Change of El Niño and La Niña amplitude asymmetry around 1980

Amplitude of El Niño and La Niña was significantly different during 1980–2016 but almost same during 1958–1979. The cause of this interdecadal change is investigated through an oceanic mixed-layer heat budget analysis. It was found that this interdecadal change was primarily attributed to the distinctive effects of nonlinear zonal temperature advection between the two periods. During 1980–2016 nonlinear zonal advection, working together with nonlinear meridional advection, contributes to the El Niño and La Niña amplitude asymmetry. During 1958–1979 the nonlinear zonal advection had an opposite effect. The difference in the nonlinear zonal advection between the two interdecadal periods was caused by distinctive longitudinal locations of El Niño centers. Maximum SST anomaly (SSTA) centers were confined near the coast of South America (east of 90° W) during the first period but appear near 110° W during the second period. Because of this difference, an anomalous eastward ocean surface current (caused by a positive thermocline depth anomaly during El Niño) would generate a negative (positive) nonlinear zonal advection before (after) 1980. The distinctive longitudinal locations of El Niño centers are possibly caused by the interdecadal changes of mean thermocline and high-frequency wind variability over the equatorial western-central Pacific. A hypothesis was put forth to understand distinctive initiation locations between El Niño and La Niña.     

Decadal Anomalies of Winter Precipitation over Southern China in Association with El Nio and La Nia

Using multiple datasets, this paper analyzes the characteristics of winter precipitation over southern China and its association with warm and cold phases of E1 Nifio-Southern Oscillation during 1948 2011. The study proves that E1 Nifio is an important external forcing factor resulting in above-normal winter precipitation in southern China. The study also reveals that the impact ofLa Nifia on the winter precipitation in southern China has a decadal variability. During the winter of La Nifia before 1980, the East Asian winter monsoon is stronger than normal with a deeper trough over East Asia, and the western Pacific subtropical high weakens with its high ridge retreating more eastward. Therefore, anomalous northerly winds dominate over southern China, leading to a cold and dry winter. During La Nifia winter after 1980, however, the East Asian trough is weaker than normal, unfavorable for the southward invasion of the winter monsoon. The India-Burma trough is intensified, and the anomalous low-level cyclone excited by La Nifia is located to the west of the Philippines. Therefore, anomalous easterly winds prevail over southern China, which increases moisture flux from the tropical oceans to southern China. Meanwhile, La Nifia after 1980 may lead to an enhanced and more northward subtropical westerly jet over East Asia in winter. Since southern China is rightly located on the right side of the jet entrance region, anomalous ascending motion dominates there through the secondary vertical circulation, favoring more winter precipitation in southern China. Therefore, a cold and wet winter, sometimes with snowy and icy weathers, would occur in southern China during La Nifia winter after 1980. Further analyses indicate that the change in the spatial distribution of sea surface temperature anomaly during the La Nifia mature phase, as well as the decadal variation of the Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation, would be the important reasons for the decadal variability of the La Nifia impact on the atmospheric circulation in East Asia and winter precipitation over southern China after 1980.     

与厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜相联系的中国南方冬季降水的年代际异常特征

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析大气环流资料、哈得来中心海温资料、中国700多站降水资料以及全球格点降水资料,详细分析了中国南方冬季降水异常的特征,并揭示了其所对应的欧亚大气环流和东亚冬季风异常与ENSO事件的联系,以及ENSO暖/冷位相对其影响的非对称性。研究进一步证明了厄尔尼诺是导致中国南方冬季降水偏多的重要外强迫因子,并指出拉尼娜对中国南方冬季降水的影响表现出明显的年代际变化特征。1980年之前的拉尼娜年冬季,东亚冬季风显著偏强,东亚大槽偏深,西北太平洋副热带高压偏弱偏东,中国南方受一致偏北风影响,气温偏低,降水偏少,多表现为冷干的气候特征。但1980年之后的拉尼娜年冬季,东亚大槽偏弱,印缅槽偏强,同时在菲律宾以西激发出异常气旋性环流,使得异常偏东风控制中国南方,有利于热带水汽输送增强,因此降水偏多。同时,1980年之后的拉尼娜事件还使得东亚副热带西风急流偏强偏北,中国南方处于急流入口区的右侧,通过二级环流使得中国南方上空的上升运动偏强,有利于降水偏多。因此,1980年之后的拉尼娜年冬季,中国南方易表现出冷湿的气候特征,有时也容易发生低温雨雪冰冻灾害。进一步分析表明,1980年以后拉尼娜成熟期海温异常空间分布型的变化,以及北半球大气环流的年代际变化可能是导致拉尼娜对东亚大气环流的影响在1980年之后发生变化的重要原因。     

不同PDO位相下El Niño发展年和La Niña年东亚夏季风的季节内变化

基于1957~2017年观测和再分析资料,合成分析了北太平洋年代际振荡(Pacific decadal oscillation,PDO)不同位相下El Ni?o发展年和La Nina年东亚夏季风的环流、降水特征及季节内变化。结果表明,PDO正、负位相作为背景场,分别对El Ni?o发展年、La Nina年东亚夏季风及夏季降水具有加强作用。PDO正位相一方面可增强El Ni?o发展年夏季热带中东太平洋暖海温异常信号,另一方面通过冷海温状态加强中高纬东亚大陆与西北太平洋的环流异常,从而在一定程度上增强了东亚夏季风环流的异常程度;反之,PDO负位相则增强了La Nina年热带海气相互作用以及中高纬环流(如东北亚反气旋)的异常。在季节内变化方面,El Ni?o发展年6月贝湖以东反气旋性环流为东亚地区带来稳定的北风异常,东北亚位势高度减弱;7月开始,环流形势发生调整,日本以东洋面出现气旋性异常,东亚大陆偏北风及位势高度负异常均得到加强;8月,随着东亚夏季风季节进程和El Ni?o发展,西太平洋出现气旋性环流异常,东亚副热带位势高度进一步降低,西北太平洋副热带高压(简称副高)明显东退。La Nina年6月异常较弱,主要环流差异自7月西北太平洋为大范围气旋性异常控制开始,东亚-太平洋遥相关型显著,副高于季节内始终偏弱偏东。上述两种情况下,均造成东亚地区夏季降水总体上偏少,尤其是中国北方降水显著偏少。     

Influence of El Niño and La Niña on coffee yield in the main coffee-producing regions of Brazil

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Coffee is the most consumed beverage and one of the most valuable commodities worldwide. The crop is very sensitive to meteorological elements, mainly at the...     

CMIP5模式中El Ni?o-EAWM关系的模拟对东亚冬季风模拟的影响

本文利用统计学的方法,评估了17个参加第五次国际耦合模式比较计划(CMIP5)的海气耦合模式对东亚冬季风(EAWM)年际变化的模拟。结果表明:多数模式对东亚冬季风的年际变化有一定的模拟能力,其中对东亚大槽年际变化的模拟最好;模式对东亚冬季主要系统的年际变化在空间上的模拟好于强度,对强度的模拟以偏弱为主;通过综合评估得到模拟能力好的模式有:bcc-csm1-1,CCSM4,HadCM3,NorESM1-M。针对模式间对冬季风年际变化模拟能力差别较大的现象,选取了4个模拟能力最好的模式和5个最差的进行讨论;通过评估El Ni?o对东亚冬季环流的影响,发现模式对El Ni?o与EAWM之间相互关系(El Ni?o-EAWM)的模拟能力是模式间对冬季风年际变化模拟偏差较大的原因之一,即对El Ni?o-EAWM模拟好的模式对东亚冬季风年际变化的模拟也好。     

Impacts of different types of El Niño and La Niña on northern tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature

The present study investigates the dependence of the northern tropical Atlantic (NTA) sea surface temperature (SST) response to El Niño and La Niña events on the decay time and amplitude of tropical Pacific SST anomalies. It is found that the NTA SST response to La Niña events displays a notable difference between late and early decaying events, similar to that in response to El Niño events, but with a weaker signal. Latent heat flux is a dominant term in the NTA SST change in preceding winter-early spring in both El Niño and La Niña events and in the difference of the NTA SST anomaly between late and early decaying El Niño and La Niña events. The zonal and meridional advections have an opposite effect on the NTA SST warming in late decaying El Niño events. Although the warming in the NTA region is similar in late decaying moderate and strong El Niño events, the distribution of the SST anomalies in the mid-latitude North Atlantic Ocean shows a notable difference between the two types of late decaying El Niño events. The SST anomalies also display difference in the early decaying weak and moderate El Niño events. Surface heat flux differences are largely attributed to wind differences.     

Ningaloo Niño/Niña与华南冬季降水异常的联系

利用1979—2017年逐月平均的NOAA ERSST V3b海表温度资料、CN05.1降水资料以及NCEP/NCAR大气再分析资料,分析了Ningaloo Niño/Niña的基本特征及其与华南冬季降水异常的联系。结果表明,Ningaloo Niño/Niña是副热带东印度洋海温异常EOF第一模态,具有明显的年际变化特征和季节锁相特性。在扣除El Niño/La Niña的影响后,Ningaloo Niño/Niña与华南冬季降水异常存在着密切的联系,即Ningaloo Niño(Niña)年时,华南地区冬季降水增多(减少)。这种影响的可能机制是:Ningaloo Niño/Niña通过影响南支槽的强度变化进而影响华南冬季降水异常。Ningaloo Niño年冬季,澳大利亚西侧海表温度升高,对流增强,使南半球80°~100°E附近的Hadley环流上升支增强,造成经向环流异常,北半球低纬度地区形成一个异常的反环流圈,导致南支槽的增强。南支槽的强度与华南冬季降水呈正相关关系,南支槽强度偏强时,活跃的扰动向下游传播,槽前盛行的西南气流使得充足的水汽自孟加拉湾由西南向东北方向输入,为华南冬季降水偏多提供了条件,Ningaloo Niña年份的情形则与之相反。     

CMIP5模式对拉尼娜生命史模拟能力的评估

利用19个CMIP5模式输出资料,评估模式对于拉尼娜事件特殊生命史发展过程的模拟能力。评估结果显示,仅有少数模式可以很好地再现拉尼娜事件缓慢衰减并再次增强的生命史发展过程,而多数模式中拉尼娜事件持续衰减直至消亡。观测分析结果表明,一个可能导致拉尼娜再次增强的原因是风场强迫作用下的海洋赤道波动过程。模拟能力较好的模式可以建立起"SST—对流—风场"正反馈过程,使得拉尼娜事件再次发展。而模拟能力较弱的模式中正反馈过程无法建立,因此拉尼娜事件最终消亡。另一个可能导致拉尼娜事件再次增强的原因是海洋平均经圈环流的作用。模拟能力较好的模式可以很好地模拟出气候态海洋经圈环流强度,因此海洋平均经向冷平流会帮助赤道地区负海温距平再次增强。而模拟能力较弱的模式中海洋经圈环流强度较弱,因此赤道地区负海温距平持续衰减,最终回归到气候态。     

Swapping of the Pacific and Atlantic Niño influences on north central India summer monsoon

Climate Dynamics - The highly populated north central India receives 90% of annual rainfall during June to September. The interannual variation of summer monsoon rainfall is less studied...     

Contribution of oceanic wave propagation from the tropical Pacific to asymmetry of the Ningaloo Niño/Niña

Climate Dynamics - Ningaloo Niño/Niña is the dominant mode of interannual variability of sea surface temperature (SST) in the southeastern Indian Ocean. According to previous studies,...     

Local Hadley circulation over the Asian monsoon region associated with the Tropospheric Biennial Oscillation

Summary The Tropospheric Biennial Oscillation (TBO), a major interannual variation phenomenon in the Indo-Pacific region, is the result of strong ocean-atmosphere coupling over the Asian-Australian monsoon area. Along with other meteorological and oceanographic parameters, the tropical circulation also exhibits interannual oscillations. Even though the TBO is the result of strong air–sea interaction, the circulation cells during TBO years are, as yet, not well understood. In the present study, an attempt has been made to understand the interannual variability of the mean meridional circulation and local monsoon circulation over south Asia in connection with the TBO. The stream function computed from the zonal mean meridional wind component of NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data for the years 1950–2003 is used to represent the mean meridional circulation. Mean meridional mass transport in the topics reverses from a weak monsoon to a strong monsoon in the presence of ENSO, but in normal TBO years mean transport remains weak across the Northern Hemisphere. The meridional temperature gradient, which drives the mean meridional circulation, also shows no reversal during the normal TBO cycle. The local Hadley circulation over the monsoon area follows the TBO cycle with anomalous ascent (descent) in strong (weak) monsoon years. During normal TBO years, the Equatorial region and Indian monsoon areas exhibit opposite local Hadley circulation anomalies. Authors’ addresses: Prasanth A. Pillai, Research Scholar, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Lakeside Campus, Cochin 682016, India; K. Mohan Kumar, Professor & Dean, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Lakeside Campus, Cochin 682016, India.     

强La Niña背景下的东亚夏季风异常与1989年和1999年中国夏季降水的对比分析

选取两个强La Niña年 (1989年和1999年), 对比分析了强La Niña背景下的东亚夏季风异常和中国夏季降水分布。结果表明, 受南极海冰分布异常的影响, 这两年6～7月间南极涛动呈现不同的位相, 进而改变了南方涛动的位相。1989年, 南极涛动为正时, 南方涛动为正, 马斯克林高压 (简称马高) 偏强, 澳大利亚高压 (简称澳高) 偏弱。与1989年相反, 1999年南极涛动和南方涛动均为负位相, 马高偏弱, 澳高偏强, 这与一般La Niña年的情况正好相反。与马高和澳高强度变化相对应, 西太平洋副热带高压在1989年偏西、 1999年偏东, 并影响到6～7月间中国降水的分布。8月副高北抬后, 南半球环流变化的影响减弱, 东亚夏季风环流主要受热带环流和中高纬度环流的影响。1989年8月, 受中高纬度冷平流的影响, 副高偏弱, 长江流域降水偏多。1999年8月, 由于热带西风异常偏强, 副高偏强, 长江以南降水偏多。本文的研究结果表明, 即使在两个相似的强La Niña事件影响下, 由于其他因子对La Niña信号的调制作用, 中国夏季降水仍呈现不同的分布, 1989年为中间型, 而1999年为南方型, 这与一般La Niña年雨带偏北正好相反。最后, 对中国夏季降水的季度预测提出了一些建议。     

典型拉尼娜事件与1988-1989年拉尼娜事件生命史演变差异性成因分析

利用海洋混合层海温热量收支诊断方法和两套海洋同化再分析资料,对比分析典型拉尼娜事件和1988-1989年特殊拉尼娜事件生命史演变成因.研究结果表明,典型拉尼娜事件在发展年冬季到达最强值后通常缓慢衰减,在次年秋季时再次增强形成第二次拉尼娜事件.而1988-1989年拉尼娜事件在发展年底时到达最强值后迅速衰减,并在次年秋季...     

2015/2016年超强El Nio在成熟/衰减阶段对澳洲夏季风环流与降水异常的影响

2015/2016年发生了超强El Nio事件,Nio3区海温异常在2015/2016年冬季超过了2.5℃,其对全球气候异常的产生具有重大影响。此次El Nio事件可归类为东部型。本文利用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料、Hadley中心海温资料及CMAP降水资料等,通过诊断分析,揭示了2015/2016年强El Nio事件盛期和衰减期海温异常对澳洲夏季风环流异常和降水变化的影响及其途径。澳洲地区受此次El Nio事件影响,大部分地区降水显著减少,某些地区降水减少达60%~80%。影响途径主要有:1)海温异常通过Gill型响应造成水平环流异常并进而影响澳洲夏季风减弱。2015/2016年ENSO事件成熟期及衰减期,在西太平洋赤道地区出现海温负异常,导致此处热带地区产生了负异常的热源分布,并由此激发产生了位于赤道北侧和南侧的异常反气旋式环流。位于海洋性大陆南侧的异常反气旋性环流引起澳洲夏季风减弱,从而利于抑制上升运动,造成了澳大利亚降水量显著减少;2)通过赤道中东太平洋地区上升和澳洲地区下沉的垂直环流异常导致澳洲降水显著减少。在El Nio事件盛期,因海温异常偏暖导致赤道中东太平洋地区产生显著的异常上升运动,其补偿性的下沉运动因Walker环流而出现在海洋性大陆地区,以及因澳洲大陆夏季风减弱而出现在澳大利亚中东部地区,由此构成了中东太平洋—澳洲副热带的垂直环流圈,此东北—西南向的垂直环流圈对澳洲降水减少的维持起到了重要作用。另外,中国南方的上升运动与海洋性大陆及澳洲地区的下沉运动之间通过局地经圈环流产生了联系,表明东亚冬季风异常减弱对澳洲夏季风减弱可能存在间接影响。这些结果对深刻认识超强ENSO事件对亚澳季风的影响机理以及寻找澳洲降水预测线索具有重要意义。     

El Ni?o对东亚夏季风和夏季降水季节内变化的影响

基于1979~2012年候平均再分析资料,合成分析了El Ni?o对东亚夏季风和夏季降水季节内变化的影响。结果表明,在El Ni?o衰减年夏季,西太平洋副热带高压(副高)明显偏强,位置偏向西南。副高的这种异常特征随夏季的季节进程有明显变化,初夏异常较弱,盛夏期间异常达到最强。此外,根据东亚夏季风降水呈现阶段式北进的特征,将夏季分为华南前汛期、江淮梅雨期、华北和东北雨期以及华南后汛期来分析东亚夏季风和降水的季节内变化。在上述各个时期,大气对流层低层表现为一致的环流异常型,副高及其以南区域为异常反气旋,其北部为异常气旋。这种异常环流型加强了副高南部偏东风及其北部偏北风,增强了热带水汽输送和高纬度地区冷空气的入侵,二者结合造成主汛期地区降水增加。需要强调的是,上述环流异常型随东亚夏季风逐步向北推移,导致东亚各地区的主汛期降水增加,非主汛期降水减少,降水分布更为集中。     

京津冀地区GNSS ZTD时序分析及对厄尔尼诺事件的响应

京津冀地区夏季暴雨频发,水汽是影响暴雨形成的关键要素之一.本文利用中国大陆构造环境监测网络（CMONOC）京津冀地区GNSS（全球导航卫星系统）观测资料,开展GNSS天顶对流层总延迟（ZTD）时序分析及对厄尔尼诺事件的响应研究.利用快速傅里叶变换与小波变换方法从频域和时域开展GNSS ZTD时序分析,并对GNSS ZTD不同周期时序与东部型指数（I_EP）、中部型指数（I_CP）进行比较,分析I_EP、I_CP对GNSS ZTD周期变化的影响.研究发现：GNSS ZTD异常时段与厄尔尼诺事件存在对应关系.东部型指数（I_EP）与GNSS ZTD呈正相关;中部型指数（I_CP）与GNSS ZTD呈显著负相关.在东部型厄尔尼诺事件的影响下,GNSS ZTD的季节性周期增大,月周期和半月周期减小;在中部型厄尔尼诺事件的影响下,GNSS ZTD的季节性周期、月周期、半月周期都减小.研究结果可为掌握区域GNSS ZTD预测变化规律提供参考,并为利用水汽感知厄尔尼诺事件提供可行性基础.     

Distribution of seasonal rainfall in the East Asian monsoon region

Summary ?This study deals with the climatological aspect of seasonal rainfall distribution in the East Asian monsoon region, which includes China, Korea and Japan. Rainfall patterns in these three countries have been investigated, but little attention has been paid to the linkages between them. This paper has contributed to the understanding of the inter-linkage of various sub-regions. Three datasets are used. One consists of several hundred gauges from China and South Korea. The second is based on the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP). The two sources of precipitation information are found to be consistent. The third dataset is the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis 850-hPa winds. The CMAP precipitation shows that the seasonal transition over East Asia from the boreal winter to the boreal summer monsoon component occurs abruptly in mid-May. From late March to early May, the spring rainy season usually appears over South China and the East China Sea, but it is not so pronounced in Japan. The summer monsoon rainy season over East Asia commonly begins from mid-May to late May along longitudes of eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. A strong quasi-20-day sub-seasonal oscillation in the precipitation appears to be dominant during this rainy season. The end date of the summer monsoon rainy season in eastern China and Japan occurs in late July, while the end date in the Korean Peninsula is around early August. The autumn rainy season in the Korean Peninsula has a major range from mid-August to mid-September. In southern China, the autumn rainy season prevails from late August to mid-October but a short autumn rainy season from late August to early September is noted in the lower part of the Yangtze River. In Japan, the autumn rainy season is relatively longer from mid-September to late October. The sub-seasonal rainfall oscillation in Korea, eastern China and Japan are explained by, and comparable to, the 850-hPa circulation. The strong westerly frontal zone can control the location of the Meiyu, the Changma, and the Baiu in East Asia. The reason that the seasonal sea surface temperature change in the northwestern Pacific plays a critical role in the northward advance of the onset of the summer monsoon rainfall over East Asia is also discussed. Received October 5, 2001; revised April 23, 2002; accepted May 11, 2002     

AGCM simulations of intraseasonal variability associated with the Asian summer monsoon

The intraseasonal variability associated with the Asian summer monsoon as simulated by a number of atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) are analyzed and assessed against observations. The model data comes from the Monsoon GCM Intercomparison project initiated by the CLIVAR/Asian–Australian Monsoon Panel. Ten GCM groups, i.e., the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere Studies (COLA), Institute of Numerical Mathematics (DNM), Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Meteorological Research Institute (MRI), National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Seoul National University (SNU), and the State University of New York (SUNY), participated in the intraseasonal component of the project. Each performed a set of 10 ensemble simulations for 1 September 1996–31 August 1998 using the same observed weekly SST values but with different initial conditions. The focus is on the spatial and seasonal variations associated with intraseasonal variability (ISV) of rainfall, the structure of each model's principal mode of spatial-temporal variation of rainfall [i.e. their depiction of the Intraseasonal Oscillation (ISO)], the teleconnection patterns associated with each model's ISO, and the implications of the models' ISV on seasonal monsoon predictability. The results show that several of the models exhibit ISV levels at or above that found in observations with spatial patterns of ISV that resemble the observed pattern. This includes a number of rather detailed features, including the relative distribution of variability between ocean and land regions. In terms of the area-averaged variance, it is found that the fidelity of a model to represent NH summer versus winter ISV appears to be strongly linked. In addition, most models' ISO patterns do exhibit some form of northeastward propagation. However, the model ISO patterns are typically less coherent, lack sufficient eastward propagation, and have smaller zonal and meridional spatial scales than the observed patterns, and are often limited to one side or the other of the maritime continent. The most pervasive and problematic feature of the models' depiction of ISV and/or their ISO patterns is the overall lack of variability in the equatorial Indian Ocean. In some cases, this characteristic appears to result from some models forming double convergence zones about the equator rather than one region of strong convergence on the equator. This shortcoming results in a poor representation of the local rainfall pattern and also significantly influences the models' representations of the global-scale teleconnection patterns associated with the ISO. Finally, analysis of the model ensemble shows a positive relationship between the strength of a model's ISV of rainfall and its intra-ensemble variability of seasonal monsoon rainfall. The implications of this latter relation are discussed in the context of seasonal monsoon predictability.     

Atmospheric circulation characteristics associated with the onset of Asian summer monsoon

The onset of the Asian summer monsoon has been a focus in the monsoon study for many years. In this paper, we study the variability and predictability of the Asian summer monsoon onset and demonstrate that this onset is associated with specific atmospheric circulation characteristics. The outbreak of the Asian summer monsoon is found to occur first over the southwestern part of the South China Sea (SCS) and the Malay Peninsula region, and the monsoon onset is closely related to intra-seasonal oscillations in the lower atmosphere. These intra-seasonal oscillations consist of two low-frequency vortex pairs, one located to the east of the Philippines and the other over the tropical eastern Indian Ocean. Prior to the Asian summer monsoon onset, a strong low-frequency westerly emerges over the equatorial Indian Ocean and the low-frequency vortex pair develops symmetrically along the equator. The formation and evolution of these low-frequency vortices are important and serve as a good indicator for the Asian summer monsoon onset. The relationship between the northward jumps of the westerly jet over East Asia and the Asian summer monsoon onset over SCS is investigated. It is shown that the northward jump of the westerly jet occurs twice during the transition from winter to summer and these jumps are closely related to the summer monsoon development. The first northward jump (from 25–28N to around 30N) occurs on 8 May on average, about 7 days ahead of the summer monsoon onset over the SCS. It is found that the reverse of meridional temperature gradient in the upper-middle troposphere (500–200 hPa) and the enhancement and northward movement of the subtropical jet in the Southern Hemispheric subtropics are responsible for the first northward jump of the westerly jet.