Recent Progress in Studies of the Variabilities and Mechanisms of the East Asian Monsoon in a Changing Climate

Located in a monsoon domain,East Asia suffers devastating natural hazards induced by anomalous monsoon behaviors.East Asian monsoon(EAM)research has traditionally been a high priority for the Chinese climate community and is particularly challenging in a changing climate where the global mean temperature has been rising.Recent advances in studies of the variabilities and mechanisms of the EAM are reviewed in this paper,focusing on the interannual to interdecadal time scales.Some new results have been achieved in understanding the behaviors of the EAM,such as the evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM),including both its onset and withdrawal over the South China Sea,the changes in the northern boundary activity of the EASM,or the transitional climate zone in East Asia,and the cycle of the EASM and the East Asian winter monsoon and their linkages.In addition,understanding of the mechanism of the EAM variability has improved in several aspects,including the impacts of different types of ENSO on the EAM,the impacts from the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean,and the roles of mid-to high-latitude processes.Finally,some scientific issues regarding our understanding of the EAM are proposed for future investigation.     

AN INTEGRATION METHOD WITH FITTING CUBIC SPLINE FUNCTIONS TO A NUMERICAL MODEL OF 2ND-ORDER SPACE-TIME DIFFERENTIAL REMAINDER——FOR AN IDEAL GLOBAL SIMULATION CASE WITH PRIMITIVE ATMOSPHERIC EQUATIONS

In this paper,the forecasting equations of a 2nd-order space-time differential remainder are deduced from the Navier-Stokes primitive equations and Eulerian operator by Taylor-series expansion.Here we introduce a cubic spline numerical model(Spline Model for short),which is with a quasi-Lagrangian time-split integration scheme of fitting cubic spline/bicubic surface to all physical variable fields in the atmospheric equations on spherical discrete latitude-longitude mesh.A new algorithm of"fitting cubic spline—time step integration—fitting cubic spline—……"is developed to determine their first-and2nd-order derivatives and their upstream points for time discrete integral to the governing equations in Spline Model.And the cubic spline function and its mathematical polarities are also discussed to understand the Spline Model’s mathematical foundation of numerical analysis.It is pointed out that the Spline Model has mathematical laws of"convergence"of the cubic spline functions contracting to the original functions as well as its 1st-order and 2nd-order derivatives.The"optimality"of the 2nd-order derivative of the cubic spline functions is optimal approximation to that of the original functions.In addition,a Hermite bicubic patch is equivalent to operate on a grid for a 2nd-order derivative variable field.Besides,the slopes and curvatures of a central difference are identified respectively,with a smoothing coefficient of 1/3,three-point smoothing of that of a cubic spline.Then the slopes and curvatures of a central difference are calculated from the smoothing coefficient 1/3 and three-point smoothing of that of a cubic spline,respectively.Furthermore,a global simulation case of adiabatic,non-frictional and"incompressible"model atmosphere is shown with the quasi-Lagrangian time integration by using a global Spline Model,whose initial condition comes from the NCEP reanalysis data,along with quasi-uniform latitude-longitude grids and the so-called"shallow atmosphere"Navier-Stokes primitive equations in the spherical coordinates.The Spline Model,which adopted the Navier-Stokes primitive equations and quasi-Lagrangian time-split integration scheme,provides an initial ideal case of global atmospheric circulation.In addition,considering the essentially non-linear atmospheric motions,the Spline Model could judge reasonably well simple points of any smoothed variable field according to its fitting spline curvatures that must conform to its physical interpretation.     

Classification of Northeast China Cold Vortex Activity Paths in Early Summer Based on K-means Clustering and Their Climate Impact

The classification of the Northeast China Cold Vortex(NCCV)activity paths is an important way to analyze its characteristics in detail.Based on the daily precipitation data of the northeastern China(NEC)region,and the atmospheric circulation field and temperature field data of ERA-Interim for every six hours,the NCCV processes during the early summer(June)seasons from 1979 to 2018 were objectively identified.Then,the NCCV processes were classified using a machine learning method(k-means)according to the characteristic parameters of the activity path information.The rationality of the classification results was verified from two aspects,as follows:(1)the atmospheric circulation configuration of the NCCV on various paths;and(2)its influences on the climate conditions in the NEC.The obtained results showed that the activity paths of the NCCV could be divided into four types according to such characteristics as the generation origin,movement direction,and movement velocity of the NCCV.These included the generation-eastward movement type in the east of the Mongolia Plateau(eastward movement type or type A);generation-southeast longdistance movement type in the upstream of the Lena River(southeast long-distance movement type or type B);generationeastward less-movement type near Lake Baikal(eastward less-movement type or type C);and the generation-southward less-movement type in eastern Siberia(southward less-movement type or type D).There were obvious differences observed in the atmospheric circulation configuration and the climate impact of the NCCV on the four above-mentioned types of paths,which indicated that the classification results were reasonable.     

Forecasting Quasi-stationary Front Rainstorm in Southeast China Using Synthetically Multilevel Analog Forecast Technology

The authors use numerical model integral products in a third level forecast of synthetically multi-level analog forecast technology.This is one of the strongest points of this study,which also includes the re-ducing mean vacant-forecast rate method,which pos-sesses many advantages with regard to filtering the analog term.Moreover,the similitude degree between samples is assessed using a combination of meteorological elements,which works better than that described using a single element in earlier analog forecast studies.Based on these techniques,the authors apply the model output,air sounding,surface observation and weather map data from 1990 to 2002 to perform an analog experiment of the quasi-stationary front rainstorm.The most important re-sults are as follows:(1) The forecast successful index is 0.36,and was improved after the forecast model was re-vised.(2) The forecast precise rate (0.59) and the lost-forecast rate (0.33) are also better than those of other methods.(3) Based on the model output data,the syn-thetically multilevel analog forecast technology can pro-duce more accurate forecasts of a quasi-stationary front rainstorm.(4) Optimal analog elements reveal that trig-gering mechanisms are located in the lower troposphere while upper level systems are more important in main-taining the phase of the rainstorm.These variables should be first taken into account in operational forecasts of the quasi-stationary front rainstorm.(5) In addition,experi-ments reveal that the position of the key zone is mainly decided by the position of the system causing the heavy rainfall.     

巧修虹吸雨量计浮子

地面气象常规仪器的零配件近年来十分紧缺,特别是虹吸雨量计的浮子。浮子是虹吸雨量计中最重要的零件,而浮子又最容易冻坏。例如,牡丹江地区2005年5月6～9日4d内,先是下了雨,后又转雨加雪、雪,绥芬河站的降水量近30mm。温度最低降到1.6℃,虹吸雨量计的安装时间和拆卸时间很难掌握,安装太迟或拆卸太早都可能影响到年度15个时段最大降水量的挑选。由于气候变化和人为因素造成浮子冻坏的现象屡见不鲜,一旦浮子底部冻裂而又没有备份浮子,为了气象资料的完整性可采取巧焊浮子的方法,焊好待用,有了新的浮子再更新。     

江西省2006年1-12月自然灾害公报(摘录)

受气候异常影响,2006年江西自然灾害总体发生水平与常年相比,属偏重发生年份。全省自然灾害主要以台风、暴雨洪涝、雷电、地质灾害、农林生物灾害为主。其中风雹、雷电灾害频繁,雷电死亡人数     

Influence of the NAO on Wintertime Surface Air Temperature over East Asia: Multidecadal Variability and Decadal Prediction

In this paper,we investigate the influence of the winter NAO on the multidecadal variability of winter East Asian surface air temperature(EASAT)and EASAT decadal prediction.The observational analysis shows that the winter EASAT and East Asian minimum SAT(EAmSAT)display strong in-phase fluctuations and a significant 60-80-year multidecadal variability,apart from a long-term warming trend.The winter EASAT experienced a decreasing trend in the last two decades,which is consistent with the occurrence of extremely cold events in East Asia winters in recent years.The winter NAO leads the detrended winter EASAT by 12-18 years with the greatest significant positive correlation at the lead time of 15 years.Further analysis shows that ENSO may affect winter EASAT interannual variability,but does not affect the robust lead relationship between the winter NAO and EASAT.We present the coupled oceanic-atmospheric bridge(COAB)mechanism of the NAO influences on winter EASAT multidecadal variability through its accumulated delayed effect of~15 years on the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO)and Africa-Asia multidecadal teleconnection(AAMT)pattern.An NAO-based linear model for predicting winter decadal EASAT is constructed on the principle of the COAB mechanism,with good hindcast performance.The winter EASAT for 2020-34 is predicted to keep on fluctuating downward until~2025,implying a high probability of occurrence of extremely cold events in coming winters in East Asia,followed by a sudden turn towards sharp warming.The predicted 2020/21 winter EASAT is almost the same as the 2019/20 winter.     

Phase Two of the Integrative Monsoon Frontal Rainfall Experiment (IMFRE-II) over the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River in 2020

Phase Two of the Integrative Monsoon Frontal Rainfall Experiment(IMFRE-II)was conducted over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the period 16 June to 19 July 2020.This paper provides a brief overview of the IMFRE-II field campaign,including the multiple ground-based remote sensors,aircraft probes,and their corresponding measurements during the 2020 mei-yu period,as well as how to use these numerous datasets to answer scientific questions.The highlights of IMFRE-II are:(1)to the best of our knowledge,IMFRE-II is the first field campaign in China to use ground-based,airborne,and spaceborne platforms to conduct comprehensive observations over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River;and(2)seven aircraft flights were successfully carried out,and the spectra of ice particles,cloud droplets,and raindrops at different altitudes were obtained.These in-situ measurements will provide a“cloud truth”to validate the ground-based and satellite-retrieved cloud and precipitation properties and quantitatively estimate their retrieval uncertainties.They are also crucial for the development of a warm(and/or cold)rain conceptual model in order to better understand the cloud-to-rain conversion and accretion processes in mei-yu precipitation events.Through an integrative analysis of ground-based,aircraft,and satellite observations and model simulations,we can significantly improve our cloud and precipitation retrieval algorithms,investigate the microphysical properties of cloud and precipitation,understand in-depth the formation and dissipation mechanisms of mei-yu frontal systems,and improve cloud microphysics parameterization schemes and model simulations.     

Ocean Response to a Climate Change Heat-Flux Perturbation in an Ocean Model and Its Corresponding Coupled Model

State-of-the-art coupled general circulation models(CGCMs)are used to predict ocean heat uptake(OHU)and sealevel change under global warming.However,the projections of different models vary,resulting in high uncertainty.Much of the inter-model spread is driven by responses to surface heat perturbations.This study mainly focuses on the response of the ocean to a surface heat flux perturbation F,as prescribed by the Flux-Anomaly-Forced Model Intercomparison Project(FAFMIP).The results of ocean model were compared with those of a CGCM with the same ocean component.On the global scale,the changes in global mean temperature,ocean heat content(OHC),and steric sea level(SSL)simulated in the OGCM are generally consistent with CGCM simulations.Differences in changes in ocean temperature,OHC,and SSL between the two models primarily occur in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans(AA)and the Southern Ocean(SO)basins.In addition to the differences in surface heat flux anomalies between the two models,differences in heat exchange between basins also play an important role in the inconsistencies in ocean climate changes in the AA and SO basins.These discrepancies are largely due to both the larger initial value and the greater weakening change of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation(AMOC)in CGCM.The greater weakening of the AMOC in the CGCM is associated with the atmosphere–ocean feedback and the lack of a restoring salinity boundary condition.Furthermore,differences in surface salinity boundary conditions between the two models contribute to discrepancies in SSL changes.     

CHARACTERISTICS OF TROPICAL CYCLONES IMPACTING A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN SOUTHERN FUJIAN AND ESTIMATE OF MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE

Based on tropical cyclone (TC) data for the period 1949 to 2008 and following the Gumbe-I method, Pearson-Ⅲ method and determinacy method, this article estimates the possible minimum central pressure of TCs affecting southern Fujian where a nuclear power will be located. Results show that the observed minimum central pressure of TCs agrees well with the results determined with the methods above and there is little difference between them (the minimum central pressure is 867.4 hPa and 868.1 hPa, respectively, in a 1,000-yr return period). Established with the theory of atmospheric dynamics, the determinacy method yields a result of 867.28 hPa/1000 years, only a little smaller than the result of the probability method. Because of randomicity in parameter adjustment with the Pearson-Ⅲ method whereas the determinacy method is theoretically solid and its estimates are the smallest of the three methods, it is therefore reasonable, for security and conservative concerns, to adopt the result determined with the determinacy method as the possible maximum intensity of TC (with the central pressure being 867.28 hPa in a 1,000-yr return period).     

A Comparison of Two Bulk Microphysics Parameterizations for the Study of Aerosol Impacts on an Idealized Supercell

Idealized supercell storms are simulated with two aerosol-aware bulk microphysics schemes(BMSs),the Thompson and the Chen-Liu-Reisner(CLR),using the Weather Research and Forecast(WRF)model.The objective of this study is to investigate the parameterizations of aerosol effects on cloud and precipitation characteristics and assess the necessity of introducing aerosols into a weather prediction model at fine grid resolution.The results show that aerosols play a decisive role in the composition of clouds in terms of the mixing ratios and number concentrations of liquid and ice hydrometeors in an intense supercell storm.The storm consists of a large amount of cloud water and snow in the polluted environment,but a large amount of rainwater and graupel instead in the clean environment.The total precipitation and rain intensity are suppressed in the CLR scheme more than in the Thompson scheme in the first three hours of storm simulations.The critical processes explaining the differences are the auto-conversion rate in the warm-rain process at the beginning of storm intensification and the low-level cooling induced by large ice hydrometeors.The cloud condensation nuclei(CCN)activation and auto-conversion processes of the two schemes exhibit considerable differences,indicating the inherent uncertainty of the parameterized aerosol effects among different BMSs.Beyond the aerosol effects,the fall speed characteristics of graupel in the two schemes play an important role in the storm dynamics and precipitation via low-level cooling.The rapid intensification of storms simulated with the Thompson scheme is attributed to the production of hail-like graupel.     

THE IMPACTS OF MADDEN-JULIAN OSCILLATION ON SPRING RAINFALL IN EAST CHINA

Phase composite analyses are conducted to investigate the possible effect of the Madden–Julian oscillation(MJO)on the spring rainfall anomalies in East China by using the Real-time Multivariate MJO(RMM)index from Australian Meteorological Bureau.The results show that the rainfall anomalies over the mid-and lower-valley of Yangtze River are positive when the MJO shifts eastward to the mid-and eastern-Indian Ocean,and anomalous precipitation over South China are positive when the MJO moves further eastward to the maritime continent,whereas spring rainfall anomalies over East China are negative in the other MJO episodes.The MJO impacts on the precipitation over East China result from the changes in large-scale atmospheric circulation as well as vorticity and water vapor transportation in the mid-and lower-troposphere.     

The Linkage between Two Types of El Ni?o Events and Summer Streamflow over the Yellow and Yangtze River Basins

It is generally agreed that El Nino can be classified into East Pacific(EP)and Central Pacific(CP)types.Nevertheless,little is known about the relationship between these two types of El Ni?o and land surface climate elements.This study investigates the linkage between EP/CP El Ni?o and summer streamflow over the Yellow and Yangtze River basins and their possible mechanisms.Over the Yellow River basin,the anomalous streamflow always manifests as positive(negative)in EP(CP)years,with a correlation coefficient of 0.39(-0.37);while over the Yangtze River basin,the anomalous streamflow shows as positive in both EP and CP years,with correlation coefficients of 0.72 and 0.48,respectively.Analyses of the surface hydrological cycle indicate that the streamflow is more influenced by local evapotranspiration(ET)than precipitation over the Yellow River basin,while it is dominantly affected by precipitation over the Yangtze River basin.The different features over these two river basins can be explained by the anomalous atmospheric circulation,which is cyclonic(anticyclonic)north(south)of 30°N over East Asia.EP years are dominated by two anticyclones,which bring strong water vapor convergence and induce more precipitation but less ET,and subsequently increase streamflow and flooding risks.In CP years,especially over the Yellow River basin,two cyclones dominate and lead to water vapor divergence and reduce moisture arriving.Meanwhile,the ET enhances mainly due to local high surface air temperature,which further evaporates water from the soil.As a result,the streamflow decreases,which will then increase the drought risk.     

Current Status and Future Challenges of Weather Radar Polarimetry: Bridging the Gap between Radar Meteorology/Hydrology/Engineering and Numerical Weather Prediction

After decades of research and development, the WSR-88 D(NEXRAD) network in the United States was upgraded with dual-polarization capability, providing polarimetric radar data(PRD) that have the potential to improve weather observations,quantification, forecasting, and warnings. The weather radar networks in China and other countries are also being upgraded with dual-polarization capability. Now, with radar polarimetry technology having matured, and PRD available both nationally and globally, it is important to understand the current status and future challenges and opportunities. The potential impact of PRD has been limited by their oftentimes subjective and empirical use. More importantly, the community has not begun to regularly derive from PRD the state parameters, such as water mixing ratios and number concentrations, used in numerical weather prediction(NWP) models.In this review, we summarize the current status of weather radar polarimetry, discuss the issues and limitations of PRD usage, and explore potential approaches to more efficiently use PRD for quantitative precipitation estimation and forecasting based on statistical retrieval with physical constraints where prior information is used and observation error is included. This approach aligns the observation-based retrievals favored by the radar meteorology community with the model-based analysis of the NWP community. We also examine the challenges and opportunities of polarimetric phased array radar research and development for future weather observation.     

Hydro-climatic Characteristics of Yarlung Zangbo River Basin since the Last Glacial Maximum

Global climate changes significantly impact the water condition of big rivers in glacierized high mountains. However,there is a lack of studies on hydrological changes within river basins caused by climate changes over a geological timescale due to the impossibility of direct observations. In this study, we examine the hydro-climatic variation of the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin in the Tibet Plateau since the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) by combining δ18 O proxy records in Indian and Omani caves with the simulated Indian summer monsoon, surface temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff via the Community Climate System Model and the reconstructed glacier coverage via the Parallel Ice Sheet Model. The mean river runoff was kept at a low level of 145 billion cubic meters per year until an abrupt increase at a rate of 8.7 million cubic meters per year in the B?lling-Aller?d interval(BA). The annual runoff reached a maximum of 250 billion cubic meters in the early Holocene and then reduced to the current value of 180 billion cubic meters at a rate of 6.4 million cubic meters per year. The low runoff in the LGM and Heinrich Stadial 1(HS1) is likely attributed to such a small contribution of precipitation to runoff and the large glacier cover. The percentage of precipitation to runoff was only 20%during the LGM and HS1. Comparison of glacier area among different periods indicates that the fastest deglaciation occurred during the late HS1, when nearly 60% of glacier area disappeared in the middle reach, 50% in the upper reach,and 30% in the lower reach. The rapid deglaciation and increasing runoff between the late HS1 and BA may have accelerated widespread ice-dam breaches and led to extreme outburst flood events. Combining local geological proxy records and regional simulations could be a useful approach for the study of paleo-hydrologic variations in big river basins.     

Verification of Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Forecasts for Major Stratospheric Sudden Warmings in Northern Winter from 1998/99 to 2012/13

This study reports verification results of hindcast data of four systems in the subseasonal-to-seasonal(S2S)prediction project for major stratospheric sudden warmings(MSSWs)in northern winter from 1998/99 to 2012/13.This report deals with average features across all MSSWs,and possible differences between two MSSW types(vortex displacement and split types).Results for the average features show that stratospheric forecast verifications,when further averaged among the four systems,are judged to be successful for lead times around 10 d or shorter.All systems are skillful for lead times around 5 d,whereas the results vary among the systems for longer lead times.A comparison between the MSSW types overall suggests larger forecast errors or lower skill for MSSWs of the vortex split type,although the differences do not have strong statistical significance for almost all cases.This limitation is likely to at least partly reflect the small sample size of the MSSWs available.     

南京三千公尺高空之风向与天气之预测

晚近日本籐原笑平(Fujiwhora)博士于地球物理杂志发表「根据三千公尺高空等压线,以预测天气之一例证」一文,谓日本最近用三千公尺高空之等压线,作每日天气之预测,已得相当成就。氏之经验法则谓自九月以迄五月,日本太平洋沿岸,三千公尺高空之等压线,来自西南者,可形去致雨,而来自西北者,则可期晴明。此种倾向颇为显著。     

Improving the Analyses and Forecasts of a Tropical Squall Line Using Upper Tropospheric Infrared Satellite Observations

The advent of modern geostationary satellite infrared radiance observations has noticeably improved numerical weather forecasts and analyses.However,compared to midlatitude weather systems and tropical cyclones,research into using infrared radiance observations for numerically predicting and analyzing tropical mesoscale convective systems remain mostly fallow.Since tropical mesoscale convective systems play a crucial role in regional and global weather,this deficit should be addressed.This study is the first of its kind to examine the potential impacts of assimilating all-sky upper tropospheric infrared radiance observations on the prediction of a tropical squall line.Even though these all-sky infrared radiance observations are not directly affected by lower-tropospheric winds,the high-frequency assimilation of these all-sky infrared radiance observations improved the analyses of the tropical squall line’s outflow position.Aside from that,the assimilation of all-sky infrared radiance observations improved the analyses and prediction of the squall line’s cloud field.Finally,reducing the frequency of assimilating these all-sky infrared radiance observations weakened these improvements to the analyzed outflow position,as well as the analyses and predictions of cloud fields.     

Impact of the Horizontal Heat Flux in the Mixed Layer on an Extreme Heat Event in North China:A Case Study

Extreme heat over the North China Plain is typically induced by anomalous descending flows associated with anticyclonic circulation anomalies. However, an extreme heat event that happened in the North China Plain region on 12–13 July 2015,with maximum temperature higher than 40℃ at some stations, was characterized by only a weak simultaneous appearance of an anomalous anticyclone and descending flow, suggesting that some other factor(s) may have induced this heat event. In this study, we used the forecast data produced by the Beijing Rapid Updated Cycling operational forecast system, which predicted the heat event well, to investigate the formation mechanism of this extreme heat event. We calculated the cumulative heat in the mixed-layer air column of North China to represent the change in surface air temperature. The cumulative heat was composed of sensible heat flux from the ground surface and the horizontal heat flux convergence. The results indicated that the horizontal heat flux in the mixed layer played a crucial role in the temporal and spatial distribution of high temperatures.The horizontal heat flux was found to be induced by distinct distributions of air temperatures and horizontal winds at low levels during the two days, implying a complexity of the low-level atmosphere in causing the extreme heat.     

Determination of the Backward Predictability Limit and Its Relationship with the Forward Predictability Limit

In this work, two types of predictability are proposed—forward and backward predictability—and then applied in the nonlinear local Lyapunov exponent approach to the Lorenz63 and Lorenz96 models to quantitatively estimate the local forward and backward predictability limits of states in phase space. The forward predictability mainly focuses on the forward evolution of initial errors superposed on the initial state over time, while the backward predictability is mainly concerned with when the given state can be predicted before this state happens. From the results, there is a negative correlation between the local forward and backward predictability limits. That is, the forward predictability limits are higher when the backward predictability limits are lower, and vice versa. We also find that the sum of forward and backward predictability limits of each state tends to fluctuate around the average value of sums of the forward and backward predictability limits of sufficient states.Furthermore, the average value is constant when the states are sufficient. For different chaotic systems, the average value is dependent on the chaotic systems and more complex chaotic systems get a lower average value. For a single chaotic system,the average value depends on the magnitude of initial perturbations. The average values decrease as the magnitudes of initial perturbations increase.