases of the interdecadal modes of SST anomaly (SSTA) in the North Pacific, the anomalous patterns of the atmospheric circulation and climate are approximately out of phase, fully illustrating the important role of the interdecadal modes of SST. Since the two interdecadal modes of SSTA in the North Pacific have similar horizontal structures, their impacts on the atmospheric circulation and climate are also analogous. The impact of the interdecadal modes of the North Pacific SST on the atmospheric circulation is barotropic at middle latitudes and baroclinic in tropical regions.     

西安市气候变暖与城市热岛效应问题研究

选取1961—2003年西安站和周围4站月平均气温资料, 利用西安站与周围4站气温距平滑动平均变化趋势的差异, 发现该站平均气温有两个明显的上升期, 热岛效应使西安站平均升温1.07 ℃, 并建立了西安市城市热岛效应模型。在此基础上分离了气候变暖过程中由于城市热岛效应引起的增温作用。     

Numerical simulation of internal boundary-layer development and comparison with atmospheric data

A finite-volume numerical model is employed to investigate the adaptation of the atmospheric boundary layer to a change in the underlying surface roughness, such as that existing in the transition from land to the free surface of a water body. Numerical results are validated by comparison with neutral stratification atmospheric data and compared with the internal boundary-layer (IBL) heights computed using a number of existing empirical formulae. The numerical analysis allows an extension of the fetch range in which the existing formulae, calibrated only by comparison with short fetch data, may be applied. An argument is offered that the spatial variability of the water surface roughness should be also taken into account for the IBL development over the surface of a water body.     

An upper ocean general circulation model for climate studies: global simulation with seasonal cycle

The global ocean circulation with a seasonal cycle has been simulated with a two-and-a-half layer upper-ocean model. This model was developed for the purpose of coupling to an atmospheric general circulation model for climate studies on decadal time scales. The horizontal resolution is 4° latitude by 5° longitude and is thus not eddy-resolving. Effects of bottom topography are neglected. In the vertical, the model resolves the oceanic mixed layer and the thermocline. A thermodynamic sea-ice model is coupled to the mixed layer. The model is forced at the surface with seasonally varying (a) observed wind stress, (b) heat fluxes, as defined by an atmospheric equilibrium temperature, and (c) Newtonian-type surface salt fluxes. The second layer is coupled to the underlying deep ocean through Newtonian-type diffusive heat and salt fluxes, convective overturning, and mass entrainment in the upwelling regions of the subpolar gyres. The overall global distributions of mixed layer temperature, salinity and thickness are favorably reproduced. Inherent limitations due to coarse horizontal resolution result in large mixed-layer temperature errors near continental boundaries and in weak current systems. Sea ice distributions agree well with observations except in the interiors of the Ross and Weddell Seas. A realistic time rate of change of heat storage is simulated. There is also realistic heat transport from low to high latitudes.