Parallel Comparison of the 1982/83,1997/98 and 2015/16 Super El Nios and Their Effects on the Extratropical Stratosphere

This study uses multiple sea surface temperature(SST) datasets to perform a parallel comparison of three super El Ni os and their effects on the stratosphere. The results show that, different from ordinary El Ni os, warm SST anomalies appear earliest in the western tropical Pacific and precede the super El Ni o peak by more than 18 months. In the previous winter,relative to the mature phase of El Ni o, as a precursor, North Pacific Oscillation-like circulation anomalies are observed. A Pacific–North America(PNA) teleconnection appears in the extratropical troposphere during the mature phase, in spite of the subtle differences between the intensities, as well as the zonal position, of the PNA lobes. Related to the negative rainfall response over the tropical Indian Ocean, the PNA teleconnection in the winter of 1997/98 is the strongest among the three super El Ni os. The northern winter stratosphere shows large anomalies in the polar cap temperature and the circumpolar westerly, if the interferences from other factors are linearly filtered from the circulation data. Associated with the positive PNA response in a super El Ni o winter, positive polar cap temperature anomalies and circumpolar easterly anomalies,though different in timing, are also observed in the mature winters of the three super El Ni os. The stratospheric polar vortex in the next winter relative to the 1982/83 and 1997/98 events is also anomalously weaker and warmer, and the stratospheric circulation conditions remain to be seen in the coming winter following the mature phase of the 2015/16 event.     

Upper-Ocean Dynamical Features and Prediction of the Super El Ni?o in 2015/16:A Comparison with the Cases in 1982/83 and 1997/98

The 2015/16 super El Ni?o event has been widely recognized as comparable to the 1982/83 and 1997/98 El Ni?o events.This study examines the main features of upper-ocean dynamics in this new super event,contrasts them to those in the two historical super events,and quantitatively compares the major oceanic dynamical feedbacks based on a mixed-layer heat budget analysis of the tropical Pacific.During the early stage,this new event is characterized by an eastward propagation of SST anomalies and a weak warm-pool El Ni?o;whereas during its mature phase,it is characterized by a weak westward propagation and a westward-shifted SST anomaly center,mainly due to the strong easterly wind and cold upwelling anomalies in the far eastern Pacific,as well as the westward anomalies of equatorial zonal current and subsurface ocean temperature.The heat budget analysis shows that the thermocline feedback is the most crucial process inducing the SST anomaly growth and phase transition of all the super events,and particularly for this new event,the zonal advective feedback also exerts an important impact on the formation of the strong warming and westward-shifted pattern of SST anomalies.During this event,several westerly wind burst events occur,and oceanic Kelvin waves propagate eastwards before being maintained over eastern Pacific in the mature stage.Meanwhile,there is no evidence for westward propagation of the off-equatorial oceanic Rossby waves though the discharging process of equatorial heat during the development and mature stages.The second generation El Ni?o prediction system of the Beijing Climate Center produced reasonable event real-time operational prediction during 2014–16,wherein the statistical prediction model that considers the preceding oceanic precursors plays an important role in the multi-method ensemble prediction of this super.     

THE CONTRASTS BETWEEN STRONG AND WEAK MJO ACTIVITY OVER THE EQUATORIAL WESTERN PACIFIC IN WINTER

This paper investigates the contrasts between strong and weak Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) activity over the equatorial western Pacific during winter using the NCEP reanalysis data. It is shown that the MJO over the equatorial western Pacific in winter shows significant interannual and interdecadal variabilities. During the winters with strong MJO activity, an anomalous cyclonic circulation lies east of the Philippines, strong anomalous easterlies control the equatorial eastern Pacific, and anomalous westerlies extend from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific in the lower troposphere, which strengthens the convergence and convection over the equatorial western Pacific. The moisture convergence in the lower troposphere is also enhanced over the western Pacific, which is favorable to the activity of MJO. Eastward propagation is a significant feature of the MJO, though there is some westward propagation. The space-time spectral power and center period of the MJO are higher during strong MJO activity winters. The anomalous activity of MJO is closely related to the sea surface temperature (SST) and East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). During strong MJO activity winters, there are positive/negative anomalies at high/low latitudes in both sea level pressure and 500 hPa geopotential height, and the temperature is lower over the central part of the Chinese mainland, which indicates a strong EAWM. China experiences more rainfall between the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, but less rainfall south of the Yangtze River. The SSTA is negative near the Taiwan Island due to the impact of strong EAWM and shows a La Ni?a pattern anomaly over the eastern Pacific. During the weak MJO activity winters, the situation is reversed.     

On the Mechanism of the Locking of the El Nino Event Onset Phase to Boreal Spring

The mechanism of the locking of the E1 Nino event onset phase to boreal spring （from April to June） in an intermediate coupled ocean-atmosphere model is investigated. The results show that the seasonal variation of the zonal wind anomaly over the equatorial Pacific associated with the seasonal variation of the ITCZ is the mechanism of the locking in the model. From January to March of the E1 Nino year, the western wind anomaly over the western equatorial Pacific can excite the downwelling Kelvin wave that propagates eastward to the eastern and middle Pacific by April to June. From April to December of the year before the E1 Nifio year, the eastern wind anomaly over the equatorial Pacific forces the downwelling Rossby waves that modulate the ENSO cycle. The modulation and the reflection at the western boundary modulate the time of the transition from the cool to the warm phase to September of the year before the E1 Nifio year and cause the strongest downwelling Kelvin wave from the reflected Rossby waves at the western boundary to arrive in the middle and eastern equatorial Pacific by April to June of the E1 Nino year. The superposition of these two kinds of downwelling Kelvin waves causes the El Nino event to tend to occur from April to June.     

Roles of Multi-Scale Disturbances over the Tropical North Pacific in the Turnabout of 1997-98 El Nino

The space-time features of major vorticity disturbances over the western North Pacific during the 1997-98 El Nino ranked as one of the strongest events on record was investigated in this study. We distinguished the different roles that these disturbances had on different timescales in causing the reversal or turnabout of the El Nino event. Remarkable differences in the various disturbances of synoptic, intraseasonal, and interannual timescales were found in the time evolution, propagation, and in their contributions to the changes in nearequatorial zonal flow, which was crucial to the demise of the warm sea surface temperature anomalies in the central-eastern Pacific. It is hypothesized that the westward-traveling synoptic and intraseasonal oscillations in the western North Pacific might be considered as a self-provided negative feedback from the El Nino and played an additional role in its reversal in comparison with other interannual internal and external forcings. In this case, the off-equatorial synoptic and intraseaonal fluctuations served as a stochastic forcing for the tropical ocean and gave rise to the aperiodicity or irregularity of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.     

Distinct Evolution of the SST Anomalies in the Far Eastern Pacific between the 1997/98 and 2015/16 Extreme El Niños

The 2015/16 El Ni?o displayed a distinct feature in the SST anomalies over the far eastern Pacific(FEP)compared to the 1997/98 extreme case.In contrast to the strong warm SST anomalies in the FEP in the 1997/98 event,the FEP warm SST anomalies in the 2015/16 El Ni?o were modest and accompanied by strong southeasterly wind anomalies in the southeastern Pacific.Exploring possible underlying causes of this distinct difference in the FEP may improve understanding of the diversity of extreme El Ni?os.Here,we employ observational analyses and numerical model experiments to tackle this issue.Mixed-layer heat budget analysis suggests that compared to the 1997/98 event,the modest FEP SST warming in the 2015/16 event was closely related to strong vertical upwelling,strong westward current,and enhanced surface evaporation,which were caused by the strong southeasterly wind anomalies in the southeastern Pacific.The strong southeasterly wind anomalies were initially triggered by the combined effects of warm SST anomalies in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific(CEP)and cold SST anomalies in the southeastern subtropical Pacific in the antecedent winter,and then sustained by the warm SST anomalies over the northeastern subtropical Pacific and CEP.In contrast,southeasterly wind anomalies in the 1997/98 El Ni?o were partly restrained by strong anomalously negative sea level pressure and northwesterlies in the northeast flank of the related anomalous cyclone in the subtropical South Pacific.In addition,the strong southeasterly wind and modest SST anomalies in the 2015/16 El Ni?o may also have been partly related to decadal climate variability.     

Interannual Thermocline Signals and El Nio-La Nia 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 Nina) to a warm water state (El Nino) 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 Nino (or La Nina) events. The subsequent analyses of the MSTA propagations in the tropical Pacific suggest a one-year potential predictability for El Nino and La Nina 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 16°N. Finally, the signal returns toward the equator along the western boundary of the basin. The turnabout time from an El Nino event to a La Nina 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 Nino or La Nina event at least one year in advance.     

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.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF LAG INFLUENCE OF ENSO ON EAST-ASIAN MONSOON

By prescribing sea surface temperature anomalies(SSTAs)over eastern equatorial Pacific inJanuary—March,the lag influence of ENSO(El Nino and La Nina)on monsoon over East Asiahas been studied.The results suggest that,due to the excitation of atmospheric low-frequencyoscillation by the SSTA,ENSO has significant lag influence on the monsoon over East Asia.During the summer after E1 Nino,the subtropical high over western Pacific is intensified andshows the northward and westward displacement,meanwhile,the rainfall over East China isbelow normal,especially in North China:during the winter after E1 Nino,both the Asian troughand the winter monsoon over East Asia are strengthened.During the summer after La Nina,theanomalous subtropical high prevails over the lower reaches of Yangtze(Changjiang)River,therainfall between Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers is below normal:during the winter after La Nina,both the Asian trough and the winter monsoon over East Asia are weaker.Compared with LaNina,the effect of El Nino is stronger,but it is not always opposite to the one of La Nina.     

Impacts of the MJO on Winter Rainfall and Circulation in China

Impacts of the MJO on winter rainfall and circulation in China are investigated using a real-time multivariate MJO index.Composite results using the daily rainfall anomalies and "rainy day" anomalies according to eight different MJO phases show that the MJO has considerable influence on winter rainfall in China. Rainfall anomalies show systematic and substantial changes(enhanced/suppressed) in the Yangtze River Basin and South China with the eastward propagation of the MJO convective center from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific.When the MJO is in phase 2 and 3(MJO convective center is located over the Indian Ocean),rainfall probability is significantly enhanced.While in phase 6 and 7(MJO convective center is over the western Pacific),rainfall probability is significantly reduced. MJO in winter influences the rainfall in China mainly through modulating the circulation in the subtropics and mid-high latitudes.For the subtropics,MJO influences the northward moisture transport coming from the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea by modulating the southern trough of the Bay of Bengal and the western Pacific subtropical high.For the mid-high latitudes,the propagation of the low frequency perturbations associated with the eastward-propagating MJO convection modulate the circulation in the mid-high latitudes,e.g.the East Asian winter monsoon and the low trough over central Asia.     

埃尔尼诺/南方涛动的可预报性

本文利用近百余年达尔文站(Darwin,12°S,131°E)月平均气压距平值(DP)的时间序列以及近五十余年达尔文与塔希提(Tahiti,17°S,150°W)两站月平均气压距平差值(DTP)的时间序列,分析了埃尔尼诺/南方涛动(ENSO)演变过程的浑沌特性,结果发现,ENSO是一个具有有限个自由度的复杂的浑沌系统(相应于DP和DTP的关联维数分别为6.8和6.6);它的以最大Lyapunov指数(λ_1)和二阶Rrnyi熵(k_2)表征的可预报时间尺度(误差增长一倍所需时间)对于DP分别为32个月和11个月,对于DTP分别为31个月和15个月。此外本文还研究了被光滑的DP时间序列,结果表明,适当的滤波可以降低系统的关联维数,并改善系统的可预报性。例如,在一个九点加权滑动平均滤波器的作用下,以λ_1表征的DP的可预报时间尺度延长了一倍。     

El Ni?o区域SST的空间结构

本文利用MHAT小波对1970～1990年El Ni?o 区域的SST进行多尺度分析，研究结果发现:(1) 在洲洋尺度(4×10 3～13×10 3 km)里，El Ni?o区域存在着特征波长为6000 km的纬向长波#Aψ*T/2@#a和波长为6500 km的经向长波ψ1；(2) 在区域尺度(1×10 3～4×10 3 km)里，El Ni?o区域的SST存在着特征波长为4500 km的经向中波ψ3和波长为3500 km的纬向中波ψ4；(3) 大尺度范围的海温异常及4波共振机制是发生El Ni?o现象的两个重要原因。     

1982/1983年El Ni?o演变的动力学结构分析

目前，ENSO循环动力学机制仍存在争议。本文在研制热带太平洋线性分层模式的基础上，利用ECMWF 1981～1984年的风场分析资料，进一步模拟分析了El Ni?o的海洋动力学结构和机制。结果较真实地揭示了海洋温跃层扰动的演变。指出海洋表层与次表层间卷挟作用激发新的Kelvin模和Rossby模，它们与经典的动量交换激发的Kelvin模和Rossby模相叠加是温跃层扰动的基本动力学机制。东边界反射Rossby模对温跃层扰动和海洋气候状态恢复具有重要作用。上述动力学模态是El Ni?o循环时滞振荡子机制的本     

中东太平洋赤道地区风场的变化与埃尔尼诺

本文利用COADS资料,对中东太平洋赤道地区u、v风场与东太平洋赤道地区的海温进行了相关分析。指出,该地区的西风异常对埃尔尼埃的发生起了重要作用。同时也指出,该地区经向风的异常同样对埃尔尼诺的发生起了十分重要的作用。     

厄尔尼诺的发生与赤道西太平洋暖池次表层海温异常

通过资料分析研究了厄尔尼诺事件的爆发与西太平洋暖池次表层海温正异常的重要关系。结果表明，El Ni?o事件之前暖池次表层海温都有明显的持续升高；这种暖池次表层海温正距平的出现，尤其是它向赤道中东太平洋的传播对 El Ni?o事件的爆发有直接关系，是导致El Ni?o事件的重要原因。分析还表明，暖池次表层海温正距平的东移原因在于赤道西太平洋地区西风异常的发生和向东扩展。     

El Ni?o和La Ni?a事件对东亚冬、夏季风循环的影响

通过合成的El NiNo和La NiNa的分析发现,一般一个El Nino或La Nina事件大致可以分成爆发前的冬季、发展期的夏季、盛期时的冬季和衰亡期的夏季四个阶段.在此基础上利用NCEP再分析环流资料和中国降水资料分析了东亚冬、夏季风对E1 Nino和LaNina的响应,结果发现,E1 Nino和La Nina事件显著地影响了东亚冬、夏季风的循环.E1Nino爆发前的冬季在东亚地区往往有异常强的北风;El Nino发展期的夏季,西太平洋副热带高压偏弱,同时影响我国的西南气流偏弱,从而江淮地区和南方沿海地区多雨,长江中游和华北地区少雨;E1 Nino盛期的冬季东亚地区则出现异常的南风;而E1 Nino衰亡期的夏季,西太平洋副热带高压偏强,同时影响我国的西南气流偏强,从而江淮地区少雨,华北、东北以及洞庭湖、鄱阳湖地区多雨.La Nina对东亚冬、夏季风循环的影响则与El Nino大致相反,但它的影响不如El ino的影响显著.对强、弱东亚冬季风后的夏季中国降水异常的分析则表明,正是由于与El Nino或La Nina事件有关的海温异常对东亚冬、夏季风循环的影响才导致了东亚冬季风与随后的夏季风存在着紧密的联系;当冬季风异常不是由与ElNiNino或La Nina事件有关的海温异常所引起时,两者之间就缺少显著的联系.     

ENSIP: the El Niño simulation intercomparison project

An ensemble of twenty four coupled ocean-atmosphere models has been compared with respect to their performance in the tropical Pacific. The coupled models span a large portion of the parameter space and differ in many respects. The intercomparison includes TOGA (Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere)-type models consisting of high-resolution tropical ocean models and coarse-resolution global atmosphere models, coarse-resolution global coupled models, and a few global coupled models with high resolution in the equatorial region in their ocean components. The performance of the annual mean state, the seasonal cycle and the interannual variability are investigated. The primary quantity analysed is sea surface temperature (SST). Additionally, the evolution of interannual heat content variations in the tropical Pacific and the relationship between the interannual SST variations in the equatorial Pacific to fluctuations in the strength of the Indian summer monsoon are investigated. The results can be summarised as follows: almost all models (even those employing flux corrections) still have problems in simulating the SST climatology, although some improvements are found relative to earlier intercomparison studies. Only a few of the coupled models simulate the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in terms of gross equatorial SST anomalies realistically. In particular, many models overestimate the variability in the western equatorial Pacific and underestimate the SST variability in the east. The evolution of interannual heat content variations is similar to that observed in almost all models. Finally, the majority of the models show a strong connection between ENSO and the strength of the Indian summer monsoon.     

厄尔尼诺发生前的北半球大气环流及我国天气气候异常分析

本文对1951～1992年期间发生的厄尔尼诺、反厄尔尼诺的前期冬季、秋季的100 hPa、500 hPa北半球环流及我国的气温、降水场进行了合成分析。结果表明，前冬季500 hPa环流差异明显，主要特征是厄尔尼诺发生前中、西太平洋地区高度负异常；阿留申、堪察加500 hPa高度正异常，呈强的正WP遥相关型。同时，前冬期我国降水偏少、气温偏低，盛行强东亚冬季风。指出了具有这些特征的高相关区。所得的结果为早期预测厄尔尼诺事件提供了有价值的信息。