Olive flowering as an indicator of local climatic changes

Summary In recent years many studies on climate change and its impacts have been published. In this investigation the flowering of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) in central Italy was related to climate and its usefulness as a bio-indicator for climatic change has been studied.An aerobiological method was used to determine the flowering periods in each of 22 study years (1982–2003), and five yearly target dates in correspondence to different flowering phases were selected.Climatic trends were studied through heat summations (daily maximum, minimum and average temperatures) from 1 January to the annual day of full flowering; moreover Growing Degree Days (GDD) and Chilling Units (CU) were carried out since 1 January to 25 conventional dates in the pre-flowering period.Statistical analyses were carried out to study the relationships among climatic trends (expressed by GDD and CU) and the flowering phases. The principal result may be represented by the close relationship between climate and reproductive phenology to consider olive flowering as a good indicator of climatic changes.     

Rainfall Conditions in Equatorial East Africa during the Nineteenth Century as Inferred from the Record of Lake Victoria

The East African lakes have exhibited dramaticfluctuations on both historical and paleo-climatictime scales. Levels of these lakes, and otherhistorical indicators in Africa, suggested thatenvironmental conditions in the nineteenth centurywere much more extreme than anything evident in themodern record. In this study, a water balance modelis used to estimate the rainfall associated with theseconditions, based on the Lake Victoria record. Theresults suggest that the conditions were not unlikeanomalous periods found during the twentieth century,but they may have persisted for somewhat longerperiods of time. The paper also demonstrates ageneric tool that can be applied to interpretinghistorical and paleo-lake levels in quantitative termsof rainfall.     

Structure of the atmospheric surface layer over an industrialized equatorial area

This paper is written to report observations of the structure of the atmospheric surface layer over a coastal industrialized equatorial area. The observations were recorded at Prai Industrial Park, Penang (5° 22′ N, 100° 23′ E) a relatively simple terrain area during the south-west monsoon season in the period of three months using slow response systems. The limitations of the instruments used and its effects on the results are discussed. Wind turbulence and temperature were measured on a 10 m tower and analyzed using eddy correlation method and Monin–Obukhov similarity relations to obtain the normalized standard deviation of longitudinal (σ_u/u), lateral (σ_v/u) and vertical wind velocity fluctuations (σ_w/u) with respect to stability parameter z/L. From the results of the analysis, we found that most of turbulence is generated by shear or mechanical force. It was found that the average neutral value of σ_u/u is 2.35, 1.98 for σ_v/u and 1.47 for σ_w/u with a significantly lower than the proportionality to the power of 1/3 during unstable atmospheric conditions, and thus do not obey Monin–Obukhov similarity theory. It was observed that σ_u/u and σ_v/u values increase linearly in the range of 0 < z/L < 2 and fairly well correlated while σ_w/u does not.     

Temporal rainfall variability in the Lake Victoria Basin in East Africa during the twentieth century

Water resources systems are designed and operated on assumption of stationary hydrology. Existence of trends and other changes in the data invalidates this assumption, and detection of the changes in hydrological time series should help us revise the approaches used in assessing, designing and operating our systems. In addition, trend and step change studies help us understand the impact of man’s activities (e.g. urbanisation, deforestation, dam construction, agricultural activities, etc.) on the hydrological cycle. Trends and step changes in the seasonal and annual total rainfall for 20 stations in the Lake Victoria basin were analysed. The seasonal rainfall for any station in a given year was defined in two ways: (1) fixed time period where the rainy seasons were taken as occurring from March–May (long rains) and from October–December (short rains); and (2) variable periods where the rainy seasons were taken as the three consecutive months with maximum total rainfall covering the period of January–June (long rains) and July–December (short rains), to take into account the fact that the onset of rainy seasons within the basin varies from year to year and from one station to the next. For each station, sub datasets were derived covering different periods (all available data at the station, 1941–1980, 1961–1990, 1971–end of each station’s time series). The trends were analysed using the Mann-Kendall method, while the step changes were analysed using the Worsley Likelihood method. The results show that positive trends predominate, with most stations showing trend being located in the northern part of the basin, though this pattern is not conclusive. In all, 17% of the cases have trends, of which 67% are positive. The 1960s represent a significant upward jump in the basin rainfall. Seasonal rainfall analysis shows that the short rains tend to have more trends than the long rains. The impact of the varying month of onset of the rainy season is that the results from analyzing the fixed-period and variable-period time series are rarely the same, meaning the two series have different characteristics. It may be argued that the variable-period time series are more reliable as a basis for analysing trends and step changes, since these time series reflect more closely the actual variability in rainy seasons from one year to the next. The fixed-period analysis would, on the other hand, find more practical use in planning.     

Testing WRF capability in simulating the atmospheric water cycle over Equatorial East Africa

Uncertainties in simulating the seasonal mean atmospheric water cycle in Equatorial East Africa are quantified using 58 one-year-long experiments performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). Tested parameters include physical parameterizations of atmospheric convection, cloud microphysics, planetary boundary layer, land-surface model and radiation schemes, as well as land-use categories (USGS vs. MODIS), lateral forcings (ERA-Interim and ERA40 reanalyses), and domain geometry (size and vertical resolution). Results show that (1) uncertainties, defined as the differences between the experiments, are larger than the biases; (2) the parameters exerting the largest influence on simulated rainfall are, in order of decreasing importance, the shortwave radiation scheme, the land-surface model, the domain size, followed by convective schemes and land-use categories; (3) cloud microphysics, lateral forcing reanalysis, the number of vertical levels and planetary boundary layer schemes appear to be of lesser importance at the seasonal scale. Though persisting biases (consisting of conditions that are too wet over the Indian Ocean and the Congo Basin and too dry over eastern Kenya) prevail in most experiments, several configurations simulate the regional climate with reasonable accuracy.     

Recent spatial and temporal variations in mean sea level pressure over Europe and the Middle East,and their influence on the rainfall regime in the Galilee,Israel

Summary A comparison of maps of mean sea level pressure (MSLP) for two normal peridos enabled the detection of variations in MSLP over Europe and the Middle East. Even though a general pattern is evident on the maps for each month in both periods, differences in the magnitude of the values were detected. Plotting these differences permitted the identification of regions with the greatest variations and determination of the anomaly flow between the two periods. A polynomial curve fitted to the seasonal record of the MSLP at 35 selected points for each period allowed identification of temporal variations in MSLP. The main temporal change between the period 1931–60 and the period 1951–80 was a delay in the development of a high pressure over Siberia in the latter period. Changes in horizontal pressure differences (CHPD) between Byelorussia in the Soviet Union and the Sahara Desert related previously described rainfall variations to those pressure variations.The present paper is based on data analyzed by the author as part of his dissertation completed at the University of Utah in 1988 under the supervision of Professor Paul A. Kay.With 11 Figures     

Recent changes in the summer precipitation pattern in East China and the background circulation

This study documents the decadal changes of the summer precipitation in East China, with increased rainfall in the Huang-Huai River region (HR) and decreased in the Yangtze River region (YR) during 2000?C2008 in comparison to 1979?C1999. The main features of the atmospheric circulation related to the increased precipitation in the HR are the strengthened ascending motion and slightly increased air humidity, which is partly due to the weakened moisture transport out of the HR to the western tropical Pacific (associated with the weakened westerly over East Asia and the warming center over the Lake Baikal). The rainfall decrease in the YR is related to the weakened ascending motion and reduced water vapor content, which is mainly related to the weakened southwesterly moisture flux into the YR (associated with the eastward recession of the Western Pacific Subtropical High). The global sea surface temperature (SST) also shows significant changes during 2000?C2008 relative to 1979?C1999. The shift of the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) to a negative phase probably induces the warming over the Lake Baikal and the weakened westerly jet through the air-sea interaction in the Pacific, and thus changes the summer precipitation pattern in East China. Numerical experiments using an atmospheric general circulation model, with prescribed all-Pacific SST anomalies of 2000?C2008 relative to 1979?C1999, also lend support to the PDO??s contribution to the warming over the Lake Baikal and the weakened westerlies over East China.     

近50年华东地区夏季异常降水空间分型及与其相联系的遥相关

利用中国华东地区91个站点1961～2007年夏季 (6～8月) 逐日降水资料和NCEP/NACR再分析资料, 用旋转经验正交函数 (REOF) 方法将华东地区夏季降水场分为5个区域, 即I区 (闽赣地区)、II区 (江南)、III区 (长江中下游地区)、IV区 (江淮) 和V区 (黄淮)。这5个区域的夏季降水周期显著不同, 当I区降水的年际周期性强 (弱) 时, II、III、IV、V区降水年际周期性弱 (强)。I～V区夏季降水的年代际及年际变率的年代际变化显著, 且在年代际降水较少或由多变少或由少变多的转换时段, 容易发生较大的年际变化。各区降水异常形成的局地成因有所差别。其中, 江南南部、江南、沿江 (长江中下游) 受低层异常反气旋控制, 该异常反气旋使得这些地区出现水汽辐散, 与异常的非绝热冷却结合, 造成异常下沉气流, 导致干旱发生。对于江淮之间的地区, 由南侧异常气旋性环流和北侧反气旋环流的西部辐散气流控制, 造成水汽向南北两侧辐散, 导致降水偏少; 对于黄淮地区干旱, 可归因于位于蒙古高原上的反气旋异常和位于西太平洋上的气旋性异常之间的异常偏北气流造成该地区水汽的异常辐散所致。华东5个区域的夏季降水和不同类型的遥相关有关。闽赣地区降水受欧亚-太平洋型 (EUP) 遥相关影响; 江南地区降水则可能受东亚-太平洋型 (EAP)/太平洋-日本型 (PJ) 影响, 亦与太平洋-北美型 (PNA) 存在可能的联系; 长江流域则可能受东大西洋型 (EA) 和EAP型影响; 江淮地区降水则明显地受EA/EUP和PJ/EAP的共同影响, 而黄淮降水则与源于地中海地区向东北传播且通过北极涛动 (AO) 产生影响的波列存在联系。这5个区域的夏季降水异常还和东亚地区位涡、 南海夏季风、 Niño3、Niño4区海温、西太平洋副高变动等因子有关。     

Assessment of the changes in extreme vulnerability over East Asia due to global warming

A number of indices have been employed to describe weather extremes on the basis of climate regimes and public concerns. In this study, we combined these traditional indices into four groups according to whether they relate to warm (T_warm), cold (T_cold), wet (P_wet), or dry (P_dry) extremes. Analysis of the combined indices calculated for the daily temperatures and precipitation at 750 meteorological stations in Korea, China, and Japan for 1960s?C2000s shows increasing trends in T_warm and P_dry events and decreasing trends in T_cold events in recent decades, particularly in the northern part of East Asia. A notable regional variation is an increase in the P_wet events in the Korean Peninsula. We applied the same analysis to a 200-year global climate model simulation for 1900?C2099 using the National Center for Atmospheric Research-Community Climate System Model 3. During the 20th century, the changes in T_warm and T_cold calculated from the model data are largely consistent with those calculated from the observations, especially in northern East Asia. The model projections for the 21st century indicate statistically significant increasing T_warm and decreasing T_cold trends in extreme events over the region. Results obtained from historical archives and model simulations using our combined weather extreme indices suggest that northern East Asia will be subject to increased warm and dry extremes and the Korea Peninsula will experience more wet extremes.     

近10年东亚沙尘气溶胶辐射强迫与温度响应

利用一个耦合了在线沙尘模型的区域气候模式RegCM3,对2000-2009年东亚沙尘气溶胶辐射强迫及温度响应进行了数值模拟。结果表明：（1）东亚沙尘气溶胶分布具有明显的地理差异和季节差异,柱含量高值区主要位于塔克拉玛干沙漠和巴丹吉林沙漠,最大值均在1 000mg.m-2以上;从季节分布来看,春季最大,冬季次之,秋季最小...     

Recent changes in the precipitation-driving processes over the southern tropical Andes/western Amazon

Climate Dynamics - Analyzing December–February (DJF) precipitation in the southern tropical Andes—STA ($$12^{\circ }\,\hbox {S}$$–$$20^{\circ }\,\hbox {S}$$; &gt; 3000...     

Influences of external forcing changes on the summer cooling trend over East Asia

Observations indicate a surface cooling trend during the East Asian summer in recent decades, against a background of global warming. This cooling trend is re-examined using station data from 1951 to 2007, and atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulations are performed to investigate the possible influence of changes in external forcing. The numerical experiments are designed to investigate the effects of four types of external forcing: greenhouse gases (GHGs), Total Solar Irradiance (TSI), ozone, and the direct effects of aerosols. Results indicate that external forcing contributes to the cooling trend over East Asia. Furthermore, GHGs, and to a lesser degree the direct effects of aerosols, are the main contributors to the cooling trend. The possible linkages between the external forcings and the cooling trend are discussed.     

夏季东亚高空急流与太平洋-日本遥相关型的关系

利用NCEP/NCAR和NOAA月平均资料,采用奇异值分解方法分析了夏季东亚高空纬向风场和西北太平洋海表温度(SST)的耦合关系,并据此研究了东亚副热带高空急流和太平洋-日本(Pacific-Japan,PJ)遥相关型的可能联系。合成分析结果表明,东亚副热带高空急流正模态年,急流偏南偏强,对流层上层南亚高压增强东进,中层西太平洋副热带高压加强西伸,菲律宾周边海域SST升高,中纬度黑潮延伸体区SST降低,菲律宾海和热带西太平洋地区对流活动偏弱,日本海和黑潮延伸体海区对流活动增强,对应PJ遥相关型的负位相;而东亚副热带高空急流负模态年,急流偏北偏弱,对流层上层南亚高压减弱西退,中层西太平洋副热带高压减弱东撤,菲律宾周边SST降低,中纬度黑潮延伸体区SST升高,菲律宾海和热带西太平洋地区对流活动强盛,日本海和黑潮延伸体海区对流活动减弱,对应PJ遥相关型的正位相。由于夏季东亚副热带高空急流活动与PJ遥相关型存在关联,PJ遥相关型可能是东亚副热带高空急流响应太平洋海温异常的纽带。     

The superior influence of Darwin Sea level pressure anomalies over ENSO as a simple drought predictor for Southern Africa

Summary The dominant climatic mode responsible for seasonal rainfall variability across central southern Africa has been well-established as ENSO. Hence, the El Ni?o signal of the equatorial Pacific has been used extensively to predict droughts in this sub-region. Although this paper acknowledges that El Ni?o influences rainfall deficits over eastern southern Africa, an earlier signal of extreme positive sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies at Darwin for the averaged March to June period (MAMJ Darwin) has proved to have a superior remote connection to droughts in the sub-region. Simple linear statistical tools including composite techniques and correlation methods have been employed on century long data sets (1901–2000) to identify the emerging paramount connection between MAMJ Darwin SLP anomalies and southern African rainfall. Both MAMJ Darwin SLP anomalies and the Zimbabwe seasonal rainfall time series are significantly correlated (above the 95% significant level) with sea surface temperature anomalies. These represent the Indian Ocean Dipole mode in the tropical Indian Ocean and ENSO in the tropical Pacific for the averaged September to December period. ‘Pure’ MAMJ Darwin (that occur in the absence of El Ni?o in the Pacific) coincide with droughts more significantly (83% hit rate) than ‘pure’ El Ni?o events (not preceded by a high MAMJ Darwin) (38% hit rate). Co-occurrences (MAMJ Darwin preceded by El Ni?o) do not only have the highest hit rate of 93% but subsequent droughts are noticeably more severe. The ‘pure’ El Ni?os however, are not only poorly related to Zimbabwe seasonal rainfall deficits, but are apparently not connected to extreme droughts of the 20^th century. Thus, MAMJ Darwin is a good simple predictor of droughts associated with or without ENSO in the Pacific. The high prediction skill of these results, especially the inherent longer lead-time than ENSO, makes MAMJ Darwin SLP anomalies an ideal additional input candidate for sub-regional drought monitoring and forecasting schemes. In this way, drought early warning and disaster preparedness activities can be enhanced over the sub-region. Authors’ addresses: D. Manatsa, W. Chingombe, H. Matsikwa, Faculty of Science, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe; C. H. Matarira, Department of Geography and Environmental Science, National University of Lesotho, Roma 180, Lesotho.     

一个反映中国大陆冬季气温变化的东亚冬季风指数的统计预测方法

利用中国160个站逐月温度、NCEP再分析和NOAA-CIRES20世纪再分析等资料, 采用统计分析方法, 就反映中国 东部大陆冬季一致性气温变化模态的能力方面, 对多种东亚冬季风指数进行了评估, 探讨了影响东亚冬季风强弱的主要前期因子及其相应的影响过程, 并据此建立了一个预测冬季风指数的预测模型。研究结果表明:1981 年前、后两个阶段, 朱艳峰 2008年定义的东亚冬季风指数都可以很好地反映中国东部大部分地区的冬季气温异常;北美大陆西侧北太平洋中纬度地区 (35°-50°N,145°-130°W)的前期秋季(9-10月)海温、北极喀拉海地区(75°-82°N,65°-85°E)的前秋海冰密集度和东亚中 纬度地区(30°-50°N,80°-140°E)的前秋高空(300-200hPa)温度异常都具有较强的持续性, 异常信号可从前秋一直持续到 冬季, 进而影响东亚冬季风的强度;根据上述3个前期因子建立了东亚冬季风统计预测模型, 评估发现该模型具有较强的预测 能力, 可用于冬季风强度以及相应的中国东部大陆冬季气温的定性预测。