Paleoclimate Modelling at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Paleoclimate modelling is one of the core topics in the Past Global Changes project under the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and has received much attention worldwide in recent decades. Here we summarize the research on the Paleoclimate modeling, including the Holocene, Last Glacial Maximum, and pre-Quaternary climate intervals or events performed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP/CAS) for over one decade. As an attempt to review these academic activities, we emphasize that vegetation and ocean feedbacks can amplify East Asian climate response to the Earth’s orbital parameters and atmospheric CO2 concentration at the mid-Holocene. At the Last Glacial Maximum, additional cooling in interior China is caused by the feedback effects of East Asian vegetation and the ice sheet over the Tibetan Plateau, and the regional climate model RegCM2 generally reduces data-model discrepancies in East Asia. The simulated mid-Pliocene climate is characterized by warmer and drier conditions as well as significantly weakened summer and winter monsoon systems in interior China. On a tectonic timescale, both the Tibetan Plateau uplift and the Paratethys Sea retreat play important roles in the formation of East Asian monsoon-dominant environmental pattern during the Cenozoic.     

Numerical Simulation of Long-Term Climate Change in East Asia

A 10-yr regional climate simulation was performed using the fifth-generation PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model Version 3 (MM5V3) driven by large-scale NCEP/NCAR reanalyses. Simulations of winter and summer mean regional climate features were examined against observations. The results showed that the model could well simulate the 10-yr winter and summer mean circulation, temperature, and moisture transport at middle and low levels. The simulated winter and summer mean sea level pressure agreed with the NCAR/NCEP reanalysis data. The model could well simulate the distribution and intensity of winter mean precipitation rates as well as the distribution of summer mean precipitation rates, but it overestimated the summer mean precipitation over North China. The model's ability to simulate the regional climate change in winter was superior to that in summer. In addition, the model could simulate the inter-annual variation of seasonal precipitation and surface air temperature. Geopotential heights and temperature at middle and high levels between simulations and observations exhibited high anomaly correlation coefficients. The model also showed large variability to simulate the regional climate change associated with the El Nino events. The MM5V3 well simulated the anomalies of summer mean precipitation in 1992 and 1995, while it demonstrated much less ability to simulate that in 1998. Generally speaking, the MM5V3 is capable of simulating the regional climate change, and could be used for long-term regional climate simulation.     

中国北方干旱化年代际特征与大气环流的关系

用CRU和ECMWF资料分析了近代中国北方干湿变化特征及其与东亚大气环流异常特征的关系.结果表明:中国北方干旱化具有显著的年际、年代际特征,20世纪70年代末干湿发生显著转变,西北东部和华北地区变干趋势明显,北方大部分地区干旱现象严重;中国北方地区当前的干旱化时空格局与东亚夏季风异常特征密切相关,夏季风减弱以及由此造成水汽输送量减少是导致干旱化发展的主要原因,而低层大气反气旋环流增强和气旋性环流减弱是引起干旱化的异常环流特征.     

一个气候系统模式FGCM0对东亚副热带西风急流季节变化的模拟

对IAP/LASG气候系统模式试验版(FGCM0)模拟对流层上层东亚副热带西风急流季节变化的能力进行评估, 分析FGCM0模拟的东亚副热带西风急流季节变化与NCEP/NCAR再分析资料的差异及其与对流层大气南北温差的关系.结果表明, FGCM0模拟的冬季和夏季西风急流垂直结构、水平结构和季节变化与NCEP/NCAR再分析资料基本一致, 但FGCM0模拟的东亚副热带西风急流在高原附近地区冬季和夏季都偏强, 沿115°E中国大陆地区上空模拟的急流强度冬季偏弱, 夏季明显偏强.夏季FGCM0模拟的急流中心位于高原东北部的40°N附近地区, 强度偏强, 位置偏东, 而此时NCEP/NCAR再分析资料中的急流中心却位于高原北侧.此外, FGCM0模拟的急流在5月份的北移和8月份的最北位置上与NCEP/NCAR再分析资料差异较大.分析副热带西风急流与对流层南北温差的季节变化发现, 急流出现的位置总是对应着对流层南北温度差较大区域, 与再分析资料相比, FGCM0模拟的温度差在冬季基本一致, 夏季差异较大.与降水的模拟相联系发现, FGCM0模拟得到的与实际不一致的偏西偏北的强降水中心与200 hPa上的东亚副热带急流位置和强度不合理具有密切关系.相关分析表明, 冬季西风急流强度与日本南部海区的感热通量、夏季与青藏高原地区的地面感热通量有明显的正相关关系, 而FGCM0能够较好地模拟冬季西风急流强度与地面感热通量之间的相关关系, 但模拟夏季青藏高原地区感热通量和副热带西风急流之间相关关系的能力相对较差, 夏季西风急流强度与OLR之间却有一定的关系.由于与强降水区相联系的OLR低值区对应着较大的对流凝结加热, 再加上模式中位于青藏高原东南部较大的地面感热加热, 增强了对流层的南北向温度差, 进而影响东亚副热带急流强度和位置.因此, FGCM0模拟的夏季副热带急流位置和强度偏差与高原附近地区的地面感热加热、大气射出长波辐射等的模拟偏差具有密切的关系.     

东北夏季气温变异的区域差异及其与大气环流和海表温度的关系

利用1951～2000年中国东北地区23个台站资料，对东北夏季气温的时空分布进行了研究，发现其变化除具有整体的一致性外，东北南部和北部的夏季气温在年际和年代际时间尺度都表现出很大不同，其中北部区域的夏季气温在1987～1988年间发生了一次显著的气候突变. 另外，剔除夏季气温全区一致变化的年份后，南北两区夏季气温与大气环流和海表温度的关系表明：突变前，影响北部和南部冷/热夏季的大气环流形势存在显著的不同，关键海域亦有很大差异：影响南部的为中纬度西太平洋和印度洋部分海域，影响北部的主要为ENSO事件；突变后，两区的夏季气温及相应大气环流和关键海区都趋于一致. 在整个分析时段内，北部夏季气温与东亚夏季风存在显著负相关，而南部的关系则不明显.     

东亚南北地震带大震活动性研究

根据中国南北地震带与青藏-印尼“歹”字型构造带在成因上的联系，提出东亚南北地震带的观点，认为该地震带包含蒙古、中国西部、缅甸和印尼苏门答腊地区。研究了该带大地震活动的同步性、主体活动区的有序转移、大地震之间的多次相关迁移与重复等特征，并划分出了该带的5个大震活跃幕：1887-1912年、1913-1937年、1938-1957年、1958-1976年、1977-2005年。苏门答腊2004年12月26日8．7级和2005年3月29日8．5级巨震标志着该地震带最近一次以主体活动区南移到苏门答腊为特征的活跃时段即将结束。尽管未来一、两年内地震带的中部存在发生7级地震的有利时段，但结合强震图像异常指标反映的孕震状况分析，未来7级地震危险区尚不明朗。     

参加第6届东亚冬季风季节预测联合会商会总结

1会议概况 2005年11月16～17日，受中国气象局国际司和国家气候中心委派，国家气候中心副主任李维京研究员、科技业务处陶树旺处长和气候系统诊断预测室高辉、柳艳香、李威共5人参加了在韩国首都首尔举行的“第6届东亚冬季风季节预测联合会商会”。这一会议最初由中日韩3国于2000年发起，并对提高东亚地区冬季的季节预测水平，加强地区间的科研和业务合作做出了重要贡献。     

青藏高原加热对东亚地区夏季降水的影响

东亚地区降水主要集中在夏季,是亚洲夏季风系统的重要特征.本文利用NCEP再分析资料和CRU的降水资料,分析了青藏高原非绝热加热对东亚夏季降水的影响.结果表明,东亚地区夏季降水的分布形势与青藏高原非绝热加热变化有很好的相关关系.由于高原非绝热加热可在亚洲东部沿海地区强迫出类似Rossby波列的大气环流低频振荡结构,而此低频波可以影响到西太平洋副热带高压的形态和位置变化,从而使得东亚夏季降水的形势发生变化.而青藏高原非绝热加热的形态从春季到夏季有很好的持续性,春季高原加热与夏季东亚的降水形势分布也有很好的相关.本研究中采用的青藏高原非绝热加热指数可作为东亚夏季降水预测的一个指标,亚洲季风降水不仅受赤道太平洋海温的影响,青藏高原地区的非绝热加热对其也有显著的影响作用.     

Interdecadal Variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon and Associated Atmospheric Circulations

Based on the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCEP/NCAR） reanalysis data from 1950-1999, interdecadal variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM） and its associated atmospheric circulations are investigated. The EASM exhibits a distinct interdecadal variation, with stronger （weaker） summer monsoon maintained from 1950-1964 （1976-1997）. In the former case, there is an enhanced Walker cell in the eastern Pacific and an anti-Walker cell in the western Pacific. The associated ascending motion resides in the central Pacific, which flows eastward and westward in the upper troposphere, descending in the eastern and western ends of the Pacific basin. At the same time, an anomalous East Asian Hadley Cell （EAHC） is found to connect the low-latitude and mid-latitude systems in East Asia, which strengthens the EASM. The descending branch of the EAHC lies in the west part of the anti-Walker cell, flowing northward in the lower troposphere and then ascending at the south of Lake Baikal （40°-50°N, 95°- 115°E） before returning to low latitudes in the upper troposphere, thus strengthening the EASM. The relationship between the EASM and SST in the eastern tropical Pacific is also discussed. A possible mechanism is proposed to link interdecadal variation of the EASM with the eastern tropical Pacific SST. A warmer sea surface temperature anomaly （SSTA） therein induces anomalous ascending motion in the eastern Pacific, resulting in a weaker Walker cell, and at the same time inducing an anomalous Walker cell in the western Pacific and an enhanced EAHC, leading to a weaker EASM. Furthermore, the interdecadal variation of summer precipitation over North China is found to be the south of Lake Baikal through enhancing and reducing strongly regulated by the velocity potential over the regional vertical motions.     

Characteristics and Variations of the East Asian Monsoon System and Its Impacts on Climate Disasters in China

Recent advances in studies of the structural characteristics and temporal-spatial variations of the East Asian monsoon （EAM） system and the impact of this system on severe climate disasters in China are reviewed. Previous studies have improved our understanding of the basic characteristics of horizontal and vertical structures and the annual cycle of the EAM system and the water vapor transports in the EAM region. Many studies have shown that the EAM system is a relatively independent subsystem of the Asian- Australian monsoon system, and that there exists an obvious quasi-biennial oscillation with a meridional tripole pattern distribution in the interannual variations of the EAM system. Further analyses of the basic physical processes, both internal and external, that influence the variability of the EAM system indicate that the EAM system may be viewed as an atmosphere-ocean-land coupled system, referred to the EAM climate system in this paper. Further, the paper discusses how the interaction and relationships among various components of this system can be described through the East Asia Pacific （EAP） teleconnection pattern and the teleconnection pattern of meridional upper-tropospheric wind anomalies along the westerly jet over East Asia. Such reasoning suggests that the occurrence of severe floods in the Yangtze and Hualhe River valleys and prolonged droughts in North China are linked, respectively~ to the background interannual and interdecadal variability of the EAM climate system. Besides, outstanding scientific issues related to the EAM system and its impact on climate disasters in China are also discussed.