Evaluation of pan-Arctic melt-freeze onset in CMIP5 climate models and reanalyses using surface observations

The seasonal melt-freeze transitions are fundamental features of the Arctic climate system. The representation of the pan-Arctic melt and freeze onset (north of 60°N) is assessed in two reanalyses and eleven CMIP5 global circulation models (GCMs). The seasonal melt-freeze transitions are retrieved from surface air temperature (SAT) across the land and sea-ice domains and evaluated against surface observations. While monthly averages of SAT are reasonably well represented in models, large model-observation and model–model disparities of timing of melt and freeze onset are evident. The evaluation against surface observations reveals that the ERA-Interim reanalysis performs the best, closely followed by some of the climate models. GCMs and reanalyses capture the seasonal melt-freeze transitions better in the central Arctic than in the marginal seas and across the land areas. The GCMs project that during the 21st century, the summer length—the period between melt and freeze onset—will increase over land by about 1 month at all latitudes, and over sea ice by 1 and 3 months at low and high latitudes, respectively. This larger summer-length increase over sea ice at progressively higher latitudes is related to a retreat of summer sea ice during the 21st century, since open water freezes roughly 40 days later than ice-covered ocean. As a consequence, by the year 2100, the freeze onset is projected to be initiated within roughly 10 days across the whole Arctic Ocean, whereas this transition varies by about 80 days today.     

Roles of the tropical convective activities over different regions in the earlier onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon after 1993

The South China Sea summer monsoon (SCSSM) onset experiences evidently an interdecadal change around mid-1990s. Generally, the SCSSM broke out half a month earlier during 1994–2010 than IN 1978–1993. Possible causes are analyzed in this study. The results suggest that the earlier onset of the SCSSM is due to earlier retreat of the subtropical high (STH) over the western Pacific, which is closely related to enhanced intraseasonal oscillations of tropical convections. The enhanced convective activities can be found in three regions: the eastern tropical Indian Ocean (TIO), the equatorial SCS-Kalimantan (ESK) and the tropical western Pacific (TWP). Both convections in the TIO and the ESK are greatly influenced by the interaction of the westerly wind from the TIO and the easterly wind from the TWP. The convections in the TIO are never found to propagate to the east of 100°E, while those in the ESK are usually quite weak and not great help to the SCSSM onset. Our results suggest that the earlier retreat of the STH is mainly caused by the enhanced convections in the TWP, while the later may be the consequence of warming over the TWP on the interdecadal timescale. Therefore, the La Niña-like interdecadal change of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the Pacific is likely to be responsible for the interdecadal advance of the SCSSM onset.     

全球变暖、AMO、IPO对全球陆地降水变化的相对贡献

本文探究了不同海表温度（SST）模态对6—8月和12月—次年2月全球陆地降水的趋势以及年代际变化的相对贡献。首先对热带地区陆地降水和SST进行SVD分析,得到影响陆地降水的趋势和年代际变化主要的海洋模态为：海洋中的全球变暖（Global Warming,GW）、大西洋多年代际振荡（Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation,AMO）和太平洋多年代际振荡（Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation,IPO）。其次利用多元线性回归模型进一步定量评估了全球变暖、AMO和IPO对不同地区陆地降水的相对贡献大小。结果表明,全球变暖对陆地降水变化的贡献在冬夏季都是最大的,AMO在6—8月的贡献次之。IPO在12月—次年2月的贡献次之。不同纬度带,三者的贡献不同。GW的贡献在6—8月期间对10°N以北地区较大,南半球受GW的贡献相对较小,GW在12月—次年2月对40°N以北降水贡献异常显著;AMO主要在6—8月对10°～40°S和50°～60°S纬度带上的降水变化的贡献比较大;而IPO主要在12月—次年2月对北半球中纬度降水变化的贡献比较大。GW对许多地区降水变化的方差贡献都是最大的,例如6—8月期间,对北美洲东北部和亚洲降水变化贡献最大,12月—次年2月期间,对欧洲降水变化贡献最大。AMO对6—8月降水变化的方差贡献最大的区域为非洲萨赫勒、西伯利亚和南美洲。12月—次年2月期间,IPO对美国西南部的降水变化贡献最大,此外,北美洲东北部、南美洲西北部、非洲南部、澳大利亚东部、南亚季风区和我国北部的降水在12月—次年2月期间同样受IPO影响显著。进一步利用信息流的方法,探究了GW、AMO和IPO与陆地降水变化之间的因果关系,验证了上述结论。     

南海夏季风爆发与大气对流低频振荡的年际变化

根据1980～1991年云顶黑体温度（TBB）相位和强度的变化确定了南海夏季风爆发的时间,分析研究了夏季风爆发期间TBB场和850hPa风场的变化过程及其与海温的关系。结果表明:南海夏季风爆发平均时间是5月第4候,它爆发的时间和强度有显著的年际变化,并与大气的低频振荡及前期海洋的热力状况有密切关系。南海夏季风爆发早年（4月第6候）,副热带高压较弱,撤离南海较快,从赤道东印度洋到赤道西太平洋,大气对流活动较强,夏季风爆发南海早于孟加拉湾,季风爆发时90～100°E区域过赤道气流显著加强。夏季风爆发晚年（6月第1候）情况相反。南海夏季风爆发早晚与大气30～60天振荡到达南海的位相有关,前冬和早春南海海温的高低和4月中旬至5月中南半岛强对流区的出现时间,是南海夏季风爆发年际变化的前期征兆。根据前冬南海海温预测1998年南海夏季风爆发的时间和强度与实际相符。     

The Earliest Onset Areas and Mechanism of the Tropical Asian Summer Monsoon

The multi-yearly averaged pentad meteorological fields at 850 hPa of the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dada and the TBB fields of the Japan Meteorological Agency during 1980-1994 are analyzed. It is found that if the pentad is taken as the time unit of the monsoon onset, then the tropical Asian summer monsoon (TASM) onsets earliest, simultaneously and abruptly over the whole area in the Bay of Bengal (BOB), the Indo-China Peninsula (ICP), and the South China Sea (SCS), east of 90°E, in the 27th to 28th pentads of a year (Pentads 3 to 4 in May), while it onsets later in the India Peninsula (IP) and the Arabian Sea (AS), west of 90°E. The TASM bursts first at the south end of the IP in the 30th to 31st pentads near 10°N, and advances gradually northward to the whole area, by the end of June. Analysis of the possible mechanism depicts that the rapid changes of the surface sensible heat flux, air temperature, and pressure in spring and early summer in the middle to high latitudes of the East Asian continent between 100°E and 120癊are crucially responsible for the earliest onset of the TASM in the BOB to the SCS areas. It is their rapid changes that induce a continental depression to form and break through the high system of pressure originally located in the above continental areas. The low depression in turn introduces the southwesterly to come into the BOB to the SCS areas, east of 90°E, and thus makes the SCS summer monsoon (SCSSM) burst out earliest in Asia. In the IP to the AS areas, west of 90°E, the surface sensible heat flux almost does not experience obvious change during April and May, which makes the tropical Indian summer monsoon (TISM) onset later than the SCSSM by about a month. Therefore, it is concluded that the meridian of 90°E is the demarcation line between the South Asian summer monsoon (SASM, i.e., the TISM) and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM, including the SCSSM). Besides, the temporal relations between the TASM onset and the seasonal variation of the South Asian high (SAH) are discussed, too, and it is found that there are good relations between the monsoon onset time and the SAH center positions. When the SAH center advances to north of 20°N, the SCSSM onsets, and to north of 25°N, the TISM onsets at its south end. Comparison between the onset time such determined and that with other methodologies shows fair consistency in the SCS area and some differences in the IP area.     

印度洋海温异常和南海夏季风建立迟早的关系 II.机理分析

通过区分ENSO外部影响和偶极子内部局地作用,探讨了前期春季的印度洋海温异常对南海夏季风建立早晚的可能影响途径。结果表明:在没有去除ENSO信号(外部作用)的情况下,全区一致型的海温分布主要通过影响热带印度洋上空纬向季风环流的强弱来影响南海夏季风建立的早晚。去除ENSO信号后,非ENSO全区一致型的海温分布则主要通过影响低层东西向的气压差异和对流层中上层的南北温度梯度的逆转,进而对南海夏季风建立的早晚产生影响;而南印度洋偶极子(SIODM)型的海温分布则主要通过影响亚洲大陆热低压、西太平洋副热带高压和高低层的辐合辐散运动影响南海夏季风的建立。     

孟加拉湾西南季风与南海热带季风季节内振荡特征的比较

采用美国国家环境预报中心的向外长波辐射和风场资料及日本气象厅的降水资料,用30-60d滤波后的夏季风指数在孟加拉湾和南海的区域平均值分别代表孟加拉湾西南季风和南海热带季风季节内振荡,对两支季风的季节内振荡特征进行比较分析,发现孟加拉湾西南季风的季节内振荡和南海热带季风的季节内振荡在夏季风期间(5-10月)都有约3次半的波动.夏季风期间,在阿拉伯海-西太平洋纬带上,夏季风的季节内振荡有4次从阿拉伯海的东传和3次从西太平洋的西传,其中7月后东传可直达西太平洋.孟加拉湾和南海在夏季风期间都有4次季节内振荡的经向传播,但孟加拉湾在约15°N以南为季节内振荡从热带东印度洋的北传,在约15°N以北则为副热带季风季节内振荡的南传;而在南海则是4次季节内振荡从热带的北传.在以孟加拉湾西南季风季节内振荡和南海热带季风季节内振荡分别划分的6个位相中,都存在1-3位相和4-6位相中低频对流、环流形势相反的特征,这是由热带东印度洋季节内振荡的东传和北传所致.热带印度洋季节内振荡沿西南-东北向经过约14d传到孟加拉湾,激发了孟加拉湾西南季风季节内振荡的东传,经过约6d到达南海,激发了南海热带季风季节内振荡的北传,经过约25d到达华南,形成热带印度洋季节内振荡向华南的经纬向接力传播(45d).孟加拉湾西南季风季节内振荡所影响的降水主要是在20°N以南的热带雨带随低频对流的东移而东移;而南海热带季风季节内振荡所影响的降水除了这种热带雨带随低频对流的东移外,还有在20°N以北的东亚副热带地区存在雨带随南海低频对流的北移而北移.     

The impact of Arctic sea ice on the Arctic energy budget and on the climate of the Northern mid-latitudes

The atmospheric general circulation model EC-EARTH-IFS has been applied to investigate the influence of both a reduced and a removed Arctic sea ice cover on the Arctic energy budget and on the climate of the Northern mid-latitudes. Three 40-year simulations driven by original and modified ERA-40 sea surface temperatures and sea ice concentrations have been performed at T255L62 resolution, corresponding to 79?km horizontal resolution. Simulated changes between sensitivity and reference experiments are most pronounced over the Arctic itself where the reduced or removed sea ice leads to strongly increased upward heat and longwave radiation fluxes and precipitation in winter. In summer, the most pronounced change is the stronger absorption of shortwave radiation which is enhanced by optically thinner clouds. Averaged over the year and over the area north of 70° N, the negative energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere decreases by about 10?W/m² in both sensitivity experiments. The energy transport across 70° N is reduced. Changes are not restricted to the Arctic. Less extreme cold events and less precipitation are simulated in sub-Arctic and Northern mid-latitude regions in winter.     

A new method to estimate ice age temperatures

On glacial time scales, the waxing and waning of the Eurasian and North American ice sheets depend largely on variations in atmospheric temperature. As global sea level is primarily determined by the volume of these ice sheets, there is a direct (yet complex) relation between global sea level and the northern hemispheric (NH) temperature. This relation is essentially represented by a model of the NH ice sheets. We use a thermomechanical ice-sheet–ice shelf–bedrock model in conjunction with an inverse method to deduce a time series of NH temperature (from 120 kyr BP until present) that is consistent with the observed global sea level record. The advantage of this method is that it provides the annual mean surface air temperature averaged over the NH continents north of 40°N. The results reveal that ice age temperatures were 4–10°C lower than today, which agrees with other temperature reconstructions. However, reconstructed temperatures are comparitively low during the early stages of the glacial, a feature that is consistent with the rapid growth of the ice sheets. The sensitivity of the results for uncertainties in precipitation rate, in observed sea level and in some other model parameters is examined to quantify the error in reconstructed temperature. During the glacial period (120–15 kyr BP), surface air temperatures in the NH (north of 40°N) were 7.2±1.5°C lower than todays (interglacial) temperatures.     

中国区域气溶胶对东亚夏季风的可能影响（I）：硫酸盐气溶胶的影响

利用NCAR的新一代GCM CAM3.0模式离线耦合一个气溶胶同化系统,模拟研究了中国区域硫酸盐气溶胶的直接气候效应对东亚夏季风及其降水的影响。结果显示：中国区域硫酸盐气溶胶引起全球平均的直接辐射强迫为-0.25 W/m²,中国内陆约25°N以北普遍降温,而海表温度升高。由此导致海陆温差缩小,东亚夏季风强度减弱,中国地区季风降水明显减少,而尤以积云降水减少起主要作用。硫酸盐气溶胶对中国地区的对流活动起抑制作用。     

贵州省冬季雨凇灾害预测模型的初构

该研究利用1961—2015年贵州省逐日雨凇观测资料,NCEP/NCAR海平面气压场和500 h Pa高度场逐月再分析资料,以及NOAA ERSSTV4逐月海表温度资料,初步构建了贵州省冬季雨凇灾害预测模型。模型主要量化为以下指标:雨凇灾害偏强/弱时,对应500 h Pa位势高度异常场正/负(50~70°N、40~80°E)和负/正(20~40°N、60~100°E),对应海平面气压异常场正/负(45~65°N、40~80°E),对应前期秋季北大西洋关键区(25~35°N,60~40°W)的海表温度异常为负/正异常。且强雨凇年时,该模型的可信度更高。利用该模型,本研究展开了对2016年冬季雨凇强度的试报,试报结果为强度偏弱,与实况场吻合,表明该模型有一定的参考价值。     

南海及其邻近地区夏季风爆发的特征及其机制的初步研究

利用ＯＬＲ和ＴＢＢ资料,提出一个指标,确定了１９７５～１９９３年间南海夏季风爆发日期,发现与风向转变的日期比较一致。在此基础上,讨论了南海夏季风爆发的过程。随后,还讨论了南海夏季风爆发与海温异常、高原热状况和海陆温差变化的关系,发现它与４月份南海、东太平洋赤道以及３０～４０°ＮＳＳＴＡ有关,与海陆温差由冬季的冷陆暖海转变到热陆冷海有关。     

中国区域气溶胶对东亚夏季风的可能影响（I）：硫酸盐气溶胶的影响

 利用NCAR的新一代GCM CAM3.0模式离线耦合一个气溶胶同化系统,模拟研究了中国区域硫酸盐气溶胶的直接气候效应对东亚夏季风及其降水的影响。结果显示：中国区域硫酸盐气溶胶引起全球平均的直接辐射强迫为-0.25 W/m²,中国内陆约25°N以北普遍降温,而海表温度升高。由此导致海陆温差缩小,东亚夏季风强度减弱,中国地区季风降水明显减少,而尤以积云降水减少起主要作用。硫酸盐气溶胶对中国地区的对流活动起抑制作用。     

QBO 与南海夏季风爆发的关系

利用1979—2001 年ECMWF 再分析资料和NOAA 海温资料,通过相关分析和合成分析等统计方法,分析了平流层准两年周期振荡(QBO)与南海夏季风建立时间的关系。结果表明,QBO 位相与南海夏季风爆发时间有显著的相关关系:超前南海夏季风爆发约18 个月的QBO 西(东)风位相对应着季风爆发时间偏早(晚)。QBO 与南海夏季风爆发的联系要比ENSO 与南海夏季风爆发的联系更密切。      

The coherent large-scale circulation change between dry/wet years over central eastern China simulated by NCAR CAM5

This study evaluates the simulation of the coherent circulation structure correspond to the changes of mid-summer (July–August) rainfall over eastern China (30°–40° N, 110°–120° E) in high-resolution NCAR CAM5. Forced by historical sea surface temperatures (SSTs), the NCAR CAM5 reasonably reproduces coherent changes of temperature and large-scale circulations, corresponding to the changes in rainfall. Results show that when the rainfall decreases over eastern China, the model reproduces a remarkable warm center in the upper troposphere with an anomalous anticyclone appears above and an increase in anomalous westerlies to its north. An anomalous anticyclone also occurs in the lower troposphere, along with anomalous southerlies to its east which indicates strengthening of the East Asian summer monsoon. Both the circulation changes in the upper and lower troposphere favor a decrease in precipitation over central eastern China. There were also good correlations between the simulated upper-tropospheric temperature and other large-scale circulation changes. There are some deficiencies in the NCAR CAM5 simulations in terms of the changes in magnitude and location of the rainfall centers. However, in general, the model reasonably reproduced the coherent configuration of the large-scale circulation patterns and surface rainfall. This study further confirms that the climate variations across East Asia most likely arise from a regional response to global climate change. The well-simulated configuration by NCAR CAM5 also indicates the reliability of the model and its potential to reveal the mechanisms driving the coherent changes of the East Asian summer monsoon system.     

The drivers of projected North Atlantic sea level change

Sea level change predicted by the CMIP5 atmosphere–ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) is not spatially homogeneous. In particular, the sea level change in the North Atlantic is usually characterised by a meridional dipole pattern with higher sea level rise north of 40°N and lower to the south. The spread among models is also high in that region. Here we evaluate the role of surface buoyancy fluxes by carrying out simulations with the FAMOUS low-resolution AOGCM forced by surface freshwater and heat flux changes from CO₂-forced climate change experiments with CMIP5 AOGCMs, and by a standard idealised surface freshwater flux applied in the North Atlantic. Both kinds of buoyancy flux change lead to the formation of the sea level dipole pattern, although the effect of the heat flux has a greater magnitude, and is the main cause of the spread of results among the CMIP5 models. By using passive tracers in FAMOUS to distinguish between additional and redistributed buoyancy, we show that the enhanced sea level rise north of 40°N is mainly due to the direct steric effect (the reduction of sea water density) caused by adding heat or freshwater locally. The surface buoyancy forcing also causes a weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, and the consequent reduction of the northward ocean heat transport imposes a negative tendency on sea level rise, producing the reduced rise south of 40°N. However, unlike previous authors, we find that this indirect effect of buoyancy forcing is generally less important than the direct one, except in a narrow band along the east coast of the US, where it plays a major role and leads to sea level rise, as found by previous authors.     

Marginal sea surface temperature variation as a pre-cursor of heat waves over the Korean Peninsula

This study examines the role of the marginal sea surface temperature (SST) on heat waves over Korea. It is found that sea surface warming in the south sea of Korea/Japan (122-138°E, 24- 33°N) causes heat waves after about a week. Due to the frictional force, the positive geopotential height anomalies associated with the south sea warming induce divergent flows over the boundary layer. This divergent flow induces the southerly in Korea, which leads to a positive temperature advection. On the other hand, over the freeatmosphere, the geostrophic wind around high-pressure anomalies flows in a westerly direction over Korea during the south sea warming, which is not effective in temperature advection. Therefore, the positive temperature advection in Korea due to the south sea warming decreases with height. This reduces the vertical potential temperature gradient, which indicates a negative potential vorticity (PV) tendency over Korea. Therefore, the high-pressure anomaly over the south sea of Korea is propagated northward, which results in heat waves due to more incoming solar radiation.     

Customization of regional climate model (RegCM4) over Indian region

The regional climate model (RegCM4) is customized for 10-year climate simulation over Indian region through sensitivity studies on cumulus convection and land surface parameterization schemes. The model is configured over 30° E–120° E and 15° S–45° N at 30-km horizontal resolution with 23 vertical levels. Six 10-year (1991–2000) simulations are conducted with the combinations of two land surface schemes (BATS, CLM3.5) and three cumulus convection schemes (Kuo, Grell, MIT). The simulated annual and seasonal climatology of surface temperature and precipitation are compared with CRU observations. The interannual variability of these two parameters is also analyzed. The results indicate that the model simulated climatology is sensitive to the convection as well as land surface parameterization. The analysis of surface temperature (precipitation) climatology indicates that the model with CLM produces warmer (dryer) climatology, particularly over India. The warmer (dryer) climatology is due to the higher sensible heat flux (lower evapotranspiration) in CLM. The model with MIT convection scheme simulated wetter and warmer climatology (higher precipitation and temperature) with smaller Bowen ratio over southern India compared to that with the Grell and Kuo schemes. This indicates that a land surface scheme produces warmer but drier climatology with sensible heating contributing to warming where as a convection scheme warmer but wetter climatology with latent heat contributing to warming. The climatology of surface temperature over India is better simulated by the model with BATS land surface model in combination with MIT convection scheme while the precipitation climatology is better simulated with BATS land surface model in combination with Grell convection scheme. Overall, the modeling system with the combination of Grell convection and BATS land surface scheme provides better climate simulation over the Indian region.     

2007年南海夏季风爆发前后大气环流的非典型性突变特征

南海夏季风爆发的一般特征是南亚高压移至中南半岛北部;西太平洋副热带高压连续向东撤出南海地区,移到120°E以东的热带洋面上;高（低）空东北（西南）气流占据南海大部分地区,相应的105°E附近的越赤道气流建立,南海季风槽形成并同时伴有对流降水的发展和温、湿等要素的突变。国家气候中心的监测表明,2007年南海夏季风于5月第5候爆发。该年季风爆发后,虽然源自热带地区的低空西南气流迅速占据南海上空,高空盛行东北气流,且南亚高压西移至中南半岛上空,但对流、高度场以及降水场的突变特征均很不明显,表现为季风爆发后南海上空的对流依然偏弱,副高没有马上撤离南海,同时华南地区的降水量也没有迅速增强。因此,2007年南海夏季风爆发前后大气环流的变化特征具有非典型性。     

CORRELATION BETWEEN PEAK INTENSITY OF EXTREME AFTERNOON SHORT-DURATION RAINFALL AND HUMIDITY AND SURFACE AIR TEMPERATURE IN SOUTHEAST COAST OF CHINA

Using hourly rainfall intensity, daily surface air temperature, humidity and low-level dew point depressions at 55 stations in the southeast coast of China, and sea surface temperature from reanalysis in the coastal region, this paper analyzes the connection between peak intensity of extreme afternoon short-duration rainfall (EASR) and humidity as well as surface air temperature. The dependency of extreme peak intensity of EASR on temperature has a significant transition. When daily highest surface temperature is below (above) 29°C, the peak rainfall intensity shows an ascending (descending) tendency with rising temperature. Having investigated the role of moisture condition in the variation of EASR and temperature, this paper discovered that the decrease of peak rainfall intensity with temperature rising is connected with the variation of relative humidity. At higher temperatures, the land surface relative humidity decreases dramatically as temperature further increases. During this process, the sea surface temperature maintains basically unchanged, resulting in indistinct variations of water vapor content at seas. As water vapor over land is mainly contributed by the quantitative moisture transport from adjacent seas, the decline of relative humidity over land will be consequently caused by the further rise of surface air temperature.