Dust Storms in North China in 2002： A Case Study of the Low Frequency Oscillation

The low frequency oscillation in both hemispheres and its possible role in the dust weather storm events over North China in 2002 are analyzed as a case study. Results show that the Aleutian Low is linked with the Circumpolar Vortex in the Southern Hemisphere on a 30-60-day oscillation, with a weak Circumpolar Vortex tending to deepen the Aleutian Low which may be helpful for the generation of dust storm events. The possible mechanism behind this is the inter-hemispheric interaction of the mean meridional circulation, with the major variability over East Asia. The zonal mean westerly wind at high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere in the upper level troposphere may lead that of the Northern Hemisphere, which then impacts the local circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, the low frequency oscillation teleconnection is one possible linkage in the coupling between the Southern Hemisphere circulation and dust events over North China. However, the interannual variation of the low frequency oscillation is unclear.     

The Weakening of the Asian Monsoon Circulation after the End of 1970＇s

The transition of the global atmospheric circulation in the end of 1970＇s can clearly be detected in the atmospheric temperature, wind velocity, and so on. Wavelet analysis reveals that the temporal scale of this change is larger than 20 years. Studies in this work indicate that the trend of the transition over the mid-latitude Asia is opposite to that of global average for some variables at the middle troposphere. Another finding of this research is that the African-Asian monsoon circulation is weaker and the trade wind over the tropical eastern Pacific is weaker as well after this transition. Such a signal may be found in the summer precipitation over China as well.     

A Trend towards a Stable Warm and Windless State of the Surface Weather Conditions in Northern and Northeastern China during 1961–2014

This study investigates the trends in the mean state and the day-to-day variability(DDV) of the surface weather conditions over northern and northeastern China(NNEC) during 1961–2014 using CN05.1 observational data. In this study, we show that the surface temperature(wind speed) has increased(decreased) over NNEC and that the DDV of the surface temperatures and wind speeds has decreased, indicating a trend towards a stable warm and windless state of the surface weather conditions over NNEC. This finding implies a trend towards more persistent hot and windless episodes, which threaten human health and aggravate environmental problems. The trends are also examined in reanalysis data. Both the ERA-40 and the NCEP data show an increasing(decreasing) trend in the mean state of the surface temperatures(wind speeds). However, the reanalysis data show a consistent decreasing trend in the DDV of the surface weather conditions only in the spring. The underlying reason for the decreased DDV of the surface weather conditions is further analyzed, focusing on the spring season. Essentially,the decreased DDV of the surface weather conditions can be attributed to a decrease in synoptic-scale wave activity, which is caused by a decrease in the baroclinic instability. There is a contrasting change in the baroclinic instability over East Asia, showing a decreasing(increasing) trend north(south) of 40°N. This contrasting change in the baroclinic instability is primarily caused by a tropospheric cooling zone over East Asia at approximately 40°N, which influences the meridional temperature gradient over East Asia.     

Simulating the effects of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption using the ARPEGE atmosphere general circulation model

The climate changes that occured following the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Phillippines on 15 June 1991 have been simulated using the ARPEGE atmosphere general circulation model （AGCM）. The model was forced by a reconstructed spatial-time distribution of stratospheric aerosols intended for use in long climate simulations. Four statistical ensembles of the AGCM simulations with and without volcanic aerosols over a period of 5 years following the eruption have been made, and the calculated fields have been compared to available observations. The model is able to reproduce some of the observed features after the eruption, such as the winter warming pattern that was observed over the Northern Hemisphere （NH） during the following winters. This pattern was caused by an enhanced Equator-to-pole temperature gradient in the stratosphere that developed due to aerosol heating of the tropics. This in turn led to a strengthening of the polar vortex, which tends to modulate the planetary wave field in such a way that an anomalously positive Arctic Oscillation pattern is produced in the troposphere and at the surface, favouring warm conditions over the NH. During the summer, the model produced a more uniform cooling over the NH.     

Link between the Barents Oscillation and Recent Boreal Winter Cooling over the Asian Midlatitudes

The link between boreal winter cooling over the midlatitudes of Asia and the Barents Oscillation(BO) since the late 1980s is discussed in this study, based on five datasets. Results indicate that there is a large-scale boreal winter cooling during 1990–2015 over the Asian midlatitudes, and that it is a part of the decadal oscillations of long-term surface air temperature(SAT)anomalies. The SAT anomalies over the Asian midlatitudes are significantly correlated with the BO in boreal winter. When the BO is in its positive phase, anomalously high sea level pressure over the Barents region, with a clockwise wind anomaly,causes cold air from the high latitudes to move over the midlatitudes of Asia, resulting in anomalous cold conditions in that region. Therefore, the recent increasing trend of the BO has contributed to recent winter cooling over the Asian midlatitudes.     

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...     

Evaluation of Surface Air Temperature Change over China and the Globe during the Twentieth Century in IAP AGCM4.0

Based on time series and linear trend analysis, the authors evaluated the performance of the fourth generation atmospheric general circulation model developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP AGCM4.0), in simulating surface air temperature (SAT) during the twentieth century over China and the globe. The numerical experiment is conducted by driving the model with the observed sea surface temperature and sea ice. It is shown that IAP AGCM4.0 can simulate the warming trend of the global SAT, with the major warming regions in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. While the simulated trend over the whole globe is close to the observation, the model under-estimates the observed trend over the continents. More-over, the model simulates the spatial distribution of SAT in China, with a bias of approximately-2°C in eastern China, but with a more serious bias in western China. Compared with the global mean, however, the correlation coefficient between the simulation and observation in China is significantly lower, indicating that there is large uncertainty in simulating regional climate change.     

Impacts of upper tropospheric cooling upon the late spring drought in East Asia simulated by a regional climate model

Responses of late spring （21 April 20 May） rainfall to the upper tropospheric cooling over East Asia are investigated with a regional climate model based on Laboratoire de M6t6orologie Dynamique Zoom （LMDZ4-RCM）. A control experiment is performed with two runs driven by the mean ERA-40 data during 1958-1977 and 1981 2000, respectively. The model reproduces the major decadal-scale circulation changes in late spring over East Asia, including a cooling in the upper troposphere and an anomalous meridional cell. Accordingly, the precipitation decrease is also captured in the southeast of the upper-level cooling region. To quantify the role of the upper-level cooling in the drought mechanism, a sensitivity experiment is further conducted with the cooling imposed in the upper troposphere. It is demonstrated that the upper-level cooling can generate the anomalous meridional cell and consequently the drought to the southeast of the cooling center. Therefore, upper tropospheric cooling should have played a dominant role in the observed late spring drought over Southeast China in recent decades.     

Model Evaluation and Projection on the Linkage between Hadley Circulation and Atmospheric Background Related to the Tropical Cyclone Frequency over the Western North Pacific

The performance of climate models in simulating the linkage of the spring Hadley circulation (HC) to the vertical zonal wind shear and atmospheric divergence in the lower and upper troposphere, which are related to the tropical cyclone frequency over the western North Pacific (WNPTCF) during June-September (JJAS), is evaluated on the basis of the 20th century climate simulations (20C3M). It is found that four models can simulta-neously reproduce the pattern revealed in the observation, with the spring HC in the Northern Hemisphere being positively correlated to the vertical zonal wind shear in the major tropical cyclone (TC) genesis region and negatively (positively) correlated to the atmospheric diver- gence in the upper (lower) troposphere over the western North Pacific (WNP) in the following JJAS. These four models are further used to project their relationship in the late 21st century under the A1B scenario. The results show that the association of spring HC with the vertical zonal wind shear and the upper-and lower-tropospheric divergence over the WNP will weaken in the late 21st century, thereby resulting in a weak relationship between the spring HC and the JJAS WNPTCF.     

20世纪全球增暖最显著的区域

Having analyzed a global grid temperature anomaly data set and some sea level pressure data during the last century, we found the following facts. Firstly, the annual temperature change with a warming trend of about 0.6℃/100 years in the tropical area over Indian to the western Pacific Oceans was most closely correlated to the global mean change. Therefore, the temperature change in this area might serve as an indicator of global mean change at annual and longer time scales. Secondly, a cooling of about -0.3℃ / 100 years occurred over the northern Atlantic. Thirdly, a two-wave pattern of temperature change, warming over northern Asia and northwestern America and cooling over the northern Atlantic and the northern Pacific, occurred during the last half century linked to strengthening westerlies over the northern Atlantic and the weakening Siberian High. Fourthly, a remarkable seasonal difference occurred over the Eurasian continent, with cooling (warming) in winter (summer) during 1896-1945, and warming (cooling) in winter (summer) during 1946-1995. The corresponding variations of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Southern Oscillation were also discussed.     

Air Temperature Changes over the Tibetan Plateau and Other Regions in the Same Latitudes and the Role of Ozone Depletion

Using radiosonde and satellite observations, we investigated the trends of air temperature changes over the Tibetan Plateau （TP） in comparison with those over other regions in the same latitudes from 1979 to 2002. It is shown that Over the TP, the trends of air temperature changes in the upper troposphere to lower stratosphere were out of phase with those in the lower to middle troposphere. Air temperature decreased and a decreasing trend appeared in the upper troposphere to lower stratosphere. The amplitude of the annual or seasonal mean temperature decreases over the TP was larger than that over the whole globe. In the lower to middle troposphere over the TP, temperature increased, and the increasing trend was stronger than that over the non-plateau regions in the same latitudes in the eastern part of China. Meanwhile, an analysis of the satellite observed ozone data in the same period of 1979-2002 shows that over the TP, the total ozone amount declined in all seasons, and the ozone depleted the most compared with the situations in other regions in the same latitudes. It is proposed that the difference between the ozone depletion over the TP and that over other regions in the same latitudes may lead to the difference in air temperature changes. Because of the aggravated depletion of ozone over the TP, less （more） ultraviolet radiation was absorbed in the upper troposphere to lower stratosphere （lower to middle troposphere） over the TP, which favored a stronger cooling in the upper troposphere to lower stratosphere, and an intenser heating in the lower to middle troposphere over the TP. Therefore, the comparatively more depletion of ozone over the TP is possibly a reason for the difference between the air temperature changes over the TP and those over other regions in the same latitudes.     

Eurasian Winter Cooling: Intercomparison of Reanalyses and CMIP5 Data Sets

A cooling trend in wintertime surface air temperature over continental Eurasia has been identified in reanalysis and the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project phase 5(CMIP5)‘historical’simulations over the period 1989–2009.Here the authors have shown that this cooling trend is related to changes in Arctic sea-ice around the Barents-Kara seas.This study illustrates a consistent spatial and temporal structure of the wintertime temperature variability centered over Asia using state-of-the-art reanalyses and global climate model datasets.Our findings indicate that there is a physical basis for seasonal predictions of near-surface temperatures over continental Asia based on changes to the ice-cover in the Barents-Kara seas.     

Influence of the Asian-Pacific Oscillation on Spring Precipitation over Central Eastern China

The linkage between the Asian-Pacific oscillation(APO)and the precipitation over central eastern China in spring is preliminarily addressed by use of the observed data.Results show that they correlate very well,with the positive(negative)phase of APO tending to increase(decrease)the precipitation over central eastern China.Such a relationship can be explained by the atmospheric circulation changes over Asia and the North Pacific in association with the anomalous APO.A positive phase of APO,characterized by a positive anomaly over Asia and a negative anomaly over the North Pacific in the upper-tropospheric temperature,corresponds to decreased low-level geopotential height(H)and increased high-level H over Asia,and these effects are concurrent with increased low-level H and decreased high-level H over the North Pacific.Meanwhile,an anticyclonic circulation anomaly in the upper troposphere and a cyclonic circulation anomaly in the lower troposphere are introduced in East Asia,and the low-level southerly wind is strengthened over central eastern China.These changes provide advantageous conditions for enhanced precipitation over central eastern China.The situation is reversed in the negative phase of APO,leading to reduced precipitation in this region.     

A Comparison of Polar Vortex Response to Pacific and Indian Ocean Warming

During recent decades,the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean has become increasingly warmer.Meanwhile,both the northern and southern hemispheric polar vortices(NPV and SPV)have exhibited a deepening trend in boreal winter.Although previous studies have revealed that the tropical Indian Ocean warming(IOW)favors an intensifying NPV and a weakening SPV,how the tropical Pacific Ocean warming(POW) influences the NPV and SPV remains unclear.In this study,a comparative analysis has been conducted through ensemble atmospheric general circulation model(AGCM)experiments.The results show that,for the Northern Hemisphere,the two warmings exerted opposite impacts in boreal winter,in that the IOW intensified the NPV while the POW weakened the NPV.For the Southern Hemisphere,both the IOW and POW warmed the southern polar atmosphere and weakened the SPV.A diagnostic analysis based on the vorticity budget revealed that such an interhemispheric difference in influences from the IOW and POW in boreal winter was associated with different roles of transient eddy momentum flux convergence between the hemispheres.Furthermore,this difference may have been linked to different strengths of stationary wave activity between the hemispheres in boreal winter.     

THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE MID-LATITUDE QUASI-40-DAY PERIODIC OSCILLATION WITH ITS EFFECT ON THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SUMMER MONSOON CIRCULATION

By using the method of power spectrum combined with band-pass filtering with May—September1982 grid data from ECMWF,the spatial structure and propagation characteristics are tentatively examinedof the SH (Southern Hemisphere) mid-latitude quasi-40-day (ranging from 30—60 days) periodic oscilla-tion (QPO) together with the relation to NH (Northern Hemisphere) summer monsoon,with the result thatthere exists similar periodicity in the development of baroclinicity and activities of cold air at the same latitudes,and in response to this the zonal wind shows profound QPO with a nearly vertical axis of disturbance and thatthe air activities can act as periodic external forcing for the monsoon,which intensifies the west wind on thesouth side of the Mascarene or Australian high,and then the system itself,leading to the reinforcement of theSE trade wind on the north side,followed by the strengthening of cross-equatorial flow that,in turn,causesactive monsoon with its northward march over the eastern part of China.The process is responsible for thelow-frequency oscillation propagated in a meridional direction,which confirms the speculation of theauthor.     

THE ROLE OF THE MERIDIONAL CIRCULATION IN STATIONARY WAVE PROPAGATION

In a general baroclinic atmosphere,when the basic state includes meridional circulation,the sta-tionary waves might not only pass through the equatorial easterlies,but also strengthen significantly.The orographic forcing in the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude might cause marked responses in thelow latitude atmosphere.This suggests that the meridional circulation plays an important role in theconnection of stationary responses in mid and low latitudes,and so does the heating forcing in theNorthern Hemisphere mid-latitude.Forced by the heating forcing in the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude,the features similar to the Northern Hemisphere summer monsoon circulation can be ob-tained.It appears that the meridional circulation plays certain role in the formation of summer mon-soon circulation.The heating anomaly forcing located at the eastern equatorial Pacific makes the sta-tionary waves present PNA(Pacific-North America)pattern in the winter hemisphere,but it doesnot in the summer hemisphere.It suggests that the meridional circulation has a marked influence onthe route of stationary wave propagation both in the winter and summer hemispheres.     

Change in Sea Ice Cover is Responsible for Non-Uniform Variation in Winter Temperature over East Asia

Observed winter(December–February)surface air temperature over East Asia(0°–60°N,100–140°E)(TEA)shows non-uniform variation during 1979–2013,with cooling and weak warming north and south of40°N.To understand this,the authors perform statistical analysis(linear regression and composite)on the observed data.The results suggest that reduced(increased)autumn sea ice cover in the Barents-Kara Sea(BK-ASIC)lowers(warms)TEA over northern East Asia,which is consistent with previous studies.In comparison,increased(decreased)winter sea ice cover in the Sea of Okhotsk(O-WSIC),warms(cools)the air over southern East Asia.The mechanism can be described as follows:When the BK-ASIC decreases,the East Asian winter monsoon tends to be stronger with an intensified Siberian high,leading to cooling over northern East Asia.An O-WSIC increase is associated with cold anomalies north of 50°N,altering the meridional temperature gradient between the midlatitudes and tropics,and leading to a northward shift of the East Asian jet steam in the upper troposphere.In the low atmosphere,anomalous northeasterly winds prevail north of50°N and anomalous southerly winds control the southern coast of East Asia,contributing to the weak warming over southern East Asia.Version 3 of the Community Atmosphere Model also provides evidence for the impact of increased O-WSIC on the warm southern mode of TEA.     

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF NORTHWEST PACIFIC TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY IN A GLOBAL WARMING SCENARIO

Utilizing the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and Tokyo-Typhoon Center of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA RSMC TOKYO) best-track tropical cyclone (TC) data for the period 1951–2014, variations in spatial and temporal characteristics of Northwest Pacific TC activity for a global warming scenario are discussed. The results suggest that since the early 1960s, there has been an overall decreasing trend in the frequency of occurrence, intensity, peak intensity, length of movement, and lifetime of TCs. However, global warming has led to a linearly increasing trend in TC activity in eastern Asia, which indicates that Northwest Pacific TC activity decreases, but the frequency of landfalls and intensity are likely strengthened. Therefore, the threat of TCs towards eastern Asia is enhanced. The increase in TC activity in eastern Asia is likely the result of a strengthened Walker circulation due to an increasing temperature gradient between the northwest Pacific Ocean and the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The strengthening Walker circulation could increase the magnitude of the vertical wind shear, relative vorticity, and meridional wind shear of low-level easterlies near the equator in the tropical Northwest Pacific, which affects the spatial and temporal variations of TC activity in the Northwest Pacific.     

Simulations of Eurasian Winter Temperature Trends in Coupled and Uncoupled CFSv2

Conflicting results have been presented regarding the link between Arctic sea-ice loss and midlatitude cooling, particularly over Eurasia. This study analyzes uncoupled(atmosphere-only) and coupled(ocean–atmosphere) simulations by the Climate Forecast System, version 2(CFSv2), to examine this linkage during the Northern Hemisphere winter, focusing on the simulation of the observed surface cooling trend over Eurasia during the last three decades. The uncoupled simulations are Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project(AMIP) runs forced with mean seasonal cycles of sea surface temperature(SST)and sea ice, using combinations of SST and sea ice from different time periods to assess the role that each plays individually,and to assess the role of atmospheric internal variability. Coupled runs are used to further investigate the role of internal variability via the analysis of initialized predictions and the evolution of the forecast with lead time.The AMIP simulations show a mean warming response over Eurasia due to SST changes, but little response to changes in sea ice. Individual runs simulate cooler periods over Eurasia, and this is shown to be concurrent with a stronger Siberian high and warming over Greenland. No substantial differences in the variability of Eurasian surface temperatures are found between the different model configurations. In the coupled runs, the region of significant warming over Eurasia is small at short leads, but increases at longer leads. It is concluded that, although the models have some capability in highlighting the temperature variability over Eurasia, the observed cooling may still be a consequence of internal variability.     

An aridity trend in china and its abrupt feature in association with the global warming

A distinct aridity tread in China in last 100 years is presented by applying a linear fitting to both the climate re-cords and the hydrological records, which is supported by evidence of environmental changes and seems to be associ-ated with a global warming trend during this period.The Mann Kendall Rank statistic test reveals a very interesting feature that the climate of China entered into a dry regime abruptly in about l920’s, which synchronized with the rapid warming of the global temperature at almost the same time.According to an analysis of the meridional profile of observed global zonal mean precipitation anomalies during the peak period of global warming (1930-1940), the drought occurred in whole middle latitude zone (25oN-55oN) of the Northern Hemisphere, where the most part of China is located in. Although this pattern is in good agreement with the latitude distribution of the difference of zonal mean rates of precipitation between 4 × CO2 and 1 × CO2 simu-lated by climate model (Manabe and Wetherald, 1983), more studies are required to understand the linkage between the aridity trend in China and the greenhouse effect.The EOF analysis of the Northern Hemisphere sea level pressure for the season of June to August shows an ab-rupt change of the time coefficient of its first eigenvector from positive to negative in mid-lP^s, indicating an enhancement of the subtropical high over Southeast Asia and the western Pacific after that time. This is an atmos-pheric circulation pattern that is favorable to the development of dry climate in China.