Novel dynamical indices for the variations of the western Pacific subtropical high based on three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation in a warming climate

Previous studies have often used the 500 hPa geopotential height to define indices of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH). However, some studies reported that global warming caused a significant increase in geopotential height, particularly at the middle and lower latitudes, leading artificial results about long-term trend of the WPSH. To avoid the spurious signals resulting from global warming, this study first redefines the area, intensity, westward ridge point and ridge line indices of the WPSH by adopting the stream function R of horizontal circulation in the three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation (3P-DGAC). Subsequently, the climatic characteristics of the WPSH in summer are investigated by applying the new indices based on four reanalysis datasets. The results show that the circulation features of the WPSH could be revealed by the stream function R in 3P-DGAC. Moreover, the rain belt over East Asia is located at the northwest periphery of the zero-value isoline of the stream function R. We conclude that the climatological average WPSH is contracted and retreated eastward during 1979–2018 relative to 1948–1978. Nevertheless, by analyzing interdecadal changes of the time series of the new indices during 1948–2018, we find that area and intensity indices decrease with time before the end of 1970s and increase slightly with time after the end of 1970s, the western ridge point index moves eastward with time before the end of the 1970s and moves westward slightly with time after the end of 1970s, as well as there is no obvious interdecadal variations in the ridge line index. Because of the evident dynamical meaning, the stream function R in 3P-DGAC can be used as an objective indicator to describe the interdecadal variation of the WPSH under global warming.