Correction to: The contributions of fronts,lows and thunderstorms to southern Australian rainfall

Climate Dynamics - In the original published version of the paper, the figures reported in Sect. 4 relating the proportion of rainfall in southern Australia that is due to each of the...     

Sensitivity of the Northern Hemisphere climate of the Last Glacial Maximum to sea surface temperatures

The role of prescribing sea surface temperature in paleoclimate atmospheric simulations has been investigated by comparing Last Glacial Maximum AGCMs experiments using different SSTs data sets as well as coupled atmosphere/oceanic mixed layer models. Changes in the SSTs and sea-ice margin generate different patterns of zonal asymmetries in the atmospheric circulation that are responsible for reorganisation of heat and moisture transport, leading to important variations of Northern Hemisphere regional climates, particularly in winter. Additional sensitivity experiments have been carried out to isolate the individual role of North Pacific and North Atlantic SSTs anomalies. We found that changes in North Pacific SSTs have a much stronger impact over all the northern continental surfaces, including Europe and Siberia, than changes in the North Atlantic SSTs. As these SSTs anomalies are of the order of the typical errors generated by coupled ocean-atmosphere models, this suggests that these more complete models will likely still have problems in simulating the regional climate change at the LGM. Received: 11 October 1999 / Accepted: 9 June 2000     

Australian east coast rainfall decline related to large scale climate drivers

Rainfall on the subtropical east coast of Australia has declined at up to 50?mm per decade since 1970. Wavelet analysis is used to investigate eight station and four station-averaged rainfall distributions along Australia??s subtropical east coast with respect to the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the inter-decadal Pacific oscillation (IPO) and the southern annular mode (SAM). The relationships are examined further using composite atmospheric circulation anomalies. Here we show that the greatest rainfall variability occurs in the 15?C30?year periodicity of the 1948?C1975 or ??cool?? phase of the IPO when the subtropical ridge is located sufficiently poleward for anomalous moist onshore airflow to occur together with high ENSO rainfall variability and high, negative phase, SAM variability. Thus, the mid-latitude westerlies are located at their most equatorward position in the Australian region. This maximizes tropospheric interaction of warm, moist tropical air with enhanced local baroclinicity over the east coast, and hence rainfall.     

Influence of sea surface temperatures on air temperatures in the tropics

Interannual variations of tropical tropospheric temperatures are closely related to sea surface temperature (SST) changes in the tropical eastern Pacific (TEP). This study investigated the physical mechanisms for such an air-sea interrelationship. SSTs and latent heat flux were analyzed to find the unique properties of their variations during El Niño. A Gill-type model was used to investigate how a local heat source communicates with the entire tropics. Radiative fluxes in the tropics were evaluated to search for the factors limiting air temperature increases when warm SSTs remain in the TEP. We found that interannual variabilities of SST and latent heat flux are dominated by the variations in the TEP region. The SST variations there have three unique properties that allow the ocean to influence the atmosphere effectively: large magnitude, long persistence, and spatial coherence. The Gill-type model shows that a local heat source can warm the entire tropical troposphere when the heat source is near the equator. Released latent heat in the heat source region and forced adiabatic subsidence elsewhere in the tropics warm the atmosphere. As a result, a local heat source warms the entire tropical strip. The forced subsidence depresses clouds, allowing more infrared radiation to leave the atmosphere and preventing further atmospheric warming when warm SSTs remain in the TEP. This finding is verified by reanalysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction.     

ASCAT近岸风在山东沿海的适用性分析

利用2013年1月—2014年12月山东近海的8个浮标站、海岛站和自动站资料与ASCAT近岸风速和风向进行对比,以分析ASCAT反演风场在山东沿海的适用性。研究发现：总体上看,ASCAT近岸风速与代表站实况风速正相关,ASCAT近岸风速在山东沿海误差较小,风向有明显的偏离。ASCAT近岸风在渤海、渤海海峡和黄海北部的适用性优于黄海中部。风力不同时,ASCAT近岸风速与实况偏差有明显差别,表现为当实况出现6级及以上的大风,ASCAT近岸风速小于实况;当实况出现6级以下的风,ASCAT近岸风速大于实况。就ASCAT风速偏差而言,6级以下的风速偏差小于6级及以上风。ASCAT近岸风向与实况偏差也有明显差别,当实况出现6级及以上的大风,ASCAT近岸风向与实况的偏离变小;当实况出现6级以下的风,ASCAT近岸风向与实况的偏离变大。因此,ASCAT近岸风速在山东沿海有较好的适用性,6级以下风更优;ASCAT近岸风向也有一定的适用性,6级及以上风向可用性比6级以下强。     

Microphysical characteristics of sea fog over the east coast of Leizhou Peninsula, China

Microphysical properties of sea fog and correlations of these properties were analyzed based on the measurements from a comprehensive field campaign carried out from 15 March to 18 April 2010 on Donghai Island (21°35’’N, 110°32’5’’E) in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China. There were four types of circula- tion pattern in favor of sea fog events in this area identified, and the synoptic weather pattern was found to influence the microphysical properties of the sea fogs. Those influenced by a warm sector in front of a cold front or the anterior part of low pressure were found to usually have a much longer duration, lower visibility, greater liquid water content, and bigger fog droplet sizes. A fog droplet number concentration of N≥1 cm-3 and liquid water content of L≥0.001 g m-3 can be used to define sea fogs in this area. The type of fog droplet size distribution of the sea fog events was mostly monotonically-decreasing, with the spectrum width always being >20 μm. The significant temporal variation of N was due in large part to the number concentration variation of fog droplets with radius <3 μm. A strong collection process appeared when droplet spectrum width was >10 μm, which subsequently led to the sudden increase of droplet spectrum width. The dominant physical process during the sea fog events was activation with subsequent condensational growth or reversible evaporation processes, but turbulent mixing also played an important role. The collection process occurred, but was not vital.     

Sensitivity of Arctic warming to sea surface temperature distribution over melted sea-ice region in atmospheric general circulation model experiments

Substantial reduction in Arctic sea ice in recent decades has intensified air-sea interaction over the Arctic Ocean and has altered atmospheric states in the Arctic and surrounding high-latitude regions. This study has found that the atmospheric responses related to Arctic sea-ice melt in the cold season (October–March) depend on sea-ice fraction and are very sensitive to in situ sea surface temperature (SST) from a series of atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulations in which multiple combinations of SSTs and sea-ice concentrations are prescribed in the Arctic Ocean. It has been found that the amplitude of surface warming over the melted sea-ice region is controlled by concurrent in situ SST even if these simulations are forced by the same sea-ice concentration. Much of the sensitivity of surface warming to in situ SST are related with large changes in surface heat fluxes such as the outgoing long-wave flux in early winter (October–December) and the sensible and latent heat fluxes for the entire cold season. Vertical extension of surface warming and moistening is sensitive to these changes as well; the associated condensational heating modulates a static stability in the lower troposphere. This study also indicates that changes in SST fields in AGCM simulations must be implemented with extra care, especially in the melted sea-ice region in the Arctic. The statistical method introduced in this study for adjusting SSTs in conjunction with a given sea-ice change can help to model the atmospheric response to sea-ice loss more accurately.     

Sensitivity to prescribed changes in sea surface temperature and sea ice in doubled carbon dioxide experiments

Time sclice experiments are performed with the atmospheric GCM ARPEGE, developed at Météo-France, to study the impact to increases in the atmospheric carbon dioxide. This spectral model runs at T42 horizontal resolution with 30 vertical layers including a comprehensive tropospheric and stratospheric resolution and a prognostic parameterization of the ozone mixing ratio. The model is forced in a 5-year control run by climatological SSTs and sea-ice extents in order to obtain an accurate simulation of the present-day climate. Two perturbed runs are performed using SSTs and sea-ice extents for doubled CO₂ concentration, obtained from transient runs performed by two coupled atmospheric-oceanic models run at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) in Hamburg and the Hadley Centre (HC). A global surface temperature warming of 1.6 K is obtained with the MPI SST anomalies and 1.9 K with the HC SST anomalies. The precipitation rate increases by 4.2% (and 4.7%). The features obtained in the stratosphere (a cooling increasing with the altitude and an increase in the ozone mixing ratio) are not sensitive to the oceanic forcing. On the contrary, the anomalies in the troposphere such as a warming increasing with altitude, an acceleration of westerly jets and a raised cloud height, depend on the oceanic forcing imposed in the two perturbed runs. Special attention is given to continental areas where the impact of the oceanic forcing is studied over eight regions around the globe. Regions sensitive to oceanic forcing such as Europe are identified in contrast with areas where the patterns are driven by land-surface physical processes, such as over continental Asia. Finally, the Köppen classification is applied to the climate simulated in the three experiments. Both doubled CO₂ runs show the same predominance of global warming over precipitation changes in the Kbppen analyses.     

Cut-off lows in the Southern Hemisphere and their extension to the surface

Many cut-off low (COL) climatologies have been done throughout the Southern Hemisphere. Few have focused on COL vertical depth and their link to surface cyclones that often accompany these systems. Here we extend these climatologies in order to gain an understanding of the spatial, mobility, temporal, and seasonal variability of COL extensions towards the surface. Deep COLs (dCOLs), with extension all the way to the surface, are most frequent in the autumn months, are longer lasting, are more mobile and found most frequently situated in the high latitudes. They are usually collocated with Rossby wave breaking (RWB) on multiple isentropic surfaces. These RWB events drive high potential vorticity air into the upper troposphere. The depths of these intrusions are also shown to be critical to the development of COL extensions with dCOLs associated with deeper intrusions into the mid-troposphere. Upper-level PV features are collocated with warm surface potential temperature anomalies which can play a critical role in surface cyclogenesis. The warm surface potential temperature features, when out of phase with coupled upper tropospheric processes (surface features lagging behind upper level processes), can inhibit surfaceward extension and result in shallow COL (sCOL) development. Composite analysis shows that dCOLs that drive their own surface low development result in the simultaneous amplification of troughs throughout the troposphere, with the surface cyclone developing within a day of the COL.

     

Cause-effect relationships between sea surface temperature, precipitation and sea level along the Bangladesh coast

Summary  The Bangladesh coast, which lies on the confluence of three mighty rivers, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna, with the Himalayas to the north and the Bay of Bengal to the south, is an ideal zone for sea level rise due to enhanced rainfall during the monsoon season from June to September. An attempt has been made here to look into the cause-effect relationships between observed trends in sea surface temperature (SST) over the Bay of Bengal and the trends in monsoon rains and sea level in Bangladesh. The study utilizes the 14-year satellite-derived SSTs over the Bay of Bengal for 1985–1998, the tide gauge stations data along the Bangladesh coast for 1977–1998 and the 31-year monsoon rainfall data for Bangladesh, 1961–1991. Received October 20, 2000     

Understanding Madden-Julian-Induced sea surface temperature variations in the North Western Australian Basin

The strongest large-scale intraseasonal (30–110 day) sea surface temperature (SST) variations in austral summer in the tropics are found in the eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia (North-Western Australian Basin, or NWAB). TMI and Argo observations indicate that the temperature signal (std. ~0.4 °C) is most prominent within the top 20 m. This temperature signal appears as a standing oscillation with a 40–50 day timescale within the NWAB, associated with ~40 Wm^?2 net heat fluxes (primarily shortwave and latent) and ~0.02 Nm^?2 wind stress perturbations. This signal is largely related to the Madden-Julian Oscillation. A slab ocean model with climatological observed mixed-layer depth and an ocean general circulation model both accurately reproduce the observed intraseasonal SST oscillations in the NWAB. Both indicate that most of the intraseasonal SST variations in the NWAB in austral winter are related to surface heat flux forcing, and that intraseasonal SST variations are largest in austral summer because the mixed-layer is shallow (~20 m) and thus more responsive during that season. The general circulation model indicates that entrainment cooling plays little role in intraseasonal SST variations. The larger intraseasonal SST variations in the NWAB as compared to the widely-studied thermocline-ridge of the Indian Ocean region is explained by the larger convective and air-sea heat flux perturbations in the NWAB.     

Forecasting the equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures by neural network models

We used neural network models to seasonally forecast the tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) in the Ni?o 3.4 region (6 ^°S–6 ^°N, 120 ^°W–170 ^°W). The inputs to the neural networks (i.e., the predictors) were the first seven wind stress empirical orthogonal function (EOF) modes of the tropical Pacific (20 ^°S–20 ^°N, 120 ^°E–70 ^°W) for four seasons and the Ni?o 3.4 SSTA itself for the final season. The period of 1952–1981 was used for training the neural network models, and the period 1982–1992 for forecast validation. At 6-month lead time, neural networks attained forecast skills comparable to the other El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) models. Our results suggested that neural network models were viable for ENSO forecasting even at longer lead times of 9 to 12 months. We hypothesized that at these longer leads, the underlying relationship between the wind stress and Ni?o 3.4 SSTA became increasingly nonlinear. The neural network results were interpreted in light of current theories, e.g., the role of the “off-equatorial” Rossby waves in triggering the onset of an ENSO event and the delayed-oscillator theory in the development and termination of an ENSO event. Received: 31 October 1995 / Accepted: 25 July 1996     

Mean position and variability of the sea surface temperature front east of the grand banks

Abstract

Three years of weekly sea surface temperature maps were analysed to determine the mean position and standard deviation of the front separating the Mixed Water from the North Atlantic Current water to the east of the Grand Banks between 40–50°N and 40–50°W. The front was found to lie along the path of the North Atlantic Current proposed by Dietrich et al. (1975) and to have a standard deviation ranging from 100 to 200 km. The dominant mode of movement at periods of 6 months and longer consisted of a nearly uniform translation. The trajectories of satellite‐tracked drifting buoys were analysed to create a map of the eddy kinetic energy for the region. The high energy ridge of the map generally corresponded to the mean position of the sea surface temperature front.     

Influence of Atlantic sea surface temperatures on persistent drought in North America

This study investigates the relationship between North Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SST) and persistent drought in North America using modern observations, proxy paleo-data, and simulations from multiple climate models. The observational results show that persistent droughts in the Great Plains and the southwest North America are closely related to multidecadal variations of North Atlantic SST (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillations, AMO). During the AMO warm (cold) phases, most of North America is dry (wet). This relationship is persistent since at least 1567 AD, as based on proxy SST for the North Atlantic and the reconstructed drought index for North America. On centennial timescales, proxy SST records from the North Atlantic and proxy drought records for North America suggest that major periods of AMO-like warm (cold) SST anomalies during the last 7.0?ka correspond to dry (wet) conditions in the Great Plains. The influence of North Atlantic SST on North American droughts is examined using simulations made by five global climate models. When forced by warm North Atlantic SST anomalies, all models captured significant drying over North America, despite some regional differences. Specifically, dry summers in the Great Plains and the southwest North America are simulated by all models. The precipitation response to a cold North Atlantic is much weaker and contains greater disagreement among the models. Overall, the ensemble of the five models could well reproduce the statistical relationship between the dry/wet fluctuations in the North America and North Atlantic SST anomalies. Our results suggest that North Atlantic SSTs are likely a major driver of decadal and centennial timescale circulation, including droughts, in North America. Possible mechanisms that connect North Atlantic SST with North American drought, as well as interactions between North Atlantic and tropical Pacific SST and their relative roles on drought are also discussed.     

Decadal predictability and prediction skill of sea surface temperatures in the South Pacific region

The South Pacific Ocean is a key driver of climate variability within the Southern Hemisphere at different time scales. Previous studies have characterized the main mode of interannual sea surface temperature (SST) variability in that region as a dipolar pattern of SST anomalies that cover subtropical and extratropical latitudes (the South Pacific Ocean Dipole, or SPOD), which is related to precipitation and temperature anomalies over several regions throughout the Southern Hemisphere. Using that relationship and the reported low predictive skill of precipitation anomalies over the Southern Hemisphere, this work explores the predictability and prediction skill of the SPOD in near-term climate hindcasts using a set of state-of-the-art forecast systems. Results show that predictability greatly benefits from initializing the hindcasts beyond the prescribed radiative forcing, and is modulated by known modes of climate variability, namely El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation. Furthermore, the models are capable of simulating the spatial pattern of the observed SPOD even without initialization, which suggests that the key dynamical processes are properly represented. However, the hindcast of the actual phase of the mode is only achieved when the forecast systems are initialized, pointing at SPOD variability to not be radiatively forced but probably internally generated. The comparison with the performance of an empirical prediction based on persistence suggests that initialization may provide skillful information for SST anomalies, outperforming damping processes, up to 2–3 years into the future.     

Physiographic factors of seasonal distribution of linear trends in air temperature on the Azov-Black sea coast

The seasonal distribution of linear trends in air temperature on the coast of the Black and Azov seas in 1936-2010 is analyzed using the quantile regression method. Monthly mean and median values of temperature as well as 10% and 90% quantiles of average daily values of temperature are considered to describe changes in extreme positive and negative temperature anomalies. It is demonstrated that besides tendencies that are common for all meteorological stations, local features and physiographic location of the stations are of great importance for the distribution of temperature trends.     

An examination of the spring 1997 mid‐latitude east pacific sea surface temperature anomaly

Abstract

We seek to document and explain the lifecycle of the warm Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomaly that intensified and weakened off the west coast of the United States to peak anomalies of 4°C during April‐June 1997. We use remotely sensed observational data and model analyses to compute an energy budget for the warm anomaly. The bulk of the anomalous warming was confined to the top 50 m of ocean and occurred during May. The immediate cause for the warming was twofold: latent heat fluxes decreased in magnitude as a result of both lower wind speeds and positive moisture anomalies, while the net radiative flux into the ocean increased as a result of lower than normal fractional cloud coverage. During June, the wind speed strengthened and became northerly, resulting in larger than normal latent and sensible heat fluxes that weakened the SST anomaly. Examination of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) 1000‐mb geopotential height for May shows that the Aleutian low extended far south of its usual position and was responsible for the weaker southerly winds and suppressed latent heat fluxes in the warm anomaly area. Finally, we note that the near simultaneous appearance of this warm anomaly in conjunction with warm El Niño waters off Peru makes El Niño an unlikely trigger for the northeast Pacific warm anomaly. We suggest a possible alternative scenario in which both events are remotely triggered by the intraseasonal oscillation.     

塔里木盆地夏季降水和海温的关系

基于1961—2015年6—8月新疆塔里木盆地34个站点的逐日降水数据和全球逐月海温数据,分析了塔里木盆地夏季降水和全球海温的关系。结果表明,塔里木盆地夏季降水和冬季及春季的南印度洋中部、赤道东太平洋以及南大西洋西部等区域海温具有良好的正相关关系,当上述区域海温偏暖时,对应塔里木盆地夏季降水偏多。进一步的分析发现,前期海温影响显著的时段主要集中在1月和5月。基于海温和降水数据,通过分析前期不同季节关键区的海温序列与降水序列的相关系数,取了8个关键区的海表温度作为预报因子,得出逐步回归预报方程。预测结果说明该预测方程对塔里木盆地夏季降水具有较好的预测技巧。