Seasonal evolution mechanism of the East Asian winter monsoon and its interannual variability

This study investigates the space–time evolution of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and its relationship with other climate subsystems. Cyclostationary Empirical Orthogonal Function (CSEOF) analysis and the multiple regression method are used to delineate the detailed evolution of various atmospheric and surface variables in connection with the EAWM. The 120 days of winter (November 17–March 16) per year over 62 years (1948–2010) are analyzed using the NCEP daily reanalysis dataset. The first CSEOF mode of 850-hPa temperatures depicts the seasonal evolution of the EAWM. The contrast in heat capacity between the continent and the northwestern Pacific results in a differential heating in the lower troposphere. Its temporal evolution drives the strengthening and weakening of the Siberian High and the Aleutian Low. The anomalous sea level pressure pattern dictates anomalous circulation, in compliance with the geostrophic relationship. Thermal advection, in addition to net surface radiation, partly contributes to temperature variations in winter. Latent and sensible heat fluxes (thermal forcing from the ocean to the atmosphere) increase with decreased thermal advection. Anomalous upper-level circulation is closely linked to the low-level temperature anomaly in terms of the thermal wind equation. The interannual variability of the seasonal cycle of the EAWM is strongly controlled by the relative strength of the Siberian High to the Aleutian Low. A stronger than normal gradient between the two pressure systems amplifies the seasonal cycle of the EAWM. The EAWM seasonal cycle in the mid-latitude region exhibits a weak negative correlation with the Arctic Oscillation and the East Atlantic/West Russia indices.