Connections Between Different Types of El Ni~no and Southern/Northern Oscillation

It has long been acknowledged that there are two types of El Ni(n)o events,i.e.,the eastern Pacific El Ni(n)o (EE) and the central Pacific El Ni(n)o (CE),according to the initial position of the anomalous warm water and its propagation direction.In this paper,the oceanic and atmospheric evolutions and the possible mechanisms of the two types of El Ni(n)o events were examined.It is found that all the El Ni(n)o events,CE or EE,could be attributed to the joint impacts of the eastward advection of warm water from the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP) and the local warming in the equatorial eastern Pacific.Before the occurrence of CE events,WPWP had long been in a state of being anomalous warm,so the strength of eastward advection of warm water was much stronger than that of EE,which played a major role in the formation of CE.While for the EE events,most contribution came from the local warming of the equatorial eastern Pacific.It is further identified that the immediate cause leading to the difference of the two types of El Ni(n)o events was the asynchronous variations of the Southern Oscillation (SO) and the Northern Oscillation (NO) as defined by Chen in 1984.When the transition from the positive phase of the NO (NO+) to NO- was prior to that from SO+ to SO-,there would be eastward propagation of westerly anomalies from the tropical western Pacific induced by NO and hence the growth of warm sea surface temperature anomalies in WPWP and its eastward propagation.This was followed by lagged SO-induced weakening of southeast trade winds and local warming in the equatorial eastern Pacific.These were conducive to the occurrence of the CE.On the contrary,the transition from SO+ to SO- leading the transition of NO would favor the occurrence of EE type events.     

CAM3模式模拟厄尔尼诺事件对大气环流异常的影响

采用CAM3（Community Atmosphere Model Version3）模式中海气湍流通量参数化原方案和改进方案,利用观测海温驱动CAM3模式进行气候模拟,以分析模式对厄尔尼诺事件影响气候变化的模拟能力。结果表明,采用CAM3模式海气湍流通量参数化改进方案,模式能够更好地模拟出由厄尔尼诺事件引起的北太平洋和北美地区大气环流的变化,尤其是对厄尔尼诺年冬季阿留申低压强度和与PNA遥相关型有关的500hPa位势高度异常的模拟。     

E1 Ni(n)o事件发生对南北半球大气环流异常的对称及非对称性影响及其机理分析

利用合成分析方法, 分析了1971～2003年间7个El Ni(n)o事件发生时南、 北半球大气环流异常的对称与反对称特性.分析结果表明, El Ni(n)o事件发生期间, 在热带地区15°S～15°N大气环流异常以对称性为主, 但也有一定的反对称分量: 高度场异常和纬向风异常的对称性较强, 而经向风异常的反对称较强; 同时在El Nino事件演变的各阶段, 高度场异常和纬向风异常的变化较明显, 而经向风的变化较小, 高度场和风场异常在低层 (700 hPa) 和高层 (200 hPa) 呈明显的反位相分布.并且, 为探讨El Ni(n)o事件对南、 北半球大气环流异常的非对称性影响的机理, 本研究进一步利用ERA-40逐日资料, 应用Hough函数分析了El Nino事件发生期间这些赤道波动的演变特征.结果表明, El Ni(n)o事件发生期间, 热带地区大气环流异常对称性较强的主要原因是对称性Rossby波异常较强, 而Rossby重力混合波异常对经向风场的反对称分量有重要作用; 并且, 研究结果还表明, 在El Ni(n)o事件发生期间, 热带东太平洋的海温正异常能够激发由对称性Rossby波和Kelvin波组成的Gill型环流异常.此外, 分析表明Hough函数在分析热带大气波动的对称性及反对称性上具有明显的优越性.     

一种新的El Ni(n)o海气耦合指数

利用1980～2010年月平均Hadley中心海表温度、美国全球海洋资料同化系统(GODAS)海洋温度和NCEP/NCAR大气环流再分析资料,通过对2个海洋要素(海表温度SST、上层热含量HC)和5个大气要素(海平面气压SLP、850 hPa风场、200hPa速度势和对外长波辐射OLR)的多变量经验正交函数展开(multivariate EOF,简称MV-EOF)探讨了热带太平洋的主要海气耦合特征.结果表明,MV-EOF分析的前两个耦合模态分别很好地对应了传统型El Ni(n)o和ElNiloModoki的海气耦合特征:传统型El Ni(n)o期间,伴随着赤道中东太平洋SST的异常增温,HC、SLP、200 hPa速度势等要素总体呈东西反相的“跷跷板”变化,低层850hPa赤道中太平洋出现较强西风距平,西北太平洋上空为反气旋性异常环流;ElNi(n)o Modoki期间,SST持续增温和HC正异常中心均显著西移至中太平洋,低层SLP和高空200 hPa速度势均呈现纬向三极型异常分布,低层异常强西风向西移至暖池东部,西北太平洋上空呈现气旋性异常环流.两类El Ni(n)o的海气耦合特征存在显著差异,较优的El Ni(n)o指数应不仅可以客观描述和区分El Ni(n)o现象本身,更要紧密联系两类事件所产生的大气响应.以往定量表征El Ni(n)o年际变化的指标大多立足于SST或SLP,本文选取HC作为研究指标,定义了一组新的El Ni(n)o指数HCEI和HCEMI.较以往基于SST的El Ni(n)o指数,HCEI和HCEMI不仅能更清楚地表征和区分两类El Ni(n)o(如1993年的传统型El Ni(n)o和2006年的El Ni(n)o Modoki),而且能更好地反映和区分两类El Ni(n)o与大气间的海气耦合特征,为ElNi(n)o的监测和短期气候预测工作提供了一个新工具.     

厄尔尼诺现象对北半球大气环流和中国降水的影响

本文主要讨论了厄尔尼诺现象对北半球大气环流和中国季风降水的影响。研究表明，在厄尔尼诺开始年的春夏季，对流层上部位势高度和副热带高压都处在由弱到强的转变状态，我国东部地区大范围少雨；秋季发生明显的趋势转折，秋季到次年夏季，对流层上部位势高度升高，副高增强西伸，除次年2、3月份全国大范围少雨外，其余月份大都为南多北少的分布型，这种分布形态在开始年秋季最典型。厄尔尼诺开始年、次年，长江中下游入梅期偏晚。     

Warming in the Northwestern Indian Ocean Associated with the El Ni(n)o Event

This paper investigates possible warming effects of an El Ni(n)o event on the sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA)in the northwestern Indian Ocean.Most pure positive Indian Ocean dipole(IOD)events (without an El Ni(n)o event co-occurring) have a maximum positive SSTA mainly in the central Indian Ocean south of the equator.while most co-occurrences with an El Ni(n)o event exhibit a northwest-southeast typical dipole mode.It is therefore inferred that warming in the northwestern Indian Ocean is closely related to the El Ni(n)o event.Based on the atmospheric bridge theory,warming in the northwestern Indian Ocean during co-occurring cases may be primarily caused by relatively less latent heat loss from the ocean due to reduced wind speed.The deepened thermocline also contributes to the warming along the east coast of Africa through the suppressed upwelling of the cold water.Therefore,the El Ni(n)o event is suggested to have a modulating effect on the structure of the dipole mode in the tropical Indian Ocean.     

Evaluation of Atmospheric Circulation in the Southern Hemisphere in 20CRv2

Evaluation of the mean climate and climate variability in the Southern Hemisphere(SH)in the Twentieth Century Reanalysis data version 2(20CRv2)is conducted and the results are compared with the NCEP/NCAR version 2 Reanalysis data(NCEPv2)and the Hadley Center sea-level pressure data(HadSLPv2).The results show that SH polar High,SH subtropical High,upper level split jet,cross-equatorial flow,Antarctic Oscillation(AAO),and the pattern of Pacific-South-America(PSA)has been effectively captured by 20CRv2 during1979–2010,with an apparent zonal asymmetry of AAO in the austral winter(June-July-August,JJA).The notable upward linear trend of AAO in the entire period of 1871–2010 is represented in both 20CRv2 and HadSlPv2.The most remarkable discrepancy of the SH climate variability between 20CRv2 and HadSLPv2 occurred in 1897–1920and was partly caused by such factors as the paucity of meteorological and oceanographic data in the SH to be assimilated,the handling of the specified sea-ice concentration in South Pole,and imperfect climate models.The consistency of these reanalysis data is increased with the use of a large amount of satellite observation and radiosonde data,particularly after 1979.     

Impacts of two types of El Niño on atmospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere

Based on NCEP/NCAR （National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmo- spheric Research） reanalysis data from 1979 to 2010, the impacts of two types of E1 Nino on atmospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere （SH） are analyzed. It is shown thaL when a warming event occurs in the equatorial eastern Pacific （EP E1 Nino）, there is a negative sea level pressure （SLP） anomaly in the east- ern Pacific and a positive one in the western Pacific. Besides, there exists a negative anomaly between 40°S and 60°S and a positive anomaly to the south of 60°S. When a warming event in the central Pacific （CP E1 Nino） occurs, there appears a negative SLP anomaly in the central Pacific and a positive SLP anomaly in the eastern and western Pacific, but the SLP anomalies are not so evident in the SH extratropics. In particular, the Pacific-South America （PSA） pattern induced by the CP E1 Nino is located more northwestward, with a weaker anomaly compared with the EP E1 Nino. This difference is directly related with the different position of heating centers associated with the two types of E1 Nino events. Because the SST anomaly associated with CP E1 Nino is located more westward than that associated with EP El Nino, the related heating center tends to move westward and the response of SH atmospheric circulation to the tropical heating changes accordingly, thus exciting a different position of the PSA pattern. It is also noted that the local meridional cell plays a role in the SH high latitudes during EP E1 Nino. The anomalous ascending motion due to the enhancement of convection over the eastern Pacific leads to an enhancement of the local Hadley cell and the meridional cell in the middle and high latitudes, which in turn induces an anomalous descending motion and the related positive anomaly of geopotential height over the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Sea.     

The Role of the Halted Baroclinic Mode at the Central Equatorial Pacific in E1 Nifio Event

The role of halted “baroclinic modes” in the central equatorial Pacific is analyzed. It is found that dominant anomaly signals corresponding to “baroclinic modes” occur in the upper layer of the equatorial Pacific, in a two-and-a-half layer oceanic model, in assimilated results of a simple OGCM and in the ADCP observation of TAO. A second “baroclinic mode” is halted in the central equatorial Pacific corresponding to a positive SST anomaly while the first “baroclinic mode” propagates eastwards in the eastern equatorial Pacific. The role of the halted second “baroclinic mode” in the central equatorial Pacific is explained by a staged ocean-atmosphere interaction mechanism in the formation of El Ni?no: the westerly bursts in boreal winter over the western equatorial Pacific generate the halted second “baroclinic mode” in the central equatorial Pacific, leading to the increase of heat content and temperature in the upper layer of the central Pacific which induces the shift of convection from over the western equatorial Pacific to the central equatorial Pacific; another wider, westerly anomaly burst is induced over the western region of convection above the central equatorial Pacific and the westerly anomaly burst generates the first “baroclinic mode” propagating to the eastern equatorial Pacific, resulting in a warm event in the eastern equatorial Pacific. The mechanism presented in this paper reveals that the central equatorial Pacific is a key region in detecting the possibility of ENSO and, by analyzing TAO observation data of ocean currents and temperature in the central equatorial Pacific, in predicting the coming of an El Ni?no several months ahead.     

热带太平洋地区风场异常和与El Ni(~n)o有关的年际变化

利用1964～1993年NCEP/NCAR再分析风应力资料和中国科学院大气物理研究所发展的14层热带太平洋环流模式(OGCM),对热带太平洋与El Ni(~n)o有关的年际变化进行了研究.首先,分析了西太平洋暖池次表层海温异常(SOTA)与Ni(~n)o 3区海表温度异常(SSTA)的年际变化关系,发现在El Ni(~n)o事件之前,暖池的次表层海温都有明显正异常出现,它的东传导致了El Ni(~n)o的发生,并且SOTA的传播随纬度变化,沿赤道东传,在赤道外西传.然后,选取了20世纪70年代和80年代两次最强的El Ni(~n)o事件讨论了引起这种机制的可能原因--西风异常的作用.最后,对1964～1993所有的El Ni(~n)o年的风场、次表层海温和海表温度的异常进行了综合分析.     

CMIP5多模式模拟两类El Ni(n)o海表盐度分布及与降水的关系

利用CMIP5提供的25个工业革命前控制试验(piControl)模拟数据评估了热带太平洋两类El Ni(n)o(即东部EP和中部CP型El Ni(n)o)的海表盐度(SSS)空间结构差异及其与海表温度(SST)和降水的关系.结果表明:(1)大部分模式能够模拟出EP和CP型空间结构,两类El Ni(n)o中的SST、降水和SSS的空间技巧评分依次减小,其中,EP型SST和降水水平分布的模拟能力强于CP型,SSS则为CP型强于EP型,CP型模拟的SST、SSS和降水异常中心位置较EP型偏西且强度偏弱;(2) CP型SST、降水和SSS三者空间分布的线性一致性比EP型好,即在CP型中,SST影响降水,进而影响SSS,同时SSS对SST调制的反馈机制较显著,而对于EP型,由于海洋水平平流和非局地效应等因素,使得SST与SSS空间对应较差;(3)依据多模式模拟的SSS空间技巧评分高低将CMIP5模式分为两类,技巧评分低(高)的模式模拟的SST、SSS和降水异常值的中心位置偏西(偏东),引起中心位置偏移的原因与模式模拟赤道太平洋冷舌的位置有关,即赤道太平洋冷舌西伸显著,导致发生El Ni(n)o时SST异常变暖西伸显著,进而使得降水异常和SSS异常位置偏西.同时,技巧评分低的模式还易出现向东南延伸的负SSS异常,原因是双赤道辐合带的东南分支过于明显,即降水偏多,导致SSS偏淡.SSS变化会影响ENSO的发生发展.因此,探讨两类El Ni(n)o盐度分布的差异及相关物理场的关系,为提高模式的气候模拟和预测提供有益的借鉴.     

用非线性最优化方法研究El Niño可预报性的进展与前瞻

综述用非线性优化方法研究厄尔尼诺(El Ni(n)o)-南方涛动(ENSO)事件可预报性的进展.针对ENSO可预报性研究中的热点问题--"前期征兆"、"春季可预报性障碍",以及如何量化研究ENSO可预报性和ENSO的不对称性问题,作者在近年来的工作中先后用理论模式和中等复杂程度ENSO模式研究了ENSO可预报性的动力学,揭示了ENSO的若干重要非线性特征.主要结果如下:(1)条件非线性最优扰动(CNOP)(局部CNOP)比线性奇异向量更易发展成ENSO事件,扮演了ENSO的最优前期征兆.这些ENSO事件关于气候平均态是不对称的.理论分析表明,非线性温度平流过程是造成这种不对称性的重要原因.1980～2002年的海洋再分析资料验证了上述理论结果.(2)ENSO事件CNOP型初始误差的发展有明显的季节依赖性,该误差导致了ENSO事件最显著的春季可预报性障碍(SPB)现象.ENSO事件SPB的发生不仅依赖于气候平均态,而且依赖于ENSO事件本身及其初始误差模态,是三者综合作用的结果.(3)建立了关于ENSO可预报性的最大可预报时间下界、最大预报误差上界和最大允许初始误差下界的三类可预报性问题,分别从三个方面揭示了ENSO事件的春季可预报性障碍现象,比较有效地量化了其可预报性.(4)通过CNOP方法,揭示了非线性温度平流在年代际尺度ENSO不对称性研究中的重要作用,解释了ENSO不对称性的年代际变化,基于所用ENSO模式给出了ENSO不对称性年代际变化的机制.最后,展望了非线性优化方法在ENSO可预报性中应用的前景,并期望该方法能拓展到ENSO第二类可预报性问题的研究中.     

A New Approach for Classifying Two Types of El Nino Events

In recent decades, the typical El Nio events with the warmest SSTs in the tropical eastern Pacific have become less common, and a different of El Nio with the warmest SSTs in the central Pacific, which is flanked on the east and west by cooler SSTs, has become more fre-quent. The more recent type of El Nio was referred to as central Pacific El Nio, warm pool El Nio, or dateline El Nio, or the El Nio Modoki. Central Pacific El Nio links to a different tropical-to-extratropical teleconnection and exerts different impacts on climate, and several classification approaches have been proposed. In this study, a new classification approach is proposed, which is based on the linear combination (sum or difference) of the two leading Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs) of tropical Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA), and the typical El Ni o index (TENI) and the central El Nio index (CENI) are able to be derived by projecting the observed SSTA onto these combinations. This classification not only reflects the characteristics of non-orthogonality between the two types of events but also yields one period peaking at approximate two to seven years. In particular, this classification can distin-guish the different impacts of the two types of events on rainfall in the following summer in East China. The typical El Nio events tend to induce intensified rainfall in the Yangtze River valley, whereas the central Pacific El Nio tends to induce intensified rainfall in the Huaihe River valley. Thus, the present approach may be appropriate for studying the impact of different types of El Nio on the East Asian climate.     

Relationships between the Extratropical ENSO Precursor and Leading Modes of Atmospheric Variability in the Southern Hemisphere

Previous studies suggest that the atmospheric precursor of El Ni ?no–Southern Oscillation(ENSO) in the extratropical Southern Hemisphere(SH) might trigger a quadrapole sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA) in the South Pacific and subsequently influence the following ENSO. Such a quadrapole SSTA is referred to as the South Pacific quadrapole(SPQ).The present study investigated the relationships between the atmospheric precursor signal of ENSO and leading modes of atmospheric variability in the extratropical SH [including the SH annular mode(SAM), the first Pacific–South America(PSA1) mode, and the second Pacific–South America(PSA2) mode]. The results showed that the atmospheric precursor signal in the extratropical SH basically exhibits a barotropic wavenumber-3 structure over the South Pacific and is significantly correlated with the SAM and the PSA2 mode during austral summer. Nevertheless, only the PSA2 mode was found to be a precursor for the following ENSO. It leads the SPQ-like SSTA by around one month, while the SAM and the PSA1 mode do not show any obvious linkage with either ENSO or the SPQ. This suggests that the PSA2 mode may provide a bridge between the preceding circulation anomalies over the extratropical SH and the following ENSO through the SPQ-like SSTA.     

南极海冰与南半球大气环流关系的初步探讨

本文利用１９７３—１９８２年南极海冰北界资料，分析了南极海冰平均北界（海冰范围）的变化及其与南半球大气环流变化间的联系。１９７６年前，南极海冰平均北界偏北（海冰范围扩大），而１９７７年－１９８０年，南极海冰平均北界偏南（海冰范围缩小）。与此相对应，这两个时期的南半球大气环流具有明显不同的特点。在南极海冰平均北界偏北、海冰范围扩大时期，南极高压和绕极低压带偏弱，南半球中高纬度地区槽脊位置偏西，南印度洋和南大晒洋副热带高压偏弱，南太平洋副热带西凤减弱、中纬度西风加强，而南太平洋副热带高压和印度尼西亚低压带发展，南方涛动处于正位相阶段；在南极海冰平均北界偏南、海冰范围缩小时期，则相反。分析表明，南方涛动与南极海冰之间存在相互联系，并以南极海冰超前南方涛动约２个月时的关系最好，其次是南极海冰落后南方涛动４个月。     

Interannual Thermocline Signals and E1 Nino-La Nina Turnabout in the Tropical Pacific Ocean

One of the fundamental questions concerning the nature and prediction of the oceanic states in the equatorial eastern Pacific is how the turnabout from a cold water state (La Ni?na) to a warm water state (El Ni?no) takes place, and vice versa. Recent studies show that this turnabout is directly linked to the interannual thermocline variations in the tropical Pacific Ocean basin. An index, as an indicator and precursor to describe interannual thermocline variations and the turnabout of oceanic states in our previous paper (Qian and Hu, 2005), is also used in this study. The index, which shows the maximum subsurface temperature anomaly (MSTA), is derived from the monthly 21-year (1980–2000) expendable XBT dataset in the present study. Results show that the MSTA can be used as a precursor for the occurrences of El Ni?no (or La Ni?na) events. The subsequent analyses of the MSTA propagations in the tropical Pacific suggest a one-year potential predictability for El Ni?no and La Ni?na events by identifying ocean temperature anomalies in the thermocline of the western Pacific Ocean. It also suggests that a closed route cycle with the strongest signal propagation is identified only in the tropical North Pacific Ocean. A positive (or negative) MSTA signal may travel from the western equatorial Pacific to the eastern equatorial Pacific with the strongest signal along the equator. This signal turns northward along the tropical eastern boundary of the basin and then moves westward along the north side of off-equator around 16N. Finally, the signal returns toward the equator along the western boundary of the basin. The turnabout time from an El Ni?no event to a La Ni?na event in the eastern equatorial Pacific depends critically on the speed of the signal traveling along the closed route, and it usually needs about 4 years. This finding may help to predict the occurrence of the El Ni?no or La Ni?na event at least one year in advance.     

两类El Ni?o事件对我国西南地区冬季降水的影响

采用1960~2014年西南地区93个站的逐月降水资料以及NCEP/NCAR再分析月平均资料,分析了东部型El Ni?o（EP El Ni?o）和中部型El Ni?o（CP El Ni?o）对我国西南地区冬季降水的不同影响。结果表明,EP ElNi?o年冬季和CP El Ni?o事件中1994/1995年、2002/2003年冬季,我国西南地区受异常偏东风影响,获得来自孟加拉湾和南海的水汽供应。同时,西南地区存在明显的幅合上升运动,上升运动异常增强,对流加强,导致西南地区冬季降水偏多;而CP El Ni?o事件中1968/1969年、1977/1978年,2004/2005年、2009/2010年冬季,我国西南地区受异常西北风影响,来自孟加拉湾和南海的水汽减少。同时,西南地区存在明显的幅散下沉运动,上升运动异常减弱,对流减弱,导致西南地区冬季降水偏少。