Analysis on long-term change of sea surface temperature in the China Seas

Long-term change of sea surface temperature (SST) in the China Seas from 1900 to 2006 is examined based on two different observation datasets (HadISST1 and HadSST3). Similar to the Atlantic, SST in the China Seas has been well observed dur-ing the past 107 years. A comparison between the reconstructed (HadISST1) and un-interpolated (HadSST3) datasets shows that the SST warming trends from both datasets are consistent with each other in most of the China Seas. The warming trends are stronger in winter than in summer, with a maximum rate of SST increase exceeding 2.7℃ (100 year)-1 in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait during winter based on HadISST1. However, the SST from both datasets experienced a sudden decrease after 1999 in the China Seas. The estimated trend from HadISST1 is stronger than that from HadSST3 in the East China Sea and the east of Taiwan Island, where the difference in the linear SST warming trends are as large as about 1℃ (100 year)-1 when using respectively HadISST1 and HadSST3 datasets. When compared to the linear winter warming trend of the land surface air temperature (1.6℃ (100 year)-1), HadSST3 shows a more reasonable trend of less than 2.1℃ (100 year)-1 than HadISST1’s trend of larger than 2.7℃ (100 year)-1 at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The results also indicate large uncertainties in the estimate of SST warming patterns.     

Warming trend in northern East China Sea in recent four decades

Global warming has become a notable trend especially since an abrupt climate change in 1976. Response of the East China Sea (ECS) to the global warming trend, however, is not well understood because of sparse long-term observation. In this paper, hydrographic observation data of 1957–1996 are collected and reviewed to study climatological variability in northern ECS. Significant warming trends are found in both summer and winter. In summer, the average SST is about 0.46°C higher during the period of 1977-19...     

Surface diurnal warming in the East China Sea derived from satellite remote sensing

Process of sea surface diurnal warming has drawn a lot of attention in recent years, but that occurs in shelf seas was rarely addressed. In the present work, surface diurnal warming strength in the East China Sea was calculated by the sea surface temperature(SST) data derived from the MODIS sensors carried by the satellites Aqua and Terra. Due to transit time difference, both the number of valid data and the surface diurnal warming strength computed by the MODIS-Aqua data are relatively larger than Terra. Therefore, the 10-year MODIS-Aqua data from 2005 to 2014 were used to analyze the monthly variability of the surface diurnal warming. Generally, the surface diurnal warming in the East China sea is stronger in summer and autumn but weaker in winter and spring, while it shows different peaks in different regions. Large events with ΔT≥5 K have also been discussed. They were found mainly in coastal area, especially near the Changjiang(Yangtze) River estuary. And there exists a high-incidence period from April to July. Furthermore, the relationship between surface diurnal warming and wind speed was discussed. Larger diurnal warming mainly lies in areas with low wind speed. And its possibility decreases with the increase of wind speed. Events with ΔT ≥2.5 K rarely occur when wind speed is over 12 m/s. Study on surface diurnal warming in the East China Sea may help to understand the daily scale air-sea interaction in the shelf seas. A potential application might be in the marine weather forecasts by numerical models. Its impact on the coastal eco-system and the activities of marine organisms can also be pursued.     

Impacts of global warming on patterns of temperature change in China

Global climate change has a wide range of impacts, and this paper presents an investigation on how global warming has changed the relationship between air temperature and latitude ＆ altitude using the meteorological data obtained from 160 stations in China. The investigation indicates that there are very distinct seasonal differences in patterns of temperature variation as a function of latitude and altitude： a very significant latitude effect in winter and a very significant altitude effect in summer. However, with global warming, the latitude effect in winter is weakening and the altitude effect in summer is strengthening. This pattern of change in the relationship between temperature and latitude ＆ altitude is helpful in efforts to reconstruct and explain the past temperature patterns and variations.     

The Different Effects of Sea Surface Temperature and Aerosols on Climate in East Asia During Spring

In this study, we used the NCAR CAM3.0 model to study the climate effects of both decadal global Sea Surface Temperature(SST) changing and the increasing aerosol concentration in East Asia in boreal spring. In the decadal SST changing experiment, a prominent sea surface cyclone anomaly occurred west of the Northwest Pacific warming SST. The cyclone anomaly is conductive to anomalous rising motion and more rainfall over the Northwest Pacific and southeast coast areas of China, but less rainfall in central China. Caused by the only aerosol concentration increasing, the change of climate in East Asia is totally different from that induced by the regime shift of SST around 1976/77 with the same model. The sulfate and black carbon aerosol concentrations were doubled respectively and synchronously in East Asia(20?–50?N, 100?–150?E) to investigate the climate effects of these two major aerosol types in three experiments. The results show that, in all three aerosol concentration changing experiments, the rainfall during boreal spring increases in North China and decreases in central China. It's worth noting that in the DTWO experiment, the rainfall diminishes in central China while it increases in the north and southeast coast areas of China, which is similar to observations. From the vertical profile between 110?E and 120?E, it is found that sulfate and black carbon aerosols first change the temperature of lower troposphere owing to their direct radiative effect, and then induce secondary meridional circulation anomaly through the different dynamic mechanisms involved, and at last generate precipitation and surface temperature anomalous patterns mentioned above.     

Preliminary results of assessing the mixing of wave transport flux residualin the upper ocean with ROMS

The effects of the mixing of wave transport flux residual(Bvl) on the upper ocean is studied through carrying out the control run(CR) and a series of sensitive runs(SR) with ROMS model.In this study,the important role of Bvl is revealed by comparing the ocean temperature,statistical analysis of errors and evaluating the mixed layer depth.It is shown that the overestimated SST is improved effectively when the wave-induced mixing is incorporated to the vertical mixing scheme.As can be seen from the vertical structure of temperature 28℃ isotherm changes from 20 min CR to 35 m in SR3,which is more close to the observation.Statistic analysis shows that the root-mean-square errors of the temperature in 10 m are reduced and the correlation between model results and observation data are increased after considering the effect of Bvl.The numerical results of the ocean temperature show improvement in summer and in tropical zones in winter,especially in the strong current regions in summer.In August the mixed layer depth(MLD) which is defined as the depth that the temperature has changed 0.5℃ from the reference depth of 10 m is further analyzed.The simulation results have a close relationship with undetermined coefficient of Bvl,sensitivity studies show that a coefficient about 0.1 is reasonable value in the model.     

Characteristics of the dynamic changes in active accumulated temperature in Sichuan,China in the last 51 years against the background of climate change

It is of utmost necessity to understand the dynamics of regional active accumulated temperature(AAT) to cope with the negative impacts of global warming on agroforestry development and food security and to provide a real-time and effective reference basis for regional agroforestry planning.The daily temperature data from 30 meteorological stations in Sichuan Province from 1970 to 2020, and sea surface temperature(SST) index data from the Atlantic Multiphase Oscillation(AMO) and Pacific Decadal O...     

The Effect of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation on Mixed Layer and Upper Ocean Temperature over the South China Sea

Intraseasonal oscillation of the mixed layer and upper ocean temperature has been found to occur over the South China Sea(SCS) in the summer monsoon season based on the multiple reanalysis and observational data in this study. The method of composite analysis and an upper ocean temperature equation assisted the analysis of physical mechanisms. The results show that the mixed layer depth(MLD) in the SCS has a significant oscillation with a 30 – 60 d period over the SCS region, which is closely re...     

Analysis of recent climate change over the Arctic using ERA-Interim reanalysis data

This study investigates recent climate change over the Arctic and its link to the mid-latitudes using the ERA-Interim global atmospheric reanalysis data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast （ECMWF）. Since 1979, sub- stantial surface warming, associated with the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gases, has occurred over the Arctic. The great- est warming in winter has taken place offshore in the Kara-Barents Sea, and is associated with the increase in turbulent heat fluxes from the marginal ice zone. In contrast to the marked warming over the Arctic Ocean in winter, substantial cooling appears over Siberia and eastern Asia, linked to the reduction of Arctic sea ice during the freezing season （September-March）. However, in summer, very little change is observed in surface air temperature over the Arctic because increased radiative heat melts the sea ice and the amount of turbulent heat gain from the ocean is relatively small. The heat stored in the upper ocean mixed layer in summer with the opening of the Arctic Ocean is released back to the atmosphere as turbulent heat fluxes during the autumn and through to the following spring. This warming of the Arctic and the reduced sea ice amplifies surface cooling over Siberia and eastern Asia in winter.     

A comparison of Argo nominal surface and near-surface temperature for validation of AMSR-E SST

Satellite SST(sea surface temperature) from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System(AMSR-E) is compared with in situ temperature observations from Argo profiling floats over the global oceans to evaluate the advantages of Argo NST(near-surface temperature: water temperature less than 1 m from the surface). By comparing Argo nominal surface temperature(~5 m) with its NST, a diurnal cycle caused by daytime warming and nighttime cooling was found, along with a maximum warming of 0.08±0.36°C during 14:00–15:00 local time. Further comparisons between Argo 5-m temperature/Argo NST and AMSR-E SST retrievals related to wind speed, columnar water vapor, and columnar cloud water indicate warming biases at low wind speed(5 m/s) and columnar water vapor 28 mm during daytime. The warming tendency is more remarkable for AMSR-E SST/Argo 5-m temperature compared with AMSR-E SST/Argo NST, owing to the effect of diurnal warming. This effect of diurnal warming events should be excluded before validation for microwave SST retrievals. Both AMSR-E nighttime SST/Argo 5-m temperature and nighttime SST/Argo NST show generally good agreement, independent of wind speed and columnar water vapor. From our analysis, Argo NST data demonstrated their advantages for validation of satellite-retrieved SST.     

Changes of temperature and precipitation extremes in Hengduan Mountains, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in 1961–2008

Variations and trends in extreme climate events are more sensitive to climate change than the mean values,and so have received much attention.In this study,twelve indices of temperature extremes and 11 indices of precipitation extremes at 32 meteorological stations in Hengduan Mountains were examined for the period 1961-2008.The results reveal statistically significant increases in the temperature of the warmest and coldest nights and in the frequencies of extreme warm days and nights.Decreases of the diurnal temperature range and the numbers of frost days and ice days are statistically significant.Regional averages of growing season length also display the trends consistent and significant with warming.At a large proportion of the stations,patterns of temperature extremes are consistent with warming since 1961:warming trends in minimum temperature indices are greater than those relating to maximum temperature.As the center of the Shaluli Mountain,the warming magnitudes decrease from inner to outer.Changes in precipitation extremes is low:trends are difficult to detect against the larger inter-annual and decadal-scale variability of precipitation,and only the wet day precipitation and the regional trend in consecutive dry days are significant at the 0.05 level.It can be concluded that the variation of extreme precipitation events is not obvious in the Hengduan Mountains,however,the regional trends generally decrease from the south to the north.Overall,the spatial distribution of temporal changes of all extreme climate indices in the Hengduan Mountains illustrated here reflects the climatic complexity in mountainous regions.     

The Upper Ocean Thermal Structure and the Genesis Locations of Tropical Cyclones in the South China Sea

The relationship between the upper ocean thermal structure and the genesis locations of tropical cyclones （TCs） in the South China Sea （SCS） is investigated by using the Joint Typhoon Warning Center （JTWC） best-track archives and high resolution （1/4 degree） temperature analyses of the world＇s oceans in this paper In the monthly mean genesis positions of TCs from 1945 to 2005 in the SCS, the mean sea surface temperature （SST） was 28.8℃ and the mean depth of 26℃ water was 53.1 m. From the monthly distribution maps of genesis positions of TCs, SST and the depth of 26℃ water in the SCS, we discovered that there existed regions with SST exceeding 26℃ and 26℃ water depth exceeding 50m where no tropical cyclones formed from 1945 to 2005 in the SCS, which suggests that there were other factors unfavorable for TC formation in these regions.     

Dynamic Variability in Daily Temperature Extremes and Their Relationships with Large-scale Atmospheric Circulation During 1960–2015 in Xinjiang,China

Climate changes are likely to increase the risk of numerous extreme weather events throughout the world. The objectives of this study were to investigate and analyze the temporal-spatial variability patterns of temperature extremes based on daily maximum(TX) and minimum temperature(TN) data collected from 49 meteorological stations in Xinjiang of China during 1960–2015. These temperature data were also used to assess the impacts of altitude on the temperature extremes. Additionally, possible teleconnections with the large-scale circulation pattern(the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, ENSO and Arctic Oscillation, AO) were investigated. Results showed that all percentile indices had trends consistent with warming in most parts of Xinjiang during 1960–2015, but the warming was more pronounced for indices derived from TN compared to those from TX. The minimum TN and maximum TX increased at rates of 0.16℃/10 yr and 0.59℃/10 yr, respectively during 1960–2015. Accordingly, the diurnal temperature range showed a significant decreasing trend of –0.23℃/10 yr for the whole study area. The frequency of the annual average of the warm events showed significant increasing trends while that of the cold events presented decreasing trends. Over the same period, the number of frost days showed a statistically significant decreasing trend of –3.37 d/10 yr. The number of the summer days and the growing season showed significant increasing trends at rates of 1.96 and 2.74 d/10 yr, respectively. The abrupt change year of each index was from the 1980 s to the 1990 s, showing that this periodic interval was a transitional phase between cold and warm climate change. Significant correlations of temperature extremes and elevation included the trends of tropical nights, growing season frequency, and cold spell duration indicator. This result also indicated the clear and complex local influence on climatic extremes. In addition, the relationship between each index of the temperature extremes with large-scale atmospheric circulation(ENSO and AO) demonstrated that the influence of ENSO on each index of the temperature extremes was greater than that of the AO in Xinjiang.     

Warmer-Get-Wetter or Wet-Get-Wetter? A Criterion to Classify Oceanic Precipitation

In this study, the temporal and spatial variations of observed global oceanic precipitation during 1979–2010 are investigated. It is found that the global trend in precipitation during this period varies at a rate of 1.5%/K of surface warming while the rate is 6.6%/K during 2006–2010. The precipitation is highly correlated with Sea Surface Temperature(SST) in both the temporal and the spatial patterns since the strong 1997–98 El Nino event. Considering the distributions of precipitation and SST, seven oceanic regions are classified and presented using the observed Global Precipitation Climatology Project(GPCP) data and Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperatures, version 3(ERSST.v3) data. Further examining the mechanisms of the classified oceanic precipitation regions is conducted using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) satellite, GFDL-ESM-2G model precipitation and SST data and Hadley Center sea ice and SST version 1(Had ISST1) data. More than 85% of global oceanic precipitations are controlled by either one or both of the warmer-get-wetter mechanism and wet-get-wetter mechanism. It is estimated that a 0.5 SST signal-to-noise ratio, representing the trend of SST time series to the standard deviation, is a criterion to distinguish the mechanism of a region. When the SST ratio is larger than 0.5, the precipitation of this region is controlled by the warmer-get-wetter mechanism. SST, rather than the humidity, is the pivotal factor. On the other hand, when the SST ratio is less than 0.5, the precipitation is controlled by the wet-get-wetter mechanism. The SST variability is a significant factor contributing to the precipitation variation.     

Influence of sequential tropical cyclones on phytoplankton blooms in the northwestern South China Sea

Upper ocean responses to the passage of sequential tropical cyclones over the northwestern South China Sea(SCS) in 2011 were investigated using satellite remote sensing data,Argo reanalysis data,and an array of mooring data.We found that the sea surface low temperature region lasted for more than 38 days and two phytoplankton blooms occurred after the passage of sequential tropical cyclones.The upper ocean cooling reached 2-5℃ with a right-side bias was observed along the typhoon track to about 200 km.The maintenance of low temperature region and the two phytoplankton blooms were mainly driven by upwelling and near-inertial turbulence mixing induced by the sequential tropical cyclones.The first phytoplankton bloom appeared on the 7~(th) day after the passage of the three tropical cyclones,and the chlorophyll-a(chl-a) concentration increased by 226%,which may be mainly driven by typhoons induced upwelling.The second phytoplankton bloom occurred on the 30~(th) day,the chl-a concentration increased by290%.Further analysis suggested that only the typhoons with similar characteristics as Nesat and Nalgae can induce strong near-inertial oscillation(NIO).Strong turbulent mixing associated with the near-inertial baroclinic shear instability lasted for 26 days.The measured mean eddy diffusivity in the upper ocean was above 10~(-4) m~2/s after typhoon Nesat.Enhancement of the turbulent mixing in the upper ocean helped to transport nutrient-rich cold waters from the deep layer to the euphotic layer,and is a maj or mechanism for the long-term maintenance of low temperature region as well as the second phytoplankton bloom.     

Numerical Simulation of Typhoon Muifa(2011) Using a Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport(COAWST) Modeling System

The newly developed Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport(COAWST) Modeling System is applied to investigate typhoon-ocean interactions in this study. The COAWST modeling system represents the state-of-the-art numerical simulation technique comprising several coupled models to study coastal and environmental processes. The modeling system is applied to simulate Typhoon Muifa(2011), which strengthened from a tropical storm to a super typhoon in the Northwestern Pacific, to explore the heat fluxes exchanged among the processes simulated using the atmosphere model WRF, ocean model ROMS and wave model SWAN. These three models adopted the same horizontal grid. Three numerical experiments with different coupling configurations are performed in order to investigate the impact of typhoon-ocean interaction on the intensity and ocean response to typhoon. The simulated typhoon tracks and intensities agree with observations. Comparisons of the simulated variables with available atmospheric and oceanic observations show the good performance of using the coupled modeling system for simulating the ocean and atmosphere processes during a typhoon event. The fully coupled simulation that includes a ocean model identifies a decreased SST as a result of the typhoon-forced entrainment. Typhoon intensity and wind speed are reduced due to the decrease of the sea surface temperature when using a coupled ocean model. The experiments with ocean coupled to atmosphere also results in decreased sea surface heat flux and air temperature. The heat flux decreases by about 29% compared to the WRF only case. The reduction of the energy induced by SST decreases, resulting in weakening of the typhoon. Coupling of the waves to the atmosphere and ocean model induces a slight increase of SST in the typhoon center area with the ocean-atmosphere interaction increased as a result of wave feedback to atmosphere.     

EAST CHINA SEA RESPONSE TO TROPICAL CYCLONES

The response of the East China Sea (ECS) to a tropical cyclone (TC) is studied with a two-layernonlinear primitive equation ocean model. Numerica experiments indicate that there is rightward bias inocean response to a moving TC. The initial middle layer (ML) depth and stratification intensity havesubstantial impact on the Changes of SST and ML depth. The initial ML depth has large effect onthe value of the current, whereas the initial stratification intensity has slight influence on it. Thedistribution of ECS ML depth, especially the special ocean thermal structure on the continental shelf facil-itates the drop of SST. The simulation results of ocean response to Typhoon 7002 are fairly consistentwith the observation data.     

A remote sensing based analysis of climate change in Sikkim supported by evidence from the field

The Himalayas hailed as the ‘water towers of the world' feed many perennial rivers which form the lifeline of the Indian sub-continent. Climate change induced rising global temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are currently threatening the glaciers that feed the rivers. The combination of these factors is causing water stresses to a part of the world which is usually considered water abundant. Though there are some large-scale studies done in the Himalayas, regional analysis of changing rainfall patterns and their impacts on vegetation and agriculture is lacking. Here we focus on the Indian state of Sikkim located in the Eastern Himalayas to evaluate these issues using mixed methods. We use satellite data from PERSIANN and MODIS to characterise the regional rainfall, vegetation, and surface temperature trends between 2001 and 2019. While the analysis shows overall declining rainfall trends across most land cover classes, the trends in temperature are mostly positive for the period of study, with winter Land Surface Temperature(LST) values showing the largest area with marginally significant(p0.1) positive trends. In contrast, such patterns are not observed for agriculture. However, the interviews corroborate that even agriculture is impacted, implying that the trends continue at finer spatial scales too. The lack of government support for adaptation and mitigation is also lamented placing the communities at a precarious position to continuing climate change.     

Sea surface height oscillation with quasi-four-month period along the continental slope in the northern South China Sea

The sea surface height oscillation with a quasi-four-month period (SSHO4) along continental slope in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) is detected using satellite altimeter data and an ocean model simulation. The SSHO4 is at southwest of Dongsha Island, and is characterized by a wavelength of ~600 km and a southwestward phase speed of ~0.1 m/s. Crossing the climatological background SST front, geostrophic currents corresponding to the SSHO4 generally induce sea surface temperature (SST) "tongues" during January-March. The cold and warm SST tongues appear southwest of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, respectively. The distance between the warm and cold SST tongues is about half the wavelength of the SSHO4. The geostrophic currents play an important role in lateral mixing, as manifested by the SST tongue phenomena in the NSCS.