New evidences on the climatic causes of the formation of the spring persistent rains over southeastern China

The spring persistent rains (SPR) over southeastern China (SEC) are a unique synoptic and climatic phenomenon in East Asia. A former study has found that the southwesterly flow which lies on the southeastern flank of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is one of the deflected westerly flows of the TP, and it is suggested to be the direct climatic cause of SPR. This study found that the southwesterly flow is also highly correlated with the sensible heating of the southeastern TP in interannual variability, in addition to having a high correlation in seasonal variability. These facts suggest that the thermal forcing of the TP is another important climatic cause of SPR. Numerical sensitivity experiments further prove that the mechanical and thermal forcings of the TP are the climatic causes of the formation of the SPR. On the other hand, the Nanling Mountains and Wuyi Mountains (NWM) over southeastern China not only increase the SPR precipitation amount evidently, but also make the SPR rain belt move to the south by blocking the strong southwesterly flow.     

INTERDECADAL TRANSITIONS AND TWO EXCEPTIONAL YEARS OF JUNE PRECIPITATION OVER SOUTH CHINA

An analysis of high-resolution precipitation data for 1978-2006 indicates that the precipitation over southern China in June experienced a low-value period in 1980-1989 and a high-value period in 1992-2001.It also reveals that exceptional heavy(light) precipitation occurred in June 2005(2004) since 1951.For these variations on both interdecadal and interannual timescales,fairly uniform anomalies of precipitation appeared over Vietnam,southern China,and southeastern China.Corresponding to positive(negative) precipitation anomalies,anomalous southeasterly(northwesterly) flow at 850 hPa reached Vietnam and anomalous southwesterly(northeasterly) flow expanded to the coastal regions of southern and southeastern China.Precedent to the positive(negative) precipitation anomalies during 1992-2001(1980-1989),positive(negative) anomalies of sea surface temperature appeared over the extratropical northwestern Pacific in the winter and spring seasons,associated with a strong(weak) extension of the warm Kuroshio Current that affects the coastal region of eastern China.The above-normal precipitation in June 2005 was associated with the pseudo-ENSO event in the previous winter,and the below-normal precipitation in June 2004 was associated with negative anomalies of sea surface temperature over the equatorial central Pacific and positive anomalies over the equatorial western and eastern Pacific.     

中国东南部冬季降水变化及其环流特征

利用1951-2011年中国160站降水资料及NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,分析了中国东南部冬季降水的年际变化及与之相关的环流和水汽输送特征。结果表明:中国东南部冬季降水年际差异较明显,当降水异常偏多(少)时,蒙古高压及中国广大南方地区海平面气压异常偏低(高),而亚洲附近的洋面上则异常偏高(低);500 hPa上,巴尔喀什湖附近的高压脊和东亚大槽均偏弱(强);高层东亚西风急流异常偏弱(强),中东地区急流异常偏强(弱);中国东部20~30°N出现显著异常上升(下沉)运动,低纬度地区出现异常下沉(上升)运动。影响中国东南部冬季降水的水汽输送主要有两支:来自西风带绕高原的南支气流,经过阿拉伯海和孟加拉湾向华南的输送水汽;来自低纬西太平洋,经南海向中国西南的水汽输送。此外,东亚冬季风与中国东南部冬季降水关系密切。     

Onset of southwesterly wind over eastern China and associated atmospheric circulation and rainfall

Using the 5-day averaged data from the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis, and precipitation from rain gauge stations in China for the period 1981–2000, we investigated seasonal variations and associated atmospheric circulation and precipitation of the southwesterly wind over eastern China. The southwesterly wind over eastern China begins earliest over southeastern China and strengthens gradually from spring to the early summer, as it extends northward. The strengthening of the spring southwesterly wind, the tropospheric upward motion, and the convergence of low-level water vapor over southeastern China results in the beginning of the local rainy season. The beginning of the Mei-yu (Plum rainfall) is connected with the northward march of the southwesterly wind. The southwesterly wind reaches the valley of the Yangtze River in the early summer and northern China in the middle summer. This signifies an onset of the large-scale southwesterly wind over eastern China. Accordingly, the rain belt over southeastern China moves to the valley of the Yangtze River in the early summer and to northern China in the middle summer. Moreover, the southerly wind extends southward to the South China Sea from the spring to summer, though it does not stretch from the South China Sea to southeastern China at those times. The strengthening of the southerly wind over southeastern China is associated with a weakening/strengthening of the eastward/westward subtropical tropospheric temperature gradient between southwestern China and the western North Pacific. The developments of a low-pressure system over southwestern China and the subtropical high-pressure system over the western North Pacific may contribute to the strengthening of the southwesterly wind. A northward advance of the high-pressure system favors the southwesterly wind stretching from southeastern China to northern China. The onset of the Indian summer monsoon also strengthens the summer southwesterly wind over eastern China.     

1991年江淮梅雨与副热带高压的低频振荡

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料和观测的台站降水资料研究了1991年梅雨期间江淮洪涝区降水的季节内振荡及其环流特征,着重考察了不同层次副热带高压的低频变化与降水的关系。小波分析表明1991年江淮梅雨期间降水低频振荡的主周期是15~35 d。在低空,15~35 d振荡以异常反气旋(气旋)的形式在中国东南沿海地区交替出现,调控着西太平洋副热带高压进入(退出)南海。低空的这种低频环流型与高空的偶极型涡旋对相耦合,偶极型涡旋对使得南亚高压东伸(西退),形成有利(不利)江淮流域降水的环流形势。江淮流域降水的低频振荡与500hPa北太平洋副热带高压的低频变化及其传播密切相关。当北太平洋西部的位势高度偏高、中部位势高度偏低时,江淮流域降水偏多;反之偏少。这种低频振荡可能起源于北太平洋中部夏威夷群岛附近,然后沿着副热带高压脊线附近向西传播到中国东南沿海。     

Influence of soil moisture in eastern China on the East Asian summer monsoon

The sensitivity of the East Asian summer monsoon to soil moisture anomalies over China was investigated based on ensembles of seasonal simulations(March–September) using the NCEP GCM coupled with the Simplified Simple Biosphere Model(NCEP GCM/SSi B). After a control experiment with free-running soil moisture, two ensembles were performed in which the soil moisture over the vast region from the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River valley to North China(YRNC) was double and half that in the control, with the maximum less than the field capacity. The simulation results showed significant sensitivity of the East Asian summer monsoon to wet soil in YRNC. The wetter soil was associated with increased surface latent heat flux and reduced surface sensible heat flux. In turn, these changes resulted in a wetter and colder local land surface and reduced land–sea temperature gradients, corresponding to a weakened East Asian monsoon circulation in an anomalous anticyclone over southeastern China, and a strengthened East Asian trough southward over Northeast China. Consequently, less precipitation appeared over southeastern China and North China and more rainfall over Northeast China. The weakened monsoon circulation and strengthened East Asian trough was accompanied by the convergence of abnormal northerly and southerly flow over the Yangtze River valley, resulting in more rainfall in this region.In the drier soil experiments, less precipitation appeared over YRNC. The East Asian monsoon circulation seems to show little sensitivity to dry soil anomalies in NCEP GCM/SSi B.     

MRI模式对华南春雨气候态及年际变率的模拟：不同模式分辨率的比较

本文利用日本气象研究所（MRI）参加第五次国际耦合模式比较计划（CMIP5）的大气环流模式在高、中、低三种分辨率下的AMIP试验结果,评估了其对华南春雨气候态和年际变率的模拟能力,比较了不同分辨率的模拟结果。结果表明,三种不同水平分辨率（120 km、60 km和20 km）的模式均能再现北半球春季位于中国东南部的降水中心。相较于120 km模式,20 km模式能够更为合理地模拟出华南春雨位于南岭—武夷山脉的降水中心。水汽收支分析表明,60 km、20 km模式高估了水汽辐合,使得华南春雨的降水强度被高估。在年际变率方面,在三种分辨率下,模式均能较好地再现观测中El Ni?o衰减年春季的西北太平洋反气旋以及华南春雨降水正异常。较之120 km模式,60 km、20 km模式模拟的降水正异常的空间分布和强度更接近观测,原因是后者模拟的El Ni?o衰减年春季华南地区的水平水汽平流异常更接近观测。本研究表明,发展高分辨率气候模式是提高华南春雨的气候态和年际变率模拟水平的有效途径之一。     

Numerical experiments investigating the mechanisms of a heavy rainfall event over northeastern Taiwan and a mesovortex during TAMEX

Summary This study analyzes the mechanisms of the development of a heavy rainfall event (17 June 1987) over the lee side of the Central Mountain Range (CMR) in northeastern Taiwan during the southwesterly monsoon. This heavy rainfall event was examined using gridded data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, surface rainfall data and numerical model results, employing a non-hydrostatic fifth-generation mesoscale model (MM5) developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and Pennsylvania State University. A tropical depression was simulated over the northern South China Sea on 16 June. Convergence, resulting from the southeasterly winds associated with the circulation from the tropical depression, and northeasterly winds over the Taiwan Strait, occurred over the northern Bashi Channel at 850 hPa. The convergence amplified planetary vorticity and the vorticity associated with the intensifying tropical depression. Consequently, a mesovortex with low pressure over the northeastern edge of the tropical depression near southern Taiwan was produced. Additional convergence over the ocean adjacent to southern Taiwan caused by the interaction between the northeasterly flow, which was deflected over the southeastern slope of the CMR, and the southeasterly flow of the tropical depression, also affected the intensity of the mesovortex. When the mesovortex moved northward and reached southern Taiwan, the southeasterly flow associated with it interacted with an east-southeasterly flow, which was related to the tropical depression, to form a mesoscale convective system (MCS) over the ocean adjacent to southeastern Taiwan. As the mesovortex moved northward, the MCS, which was embedded in the southeasterly flow, also drifted inland toward northeastern Taiwan. The orographic lifting and the ascending motion associated with the deceleration of the easterly flow near the CMR enhanced the MCS over northeastern Taiwan and produced heavy rainfall. To examine the role of Taiwan’s orography on the modelled rainfall, two simulations were conducted; one which included Taiwan’s orography and one which excluded it. In both simulations, the mesovortex in the northern Bashi Channel and the MCS near southeastern Taiwan were reproduced. However, in the simulation excluding the orography, the mesovortex was slightly less intense. In addition, without the extra orographic lifting and the ascending motion caused by flow deceleration, rainfall over northeastern Taiwan was weaker than in the simulation with the orography.     

Complexity analysis of the air temperature and the precipitation time series in Serbia

Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) was applied to the study of the effect of the topographical altitude of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) on a severe drought event which took place in eastern China from November 2008 to January 2009. Two simulations of this drought event were conducted: a control simulation (CNTRL run) using original model settings and a sensitive simulation (TOPO run), where no change other than to reduce the TP topography by 50 %. The results show that the CNTRL simulation validates RAMS by reproducing this drought event fairly accurately. However, as part of the TOPO simulation, the total heat flux showed a decrease over most parts of the TP, latent heat flux underwent a significant increase over the southeastern TP, contrary to sensible heat, and a universal decrease over eastern China; this led to an increase in precipitation over the southeastern TP and a decrease in precipitation over eastern China. The decrease of total heat flux over the TP is collocated with an anomalous anticyclonic circulation from the TP to the coasts of southeastern China. Changes in atmospheric circulation and low-level water vapor transport pathways were consistent with changes in precipitation. In general, reducing the topographical altitude of the TP worsens drought in eastern China and moreover causes a significant decrease in precipitation over southern China.     

Seasonal Variation of Climatological Bypassing Flows around the Tibetan Plateau

The present study investigated diagnostically the seasonal variation of the bypassing flows caused by the splitting effect of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The relationships among the splitting bypassing flows around the TP to precipitation in China, the westerly jet stream, and the thermal status over the TP are revealed. The bypassing flows occur from the 1st to the 22nd pentad and from the 59th to the 73rd pentad, respectively, and they disappear from the 29th to the 58th pentad. They are strongest in winter from the 1st to the 22nd pentad and from the 59th to the 73rd pentad, respectively. During the rebuilding of the bypassing flows from mid-October to mid-February, they are the main cause of precipitation over southeastern China. The enhancement of the bypassing flow intensity in March can cause the precipitation to increase in the early stage of the persistent spring rain over southeastern China. From winter to summer, the seasonal transition of the bypassing flows in the lower troposphere precedes that of the westerly jet stream axis in the upper troposphere to the west of the TP by ～4 pentads, while from summer to winter lags by ～4 pentads. The seasonal variation of the thermal status over the TP plays an important role in the bypassing flows around the TP. The strengthening of the heating over the TP weakens the bypassing flows, and the increase in cooling over the TP is related to the rebuilding and strengthening of the bypassing flows.     

2004年台风“艾利”与“米雷”路径异常变化分析

2004年西北太平洋上生成的台风"艾利"和"米雷"开始都是向西北方向移动,当快要进入东海时两个台风的路径均发生变化,"艾利"转向西南方向,形成倒抛物线形的路径,而"米雷"突然向东北方向转折。通过对这两个台风的不同时间尺度环境场及其与台风相互作用的分析表明,对于西南转向的"艾利",副热带高压(副高)西伸明显,台风位于副高的南侧,天气尺度风场对副高低频分量的涡度平流,使得台风西北侧出现负涡度,同时由于罗斯贝波能量频散,台风东南侧出现负涡度,与负涡度相联系的天气尺度异常环流导致台风西北侧和东南侧的天气尺度引导气流的作用相互抵消,台风主要在低频环流引导下向西南方向移动;对于突然向东北转向的"米雷",副高位置偏东,转向时刻只有东南侧增强的天气尺度西南风,天气尺度引导气流导致台风向东北转折。     

Cluster analysis of post-landfall tracks of landfalling tropical cyclones over China

In this paper, we apply finite-mixture-model-based clustering algorithms to cluster post-landfall tracks of tropical cyclones (TCs) making landfall over China. Because existing studies find that landfall surfaces or elevations affect post-landfall TC movements, we also take account of elevations in addition to time orders in this model. Our study reveals three clusters, with cluster 1 making landfall in Hainan province and moving across the western coast of Guangdong province. Most of the TC tracks in cluster 1 move over the ocean and make secondary landfalls over Yunnan province of China and Vietnam. Cluster 1 finally dissipates inland and moves westward as a result of the westward-shift subtropical high, westward steering flow, easterly vertical wind shear and strong mountainous blocking. Cluster 2 makes landfall over Guangdong and Fujian provinces. TCs in cluster 2 subsequently move inland and disappear due largely to westward-shift subtropical high, easterly steering flow, easterly vertical wind shear and relatively strong mountainous blocking. Cluster 3 makes landfall along the Fujian and Zhejiang coast and sustains a long period of time, recurving mostly to the mid-latitude region owing to the surrounding eastward-shift subtropical high, westerly vertical wind shear, weak mountainous blocking and westerly steering flow. Because cluster 2 is significantly associated with La Niña events, TCs more likely make landfall over southeastern China coast and move westward or northwestward without recurving. Cluster 3 sustains a longer time than clusters 1 and 2 in spite of its weak horizontal and vertical water vapor supply. TCs in cluster 3 interact actively with westerlies during the post-landfall period. However, we cannot observe any analogous interactions with the mid-latitude westerlies in clusters 1 and 2. TCs of clusters 1 and 2 are influenced by summer monsoon flows. Moreover, summer monsoon exerts a greater influence on cluster 1 than cluster 2. The composite 200 hPa divergence of cluster 3 is stronger than that of clusters 1 and 2. This explains to some degree why cluster 3 sustains longer than clusters 1 and 2 after making landfall.     

中国地区降水持续性的季节变化特征

本文利用我国588个气象站1969-2008年逐12小时的降水资料,分析了中国地区降水持续性的空间分布特征及其季节演变规律。分析结果表明,35°N以南,西部和东部年平均的降水平均持续时间较长,中部略短;35°N以北,西北和内蒙西部最短,东北地区北部略长。将降水事件按持续时间分类自南向北,东南地区、江淮和黄淮地区、东北和华北北部地区短时降水（持续一个时次,12小时）的降水量和降水频率占全年总降水的比例逐渐增加,持续性降水（持续3个时次及以上）的比例减少。降水平均持续时间随季节的变化基本能反映出江南春雨、江淮梅雨、东北和华北夏季雨季、关中盆地和汉水谷地的秋雨以及青藏高原地区和西南地区夏季雨季。同时,东南地区秋冬季节、江淮和黄淮地区10月上旬和西南地区10月下旬存在降水平均持续时间的峰值,与降水量的变化不一致,是由持续性降水频率的增加和短时降水频率的减少造成的。此外,东部三个区域降水平均持续时间的夏季季节内变化对应了季风雨带的“北跳和南撤”过程。     

Weather and Climate Effects of the Tibetan Plateau

Progress in observation experiments and studies concerning the effects of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) on weather and climate during the last 5 years are reviewed. The mesoscale topography over the TP plays an important role in generating and enhancing mesoscale disturbances. These disturbances increase the surface sensible heat (SH) flux over the TP and propagate eastward to enhance convection and precipitation in the valley of Yangtze River. Some new evidence from both observations and numerical simulations shows that the southwesterly flow, which lies on the southeastern flank of the TP, is highly correlated with the SH of the southeastern TP in seasonal and interannual variability. The mechanical and thermal forcing of the TP is an important climatic cause of the spring persistent rains over southeastern China. Moreover, the thermodynamic processes over the TP can influence the atmospheric circulation and climate over North America and Europe by stimulating the large-scale teleconnections such as the Asian-Pacific oscillation and can affect the atmospheric circulation over the southern Indian Ocean. Estimating the trend in the atmospheric heat source over the TP shows that, in contrast to the strong surface and troposphere warming, the SH over the TP has undergone a significant decreasing trend since the mid-1980s. Despite the fact that in situ latent heating presents a weak increasing trend, the springtime atmospheric heat source over the TP is losing its strength. This gives rise to reduced precipitation along the southern and eastern slopes of the TP and to increased rainfall over northeastern India and the Bay of Bengal.     

On the Contrasting Decadal Changes of Diurnal Surface Temperature Range between the Tibetan Plateau and Southeastern China during the 1980s–2000s

The diurnal surface temperature range(DTR) has become significantly smaller over the Tibetan Plateau(TP) but larger in southeastern China, despite the daily mean surface temperature having increased steadily in both areas during recent decades.Based on ERA-Interim reanalysis data covering 1979–2012, this study shows that the weakened DTR over TP is caused by stronger warming of daily minimum surface temperature(Tmin) and a weak cooling of the daily maximum surface temperature(Tmax); meanwhile, the enhanced DTR over southeastern China is mainly associated with a relatively stronger/weaker warming of Tmax/Tmin. A further quantitative analysis of DTR changes through a process-based decomposition method—the Coupled Surface–Atmosphere Climate Feedback Response Analysis Method(CFRAM)—indicates that changes in radiative processes are mainly responsible for the decreased DTR over the TP. In particular, the increased low-level cloud cover tends to induce the radiative cooling/warming during daytime/nighttime, and the increased water vapor helps to decrease the DTR through the stronger radiative warming during nighttime than daytime. Contributions from the changes in all radiative processes(over-2?C) are compensated for by those from the stronger decreased surface sensible heat flux during daytime than during nighttime(approximately 2.5?C), but are co-contributed by the changes in atmospheric dynamics(approximately-0.4?C) and the stronger increased latent heat flux during daytime(approximately-0.8?C). In contrast, the increased DTR over southeastern China is mainly contributed by the changes in cloud, water vapor and atmospheric dynamics. The changes in surface heat fluxes have resulted in a decrease in DTR over southeastern China.     

夏季青藏高原大气热源与西南地区东部旱涝的关系

利用1959～2006年西南地区东部20个测站逐日降水量资料和NCEP/NCAR再分析月平均资料,分析了夏季青藏高原大气热源特征,指出了影响西南地区东部夏季旱涝的热源关键区域,并就关键区大气热源对该区域夏季旱涝的影响进行了诊断,得出了以下主要结论:西南地区东部夏季降水与高原主体东南部的热源变化关系密切,当该区域(该区域...     

Subseasonal Zonal Oscillation of the Western Pacific Subtropical High during Early Summer

This study examines the features and dynamical processes of subseasonal zonal oscillation of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) during early summer, by performing a multivariate empirical orthogonal function (MVEOF) analysis on daily winds and a diagnosis on potential vorticity (PV) at 500 hPa for the period 1979–2016. The first MV-EOF mode is characterized by an anticyclonic anomaly occupying southeastern China to subtropical western North Pacific regions. It has a period of 10–25 days and represents zonal shift of the WPSH. When the WPSH stretches more westward, the South Asian high (SAH) extends more eastward. Above-normal precipitation is observed over the Yangtze–Huaihe River (YHR) basin. Suppressed convection with anomalous descending motion is located over the subtropical western North Pacific. The relative zonal movement of the SAH and the WPSH helps to establish an anomalous local vertical circulation of ascending motion with upper-level divergence over the YHR basin and descending motion with upper-level convergence over the subtropical western Pacific. The above local vertical circulation provides a dynamic condition for persistent rainfall over the YHR basin. An enhanced southwest flow over the WPSH’s western edge transports more moisture to eastern China, providing a necessary water vapor condition for the persistent rainfall over the YHR basin. A potential vorticity diagnosis reveals that anomalous diabatic heating is a main source for PV generation. The anomalous cooling over the subtropical western Pacific produces a local negative PV center at 500 hPa. The anomalous heating over the YHR basin generates a local positive PV center. The above south–north dipolar structure of PV anomaly along with the climatological southerly flow leads to northward advection of negative PV. These two processes are conducive to the WPSH’s westward extension. The vertical advection process is unfavorable to the westward extension but contributes to the eastward retreat of the WPSH.     

Projection of Future Precipitation Change over China with a High-Resolution Global Atmospheric Model

Projections of future precipitation change over China are studied based on the output of a global AGCM, ECHAM5, with a high resolution of T319 (equivalent to 40 km). Evaluation of the model’s performance in simulating present-day precipitation shows encouraging results. The spatial distributions of both mean and extreme precipitation, especially the locations of main precipitation centers, are reproduced reasonably. The simulated annual cycle of precipitation is close to the observed. The performance of the model over eastern China is generally better than that over western China. A weakness of the model is the overestimation of precipitation over northern and western China. Analyses on the potential change in precipitation projected under the A1B scenario show that both annual mean precipitation intensity and extreme precipitation would increase significantly over southeastern China. The percentage increase in extreme precipitation is larger than that of mean precipitation. Meanwhile, decreases in mean and extreme precipitation are evident over the southern Tibetan Plateau. For precipitation days, extreme precipitation days are projected to increase over all of China. Both consecutive dry days over northern China and consecutive wet days over southern China would decrease.     

WP和NAO对中国东南部冬季温度的协同影响

利用NCEP/NCAR和ERA-Interim再分析资料,通过多元线性回归等分析方法,研究了西太平洋遥相关型(Western Pacific teleconnection,WP)和北大西洋涛动(North Atlantic Oscillation,NAO)的不同配置对中国东南部冬季气温的影响.结果 表明:WP正位相年,...     

中国台风降水的气候特征

对中国台风降水的时空分布特征进行研究,发现台风降水分布在中国中东部广大地区,台风降水量自东南沿海向西北内陆逐渐减少.台风降水最大值出现在台湾岛的中东部地区和海南岛的个别地区,年平均台风降水量大于700 mm,最小值出现在内蒙古、山西、陕西、四川的部分地区,年平均台风降水量不足10 mm.台风降水一般出现在4～12月,峰值出现在8月.1957～2004年期间台风降水呈下降趋势.台风降水的异常主要由于亚洲地区大气环流和赤道中东太平洋沃克环流的异常变化所引起.进一步分析发现,台风降水在中国大部分地区为减少趋势,且这种趋势在台湾岛、海南岛、东南沿海部分地区和东北南部较显著.台风暴雨是我国东南沿海及部分内陆地区的极端强降水事件之一,这些地区的暴雨和大暴雨很大程度上是台风带来的.