COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF ANOMALOUS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITIES IN THE TROPICAL WESTERN PACIFIC ON TWO PERSISTENT HEAVY RAIN EVENTS IN SOUTH CHINA

The different effects of anomalous convective activities in the tropical western Pacific on two persistent heavy rain events in South China in 2005 and 2006 have been compared in this study. The dataused consist of NOAA Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) data, the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis and precipitation from meteorological stations in South China. Results show that the persistent heavy rain in 2005 was related to the 10-25-day westward propagation of convective activities in the tropical western Pacific from about 150 °E. The physical mechanism is interpreted as a Gill-type response of subtropical anticyclone westward extension during weak convective activities period over the Philippine Sea. Our researches also show that the persistent heavy rain in 2006 has longer period than that in 2005, and the subtropical anticyclone persists westward in the earlier summer which is possibly related to the lasting anomalous strong convective motion in the southern branch of Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the tropic western Pacific. The anomalous convective activities affect the local Hadley circulation over the western Pacific with anomalous ascending motion south of the equator and anomalous descend motion north of it, in favor of the westward extension of the subtropical anticyclone for a long time. Comparison between the two persistent heavy rain events indicates different physical effects of convective activities in the tropical western Pacific, though both effects are helpful to the subtropical anticyclone westward extension as a common character of large-scale circulation backgrounds for persistent heavy rain events in South China.     

Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation and Its Possible Impact on Precipitation over Southern China in 2019

Based on daily precipitation observation data in China, the intraseasonal oscillation(ISO) features of summer precipitation over southern China in 2019 have been investigated by wavelet and band-pass filtering analyses. The results show that enhanced(suppressed) precipitation occurred over southern China during early(late) boreal summer2019. The signals of both 10–20-and 30–60-day ISO in southern China are remarkable, with the amplitude of the10–20-day ISO larger than the 30–60-day ISO in boreal summer 2019. The synergistic effect of the 10–20-and 30–60-day ISO wet phases was found to exert a tremendous influence on persistent heavy precipitation in July 2019,when the amount of precipitation reached its maximum in southern China since 1981. The atmospheric circulation and convection evolution characteristics of both 10–20-and 30–60-day ISO are further investigated. An anomalous low-level anticyclone over the South China Sea is prominently linked to the wet phase of the 10–20-day ISO, whereas an anomalous low-level cyclone over southern China is dominantly associated with the wet phase of the 30–60-day ISO. Both events enhance the water vapor convergence and ascending motion over southern China. Thus, the atmospheric circulation that accompanied the synergism of the wet phases of the 10–20-and 30–60-day ISO resulted in persistent heavy precipitation over southern China in July 2019.     

Relationship between persistent heavy rain events in the Huaihe River valley and the distribution pattern of convective activities in the tropical western Pacific warm pool

Using daily outgoing long-wave radiation （OLR） data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration （NOAA） and the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCEP/NCAR） reanalysis data of geopotential height fields for 1979-2006, the relationship between persistent heavy rain events （PHREs） in the Huaihe River valley （HRV） and the distribution pattern of convective activity in the tropical western Pacific warm pool （WPWP） is investigated. Based on nine cases of PHREs in the HRV, common characteristics of the West Pacific subtropical high （WPSH） show that the northern edge of the WPSH continues to lie in the HRV and is associated with the persistent ＂north weak south strong＂ distribution pattern of convective activities in the WPWP. Composite analysis of OLR leading the circulation indicates that the response of the WPSH to OLR anomaly patterns lags by about 1-2 days. In order to explain the reason for the effects of the distribution pattern of convective activities in the WPWP on the persistent northern edge of the WPSH in the HRV, four typical persistent heavy and light rain events in the Yangtze River valley （YRV） are contrasted with the PHREs in the HRV. The comparison indicates that when the distribution pattern of the convective activities anomaly behaves in a weak （strong） manner across the whole WPWP, persistent heavy （light） rain tends to occur in the YRV. When the distribution pattern of the convective activities anomaly behaves according to the ＂north weak south strong＂ pattern in the WPWP, persistent heavy rain tends to occur in the HRV. The effects of the ＂north weak south strong＂ distribution pattern of convective activities on PHREs in the HRV are not obvious over the seasonal mean timescale, perhaps due to the non-extreme status of convective activities in the WPWP.     

The Effect of Solar Cycle on Climate of Northeast Asia

The impact of solar activity on climate system is spatiotemporally selective and usually more significant on the regional scale. Using statistical methods and solar radio flux(SRF) data, this paper investigates the impact of the solar11-yr cycle on regional climate of Northeast Asia in recent decades. Significant differences in winter temperature,precipitation, and the atmospheric circulation over Northeast Asia are found between peak and valley solar activity years. In peak years, temperature is higher over vast areas of the Eurasian continent in middle and high latitudes, and prone to producing anomalous high pressure there. Northeast Asia is located to the south of the anomalous high pressure, where the easterlies prevail and transport moisture from the western Pacific Ocean to the inland of East Asia and intensify precipitation there. In valley years, temperature is lower over the Eurasian continent and northern Pacific Ocean in middle and high latitudes, and there maintain anomalous low pressure systems in the two regions. Over the Northeast Asian continent, north winds prevail, which transport cold and dry air mass from the high latitude to Northeast Asia and reduce precipitation there. The correlation coefficient of winter precipitation in Northeast China and SRF reaches 0.4, and is statistically significant at the 99% confidence level based on the Student's t-test. The latent heat flux anomalies over the Pacific Ocean caused by solar cycle could explain the spatial pattern of abnormal winter precipitation of China, suggesting that the solar activity may change the climate of Northeast Asia through air–sea interaction.     

Effects of intraseasonal oscillation on the anomalous East Asian summer monsoon during 1999

The 1999 East Asian summer monsoon was very unusual for its weak northward advance and remarkably anomalous climate conditions. The monsoonal southwesterly airflow and related rain belt in East Asia were blocked south of the Yangtze River Valley. The monsoonal airflow and major moisture transport conduct shifted eastward and turned northward to Japan from the tropical western Pacific rather than to East China from the South China Sea （SCS） as in normal years. Severe and prolonged drought occurred over extensive areas of North China and heavy precipitation in South China and Japan. The investigation on the possible intrinsic mechanisms related to such an anomalous monsoon year has shown that the unique behavior of intraseasonal oscillation may play an essential role during this process. During this year, the northward propagation of 30-60-day anomalous low-level cyclone/anticyclone collapsed in the region around 20°N and did not extend beyond the latitudes of the Yangtze River basin due to the barrier of strong cold air intrusion from the mid-latitudes. The southwesterly moisture flux on the northwestern flank of the anticyclonic moisture transport system in the western North Pacific, which was regulated by the northward shift of 30-60-day cyclonic/anticyclonic moisture transport, also did not reach the region north of 30°N as well. Under this circumstance, the weak northward advance of the monsoon westerlies and associated northward moisture transport could not arrive in North China and led to the severe droughts there in 1999. The SCS and South China were mostly affected by the airflow in the southern and northern flanks of the same 30-60-day cyclones or anticyclones, respectively, and thus controlled by the nearly reverse zonal wind and moisture convergent/divergent conditions. The rainfall in the SCS and South China showed out-of-phase oscillation through the transient local Hadley circulation, with the rainfall maximum occurring in the SCS （South China） when the 30-60-day anticyclone （cyclone） r     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE IMPACT OF LATENT HEAT FLUX ANOMALY IN THE TROPICAL WESTERN PACIFIC ON PRECIPITATION OVER SOUTH CHINA IN JUNES

Based on composite analysis and numerical simulations using a regional climate model （RegCM3）, this paper analyzed the impact of the LHF anomaly in the tropical western Pacific on the precipitation over the south of China in June. The results are as follows. （1） Correlation analysis shows that the SC precipitation in June is negatively correlated with the LHF of the tropical western Pacific in May and June, especially in May. The SC precipitation in June appears to negatively correlate with low-level relative vorticity in the abnormal area of LHF in the tropical western Pacific. （2） The LHF anomaly in the tropical western Pacific is a vital factor affecting the flood and drought of SC in June. A conceptual model goes like this： When the LHF in the tropical western Pacific is abnormally increased （decreased）, an anomalous cyclone （anticyclone） circulation is formed at the low-level troposphere to its northwest. As a result, an anomalous northeast （southwest） air flow affects the south of China, being disadvantageous （advantageous） to the transportation of water vapor to the region. Meanwhile, there is an anomalous anticyclone （cyclone） at the low-level troposphere and an anomalous cyclone （anticyclone） circulation at the high-level troposphere in the region, which is advantageous for downdraft （updraft） there. Therefore a virtual circulation forms updraft （downdraft） in the anomalous area of LHF and downdraft （updraft） in the south of China, which finally leads to the drought （flood） in the region.     

Contrasts of Atmospheric Circulation and Associated Tropical Convection between Huaihe River Valley and Yangtze River Valley Mei-yu Flooding

The significant differences of atmospheric circulation between flooding in the Huaihe and Yangtze River valleys during early mei-yu(i.e.,the East Asian rainy season in June) and the related tropical convection were investigated.During the both flooding cases,although the geopotential height anomalies always exhibit equivalent barotropic structures in middle to high latitudes at middle and upper troposphere,the phase of the Rossby wave train is different over Eurasian continent.During flooding in the Huaihe River valley,only one single blocking anticyclone is located over Baikal Lake.In contrast,during flooding in the Yangtze River valley,there are two blocking anticyclones.One is over the Ural Mountains and the other is over Northeast Asia.In the lower troposphere a positive geopotential height anomaly is located at the western ridge of subtropical anticyclone over Western Pacific(SAWP) in both flooding cases,but the location of the height anomaly is much farther north and west during the Huaihe River mei-yu flooding.Furthermore,abnormal rainfall in the Huaihe River valley and the regions north of it in China is closely linked with the latent heating anomaly over the Arabian Sea and Indian peninsula.However,the rainfall in the Yangtze River valley and the regions to its south in China is strongly related to the convection over the western tropical Pacific.Numerical experiments demonstrated that the enhanced latent heating over the Arabian Sea and Indian peninsula causes water vapor convergence in the region south of Tibetan Plateau and in the Huaihe River valley extending to Japan Sea with enhanced precipitation;and vapor divergence over the Yangtze River valley and the regions to its south with deficient precipitation.While the weakened convection in the tropical West Pacific results in moisture converging over the Yangtze River and the region to its south,along with abundant rainfall.     

Analysis of Simulated Heavy Rain over the Yangtze River Valley During 11-30 June 1998 Using RIEMS

RIEMS‘ ability to simulate extreme monsoon rainfall is examined using the 18-month (April 1997 September 1998) integrated results. Model-simulated heavy precipitation over the Yangtze River valley during 11-30 June 1998 is compared with the observation, and the relationships between this heavy rainfall process and the large-scale circulations, such as the westerly jet, low-level jet, and water vapor transport,are analyzed to further understand the mechanisms for simulating heavy monsoon rainfall. The analysis results show that (1) RIEMS can reproduce the pattern of heavy precipitation over the Yangtze River valley during 11-30 June 1998, but it is shifted northwestwards. (2) The simulated West Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) that controls the East Asia Monsoon evolution is stronger than the observation and is extended westwards, which possibly leads to the north westward shift of the heavy rain belt. (3) The Westerly jet at 200 hPa and the Low-level jet at 850 hPa, both of which are related to the heavy monsoon rainfall,are reasonably reproduced by RIEMS during 11-30 June 1998~ although the intensities of the simulated Westerly/Low-level jets are strong and the location of the Westerly jet leans to the southeast,which may be the causes of RIEMS producing too much heavy rainfall in the north of the Yangtze River valley.     

The Summer Snow Cover Anomaly over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Association with Simultaneous Precipitation over the Mei-yu–Baiu region

The summer snow anomalies over the Tibetan Plateau （TP） and their effects on climate variability are often overlooked,possibly due to the fact that some datasets cannot properly capture summer snow cover over high terrain.The satellite-derived Equal-Area Scalable Earth grid （EASE-grid） dataset shows that snow still exists in summer in the western part and along the southem flank of the TP.Analysis demonstrates that the summer snow cover area proportion （SCAP） over the TP has a significant positive correlation with simultaneous precipitation over the mei-yu-baiu （MB） region on the interannual time scale.The close relationship between the summer SCAP and summer precipitation over the MB region could not be simply considered as a simultaneous response to the Silk Road pattern and the SST anomalies in the tropical Indian Ocean and tropical central-eastern Pacific.The SCAP anomaly has an independent effect and may directly modulate the land surface heating and,consequently,vertical motion over the western TP,and concurrently induce anomalous vertical motion over the North Indian Ocean via a meridional vertical circulation.Through a zonal vertical circulation over the tropics and a Kelvin wave-type response,anomalous vertical motion over the North Indian Ocean may result in an anomalous high over the western North Pacific and modulate the convective activity in the western Pacific warm pool,which stimulates the East Asia-Pacific （EAP） pattern and eventually affects summer precipitation over the MB region.     

Decadal and Interannual Variability of Persistent Heavy Rainfall Events over the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Valley

This study investigates the relationship between the anomalous atmospheric circulation pattern and summertime persistent heavy rainfall(PHR) over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley(MLYRV) on the decadal and interannual timescales. Based on the gridded daily rainfall data of the US Climate Prediction Center, the PHR events on grid-point and the regional PHR events considering both the area of PHR and regionally averaged rainfall intensity are identified over the MLYRV during the summers of 1979–2017. A PHR index(PHRI) is defined,to describe the variability of summertime PHR event number over the MLYRV. The PHRI is then divided into the decadal and interannual components. Further analysis reveals that the decadal PHR events are closely related to anomalous precipitation, intensified vertical motion, and strengthened upper-level divergence over southern China, as well as an anomalous anticyclone over the western Pacific transporting more water vapor from the South China Sea(SCS) to southern China. As for the interannual component, the above pattern still co-exists but over a narrow region around the MLYRV. By choosing the years in which the decadal and interannual components of the PHRI are simultaneously positive(SP) or negative(SN), the features of regional PHR events in SP and SN years are analyzed, respectively. The results show that there are more regional PHR events in SP years with enhanced intensity and larger affected areas compared with those in SN years. Meanwhile, the zonal oscillations of the South Asian high(SAH)and the western Pacific subtropical high(WPSH) during the regional PHR events demonstrate a better regularity in SP years than those in SN years.     

Extended-Range Forecasts of the Principal 20–30-Day Oscillation of the Circulation over East Asia During the Summer of 2002

Daily 850-hPa meridional wind fields in East Asia from March to September 2002 were used to establish a model of the principal oscillation pattern (POP). This model was then used to conduct independent extended-range forecasts of the principal temporal and spatial variations in the low-frequency meridional wind field on a time scale of 20-30 days. These variations affect the occurrence of heavy precipitation events in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley (LYRV). The results of 135 forecast experiments during the summer half year show that the predicted and observed anomalies are strongly correlated at a lead time of 20 days (mean correlation greater than 0.50). This strong correlation indicates that the model is capable of accurately forecasting the low-frequency variations in meridional wind that corresponded to the 3 heavy precipitation events in the LYRV during the summer of 2002. Further forecast experiments based on data from multiple years with significant 20-30-day oscillations show that these prediction modes are effective tools for forecasting the space-time evolution of the low-frequency circulation. These findings offer potential for improving the accuracy of forecasts of heavy precipitation over the LYRV at lead times of 3-4 weeks.     

Variation in Principal Modes of Midsummer Precipitation over Northeast China and Its Associated Atmospheric Circulation

This study documents the first two principal modes of interannual variability of midsummer precipitation over Northeast China(NEC) and their associated atmospheric circulation anomalies. It is shown that the first principal mode exhibits the largest amount of variability in precipitation over the south of NEC(referred to as the south mode), whereas the second principal mode behaves with the greatest precipitation anomaly over the north of NEC(referred to as the north mode). Further findings reveal that, through modulating moisture transportation and upper-and lower-troposphere divergence circulation as well as vertical movement over NEC, the anomalous northwestern Pacific anticyclone and the anticyclone centered over northern NEC exert the dominant influence on the south and north modes, respectively. Additionally, it is quantitatively estimated that water vapor across the southern boundary of NEC dominates the moisture budget for the south mode, while the north mode has a close connection with moisture through NEC's northern and western boundaries. Furthermore, the north(south) mode is strongly related to the intensity(meridional shift) of the East Asian westerly jet.     

A New Precipitation Index for the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Drought and Flooding in the Reaches of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers and Related Characteristics of Atmospheric Circulation

Characteristics of the spatiotemporal distributions of precipitation anomalies in the reaches of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River (YHR) were studied using EOF method. Four main precipitation pat-terns for the YHR in summer identified by the first two modes: a region-wide flood over the entire YHR (RWF); a region-wide drought over the entire YHR (RWD); a flood in the south with a drought in the northern region of the Yangtze River (FS-DN); and a drought in the south with a flood in the northern region of the Yangtze River (DS-FN). Based on the first two modes and the actual precipitation departure percentage, a new precipitation index is defined in this paper. The typical flood/drought years associated with the various rainfall patterns defined by this precipitation index are more representative and closer to reality compared to some existing precipitation indexes which just use the area-mean precipitation or the EOF time components individually. The characteristics of atmospheric circulation in summer corresponding to the four main precipitation patterns over the YHR in summer show the features of atmospheric circulation differ in different precipitation pattern years. Although the different patterns share a common main influential circulation system, such as the blocking high over northeastern Asia, the low trough of westerly flows in the mid latitudes, the West Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH), and the high ridge over the Tibet Plateau, the difference in location and intensity of these systems can lead to different distributions of precipitation anomalies.     

Predictable and Unpredictable Components of the Summer East Asia–Pacific Teleconnection Pattern

The East Asia–Pacific(EAP) teleconnection pattern is the dominant mode of circulation variability during boreal summer over the western North Pacific and East Asia, extending from the tropics to high latitudes. However, much of this pattern is absent in multi-model ensemble mean forecasts, characterized by very weak circulation anomalies in the mid and high latitudes. This study focuses on the absence of the EAP pattern in the extratropics, using state-of-the-art coupled seasonal forecast systems. The results indicate that the extratropical circulation is much less predictable, and lies in the large spread among different ensemble members, implying a large contribution from atmospheric internal variability. However,the tropical–mid-latitude teleconnections are also relatively weaker in models than observations, which also contributes to the failure of prediction of the extratropical circulation. Further results indicate that the extratropical EAP pattern varies closely with the anomalous surface temperatures in eastern Russia, which also show low predictability. This unpredictable circulation–surface temperature connection associated with the EAP pattern can also modulate the East Asian rainband.     

Persistent Heavy Rainfall over South China During May-August：Subseasonal Anomalies of Circulation and Sea Surface Temperature

This study investigates the relationship between subseasonal variations of the circulation and sea surface temperature（SST） over the South China–East Asian coastal region（EACR） in association with the persistent heavy rainfall（PHR） events over South China during May–August through statistical analysis. Based on the intensity threshold and duration criterion of the daily rainfall, a total of 63 May–June（MJ） and 59July–August（JA） PHR events are selected over South China from 1979 to 2011. The lower-level circulation anomalies on subseasonal timescale exhibit an anomalous cyclone over South China and an anomalous anticyclone shaped like a tongue over the South China Sea（SCS） during the PHR events for MJ group.The anomalous cyclone over South China in MJ originates from low-value systems in the mid-high latitudes before the rainfall. The anomalous anticyclone over the SCS is due to the westward extension of the western Pacific subtropical high（WPSH） and the southeastward propagation of the anomalous anticyclone from South China before the rainfall. For JA group, the lower-level anomalous circulation pattern is similar to that for MJ over the South China–EACR, but with di？erent features of propagation. The subseasonal anomalous anticyclone is also related to the westward stretch of the WPSH, while the anomalous cyclone is traced back to the weak anomalous cyclone over the Philippine Sea several days before the rainfall events.Positive SST anomaly（SSTA） is observed over the SCS and the Philippine Sea during the MJ PHR events on the subseasonal timescale. It is closely linked with the variation of local anomalous anticyclone. In contrast, negative SSTA occupies the South China coastal region for the JA PHR events, and it is driven by the anomalous cyclone which propagates northwestward from the Philippine Sea. The subseasonal positive（negative） SSTAs are generated via the local processes of above（below）-normal incident solar radiation and below（above）-normal latent heat fluxes. The possible role of the subseasonal SSTA in the local convective instability is also analyzed in this study.     

Interdecadal Variability of the Afro-Asian Summer Monsoon System

The Afro-Asian summer monsoon is a zonally planetary-scale system, with a large-scale rainbelt covering Africa, South Asia and East Asia on interdecadal timescales both in the past century(1901–2014) and during the last three decades(1979–2014). A recent abrupt change of precipitation occurred in the late 1990 s. Since then, the entire rainbelt of the Afro-Asia monsoon system has advanced northwards in a coordinated way. Consistent increases in precipitation over the Huanghe–Huaihe River valley and the Sahel are associated with the teleconnection pattern excited by the warm phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO). A teleconnection wave train, with alternating cyclones/anticyclones, is detected in the upper troposphere. Along the teleconnection path, the configuration of circulation anomalies in North Africa is characterized by coupling of the upper-level anticyclone(divergence) with low-level thermal low pressure(convergence), facilitating the initiation and development of ascending motions in the Sahel. Similarly, in East Asia, a coupled circulation pattern also excites ascending motion in the Huanghe–Huaihe River valley. The synchronous increase in precipitation over the Sahel and Huanghe–Huaihe River valley can be attributed to the co-occurrences and in-phase changes of ascending motion. On the other hand, the warm phase of the AMO results in significant warming in the upper troposphere in North Africa and the northern part of East Asia. Such warming contributes to intensification of the tropical easterly jet through increasing the meridional pressure gradient both at the entrance region(East Asia) and the exit region(Africa). Accordingly, precipitation over the Sahel and Huanghe–Huaihe River valley intensifies, owing to ageostrophic secondary cells. The results of this study provide evidence for a consistent and holistic interdecadal change in the Afro-Asian summer monsoon.     

THE EFFECT OF EQUATORIAL CENTRAL PACIFIC SSTAS ON THE INTERANNUAL VARIATION OF PRECIPITATION OVER SOUTHWEST CHINA DURING SPRING

The interannual variations of rainfall over southwest China (SWC) during spring and its relationship with sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the Pacific are analyzed, based on monthly mean precipitation data from 26 stations in SWC between 1961 and 2010, NCEP/NCAR re-analysis data, and Hadley global SST data. Sensitivity tests are conducted to assess the response of precipitation in SWC to SSTAs over two key oceanic domains, using the global atmospheric circulation model ECHAM5. The interannual variation of rainfall over SWC in spring is very significant. There are strong negative (positive) correlation coefficients between the anomalous precipitation over SWC and SSTAs over the equatorial central Pacific (the mid-latitude Pacific) during spring. Numerical simulations show that local rainfall in the northwest of the equatorial central Pacific is suppressed, and a subtropical anticyclone circulation anomaly is produced, while a cyclonic circulation anomaly in the mid-latitude western Pacific occurs, when the equatorial Pacific SSTAs are in a cold phase in spring. Anomalous northerly winds appear in the northeastern part of SWC in the lower troposphere. Precipitation increases over the Maritime Continent of the western equatorial Pacific, while a cyclonic circulation anomaly appears in the northwest of the western equatorial Pacific. A trough over the Bay of Bengal enhances the southerly flow in the south of SWC. The trough also enhances the transport of moisture to SWC. The warm moisture intersects with anomalous cold air over the northeast of SWC, and so precipitation increases during spring. On the interannual time scale, the impacts of the mid-latitude Pacific SSTAs on rainfall in SWC during spring are not significant, because the mid-latitude Pacific SSTAs are affected by the equatorial central Pacific SSTAs; that is, the mid-latitude Pacific SSTAs are a feedback to the circulation anomaly caused by the equatorial central Pacific SSTAs.     

Coupled Modes of Rainfall over China and the Pacific Sea Surface Temperature in Boreal Summertime

In this study,monthly NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and NOAA ERSST as well as observed precipitation data from 160 stations in China were used to investigate coupled modes affecting the rainfall over China and sea surface temperature (SST) in the Pacific during boreal summertime based on singular value decomposition (SVD) method.The SVD analysis revealed three remarkable coupled modes:rainfall over North China associated with an ENSO-like SST pattern (ENSO-NC),rainfall over the Yangtze River valley associated with SST anomalies in the western tropical Pacific (WTP-YRV),and rainfall over the Yellow River loop valley associated with tropical Pacific meridional mode-like SST pattern (TPMM-YRLV).These coupled SVD modes appear robust and closely correlated with the single field.Furthermore,the covariabilities among of the three coupled modes have different characteristics at the decadal time scale.In addition,the possible atmospheric teleconnections of the coupled rainfall and SST modes were discussed.For the ENSO-NC mode,anomalous low-pressure and high-pressure over the Asian continent induces moisture divergence over North China and reduces summer rainfall there.For the WTP-YRV mode,East Asia-Pacific teleconnection induces moisture convergence over the Yangtze River valley and enhances the summer rainfall there.The TPMM SST and the summer rainfall anomalies over the YRVL are linked by a circumglobal,wave-train-like,atmospheric teleconnection.     

THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT PHYSICAL PROCESSES AND THEIR PARAMETERIZATIONS ON FORECAST OF A HEAVY RAINFALL IN SOUTH CHINA IN ANNUALLY FIRST RAINING SEASON

An ensemble prediction system based on the GRAPES model, using multi-physics, is used to discuss the influence of different physical processes in numerical models on forecast of heavy rainfall in South China in the annually first raining season(AFRS). Pattern, magnitude and area of precipitation, evolution of synoptic situation, as well as apparent heat source and apparent moisture sink between different ensemble members are comparatively analyzed. The choice of parameterization scheme for land-surface processes gives rise to the largest influence on the precipitation prediction. The influences of cumulus-convection and cloud-microphysics processes are mainly focused on heavy rainfall;the use of cumulus-convection parameterization tends to produce large-area and light rainfall. Change in parameterization schemes for land-surface and cumulus-convection processes both will cause prominent change in forecast of both dynamic and thermodynamic variables, while change in cloud-microphysics processes show primary impact on dynamic variables. Comparing simplified Arakawa-Schubert and Kain-Fritsch with Betts-Miller-Janjic schemes, SLAB with NOAH schemes, as well as both WRF single moment 6-class and NCEP 3-class with simplified explicit schemes of phase-mixed cloud and precipitation shows that the former predicts stronger low-level jets and high humidity concentration, more convective rainfall and local heavy rainfall, and have better performance in precipitation forecast. Appropriate parameterization schemes can reasonably describe the physical process related to heavy rainfall in South China in the AFRS, such as low-level convergence, latent heat release, vertical transport of heat and water vapor, thereby depicting the multi-scale interactions of low-level jet and meso-scale convective systems in heavy rainfall suitably, and improving the prediction of heavy rainfall in South China in the AFRS as a result.     

The Impact of Mid- and High-Latitude Rossby Wave Activities on the Medium-Range Evolution of the EAP Pattern During the Pre-Rainy Period of South China

Based on the NCEP DOE AMIP II daily reanalysis data (1979–2005), the evolution of the East Asia/Pacific (EAP) teleconnection pattern during the pre-rainy period of South China is studied on the medium-range time scale. It is found that positive and negative EAP patterns share a similar generation process. In the middle and upper troposphere, Rossby wave packets emanating from the northeast Atlantic or Europe prop-agate toward East Asia along the Eurasian continent waveguide and finally give rise to the three anomaly centers of the EAP pattern over East Asia. Among the three anomaly centers, the western Pacific subtropical center appears the latest. Rossby wave packets propagate from the high latitude anomaly center toward the mid-latitude and the subtropical ones. The enhancement and maintenance of the subtropical anomaly center is closely associated with the subtropical jet waveguide and the incoming Rossby wave packets from the upstream. In the lower troposphere, Rossby wave packets emanate from the subtropical Asia toward East Asia. Positive and negative EAP patterns could not be regarded as "mirrors" to each other with simply reversed phase. For the positive pattern, the positive height anomaly center around the Scandinavia Peninsula keeps its strength and position during the mature period, and the Rossby wave packets thus propagate persistently toward East Asia, facilitating a longer mature time of the positive pattern. As for the formation of the negative EAP pattern, however, the incoming Rossby wave energy from the upstream contributes to both the enhancement and southeastward movement of the negative anomaly belt from the Yenisei River to the Bering Strait and the positive anomaly center around Mongolia. At the peak time, the two anomlous circulations are evolved into the Northeast Asia and the mid-latitude anomaly centers of the negative pat- tern, respectively. The energy dispersion of Rossby wave packets is relatively fast due to the predominant zonal circulation in the extratropics, causing a shorter mature period of the negative pattern. During the pre-rainy period of South China, the prevalence of the EAP pattern significantly affects the rainfall over the region south of the Yangtze River. The positive (negative) EAP pattern tends to cause positive (negative) precipitation anomalies in that region. This is different from the earlier research findings based on monthly mean data.