Interdecadal Enhancement of the Walker Circulation over the Tropical Pacific in the Late 1990s

The Walker circulation is one of the major components of the large-scale tropical atmospheric circulation and variations in its strength are critical to equatorial Pacific Ocean circulation.It has been argued in the literature that during the 20th century the Walker circulation weakened,and that this weakening was attributable to anthropogenic climate change.By using updated observations,we show that there has been a rapid interdecadal enhancement of the Walker circulation since the late 1990s.Associated with this enhancement is enhanced precipitation in the tropical western Pacific,anomalous westerlies in the upper troposphere,descent in the central and eastern tropical Pacific,and anomalous surface easterlies in the western and central tropical Pacific.The characteristics of associated oceanic changes are a strengthened thermocline slope and an enhanced zonal SST gradient across the tropical Pacific.Many characteristics of these changes are similar to those associated with the mid-1970s climate shift with an opposite sign.We also show that the interdecadal variability of the Walker circulation in the tropical Pacific is inversely correlated to the interdecadal variability of the zonal circulation in the tropical Atlantic.An enhancement of the Walker circulation in the tropical Pacific is associated with a weakening zonal circulation in the tropical Atlantic and vise versa,implying an inter-Atlantic-Pacific connection of the zonal overturning circulation variation.Whether these recent changes will be sustained is not yet clear,but our research highlights the importance of understanding the interdecadal variability,as well as the long-term trends,that influence tropical circulation.     

我国秋季降水的年际变化及与热带太平洋海温异常分布的关系

利用我国160个站点58年(1951～2008年)的降水资料、NCEP/NCAR再分析环流资料和Hadley海表温度资料,对我国秋季降水年际变化的特征和可能成因进行了分析。结果显示,秋季降水前两模态分别反映长江流域及以南地区和长江以北的江淮、黄淮、华北、四川盆地北部至河套等地降水的变化,两降水模态的变化都以年际尺度为主,年代际变化特征不明显。就环流形势而言,第一模态的年际变化主要与西太平洋副热带高压的强度及相应的对流层低层菲律宾群岛附近的异常气旋/反气旋联系紧密,第二模态的年际变化则可能受到副热带高压的南北位置和相应的日本岛附近的异常气旋/反气旋的影响。同时,两模态及相应的异常环流还分别与热带东印度洋和热带西太平洋附近的异常垂直运动关系密切,热带地区的异常垂直运动可能通过经圈方向的异常环流影响到东亚地区。此外,两降水模态不仅与热带地区的异常环流关系密切,而且与热带海温异常也存在紧密的联系。与两模态相关联的热带太平洋海温异常显示出不同的分布特征,当热带东太平洋偏暖/冷,西太平洋偏冷/暖时,长江以南地区降水偏多/少。而当热带东太平洋和中太平洋一致偏暖/冷时,长江以北地区降水易偏少/多。两降水模态与热带海温及热带地区异常环流之间的密切关系显示热带太平洋海温异常的不同分布可能通过激发不同的热带地区异常垂直环流形势而对降水产生影响。     

冬季赤道西太平洋环流状况与后期亚洲季风

基于月平均NCEP再分析资料(1958～1997年)以及中国336个台站月降水总量(195l～1994年),通过合成、相关以及统计显著性检验方法,研究了赤道西太平洋区域冬季环流状况与后期春夏季亚洲(东亚和南亚)季风环流变化的关系.研究结果表明,冬季赤道西太平洋环流状况对后期南亚季风和东亚季风以及我国夏季降水均有显著的滞后影响.冬季赤道西太平洋海域海平面气压偏高(低),对应反气旋(气旋)性环流异常,致使后期东亚和南亚夏季风均偏弱(强)以及我国长江流域夏季降水偏多(少),揭示了实施这种滞后影响的一般特征.     

西北太平洋强热带气旋活动的年代际变化

统计分析了１９５１～１９９５年西北太平洋强热带气旋①活动的气候特征和大气环流特征及其相互关系。结果表明,５０和６０年代是强热带气旋活动异常期,６０和７０年代是台风活动异常期。并指出台风与副热带高压、西风环流、青藏高原指数有很好的相关性     

Interactions between the 30－60 Day Oscillation，the Walker Circulation and the Convective Activities in the Tropical Western Pacific and Their Relations to the Interannual Oscillation

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Interannual Salinity Variability in the Tropical Pacific in CMIP5 Simulations

Salinity variability and its causes in the tropical Pacific are analyzed using observations, reanalysis products and model simulations. The mixed-layer salinity(MLS) budget analyses from observations and reanalysis products indicate that its interannual evolution is closely related to ENSO and is predominantly governed by surface forcing and surface advection in the western-central equatorial Pacific. It is found that the observed MLS tendency leads Nin?o3.4 by about 12 months due to the effect of negative freshwater flux(evaporation minus precipitation). These observation-based analyses are used to evaluate the corresponding simulation using GFDL-ESM2 M. It is evident that the model can simulate the spatiotemporal variations of MLS with some discrepancies compared to observations. In the warm pool of the equatorial Pacific the MLS tendency in the model is sensitive to ocean dynamics, however model biases cause the tendency to be underestimated. In particular, the freshwater flux is overestimated while the ocean surface zonal current and vertical velocity at the base of the mixed layer are underestimated. Due to model biases in representing the related physics, the effects of surface forcing on the simulated MLS budget are overestimated and those of subsurface and surface advection are relatively weak. Due to weaker surface advection and subsurface forcing than observed, the simulated compensations for surface forcing are suppressed, and the simulated MLS tendency that leads Nin?o3.4 by 8–10 months, which is shorter than the observed lead time. These results are useful for the interpretation of observational analyses and other model simulations in the tropical Pacific.     

对20世纪70年代中后期Walker环流异常减弱的分析

20世纪70年代中后期以后,位于达尔文岛的观测海平面气压值(SLP)不断升高,而位于塔西提岛的观测SLP不断下降,形成了在年代际尺度上最弱的热带太平洋东西向环流,即Walker环流.70年代中后期以后,在Walker环流不断减弱的同时,亚洲夏季风也在减弱.通过对海平面气压场的长期变化特征分析,我们发现20世纪70年代中期以后,副热带西太平洋(20～30°N,130～150°E)的SLP不断下降,与不断上升的热带西太平洋(10°S～0°,130～150°E) SLP形成了一个在年代际尺度上的反相关震荡型.这个负SLP距平与江淮流域的对流上升运动相对应,造成了中国地区夏季江淮流域降水增加而华北降水减少的格局.       

Three Types of Tropical Waves Related to Tropical Cyclogenesis over the Western North Pacific

The present study applies a space-time filter to identify three dominant types of tropical waves： Madden-Julian oscillations （MJOs）, equatorial Rossby （ER） waves, and tropical depression （TD）-type disturbances. The impacts of these waves on tropical cyclones （TCs） were investigated based on 131 observations during the period 2000-07. The results suggest that 72% of TC geneses were related to the joint impacts of more than one type of wave. The composites for cases in different categories reveal that TCs related to the concurrence of the three types of waves have strong and large initial vortices at the time of TC genesis. In the absence of the MJO, ER- and TD-related TC genesis, embedded in easterly flow, exhibits a relatively fast initiation process and gives rise to a relatively small scale vortex. In contrast, without the ER wave contribution, TCs associated with ER and TD waves did not require strong convection at the time of genesis because an initial vortex can rapidly develop in the MJO active phase through persistent energy transfer. The MJO-related TC geneses were scattered in geographic distribution, as opposed to the clustered and eastward shift observed for genesis cases without contributions from MJOs.     

海南岛秋季降水异常对应的热带大尺度环流和海温

海南岛的地理环境特殊,具有独特的降水变化特征.作者利用海南岛7个站的月降水资料、NCEP再分析资料及NOAA的海温资料,研究了近45年海南岛降水的变化规律,并给出了产生降水异常的一个可能的物理机制.结果表明,海南岛降水具有明显的季节变化,一年中秋季的9、10月份降水最大,而且这两个月降水的年际方差占全年降水总方差的47.1%.秋季降水的年际异常对应的环流形式主要表现为对流层中下层存在的两个异常的气旋和反气旋中心.当降水偏多时,有两支异常的气流分别从热带太平洋和印度洋吹向海南岛附近地区,为该地区提供了更多的水汽,有利于岛上降水.而当降水偏少时,两支异常的气流变为从大陆吹向海洋,使海南岛上空水汽偏少,不利于岛上降水.另一方面,这种与秋季降水异常对应的环流异常是由赤道中东太平洋海表温度异常造成的,异常的海温将使热带地区的沃克环流发生异常,并最终使海南岛附近环流发生异常,导致降水异常.     

Impact of the Western Pacific Tropical Easterly Jet on Tropical Cyclone Genesis Frequency over the Western North Pacific

Although it is well known that the tropical easterly jet(TEJ)has a significant impact on summer weather and climate over India and Africa,whether the TEJ exerts an important impact on tropical cyclone(TC)activity over the western North Pacific(WNP)remains unknown.In this study,we examined the impact of the TEJ on the interannual variability of TC genesis frequency over the WNP in the TC season(June-September)during 1980-2020.The results show a significant positive correlation between TC genesis frequency over the WNP and the jet intensity in the entrance region of the TEJ over the tropical western Pacific(in brief WP_TEJ),with a correlation coefficient as high as 0.66.The intensified WP_TEJ results in strong ageostrophic northerly winds in the entrance region and thus upper-level divergence to the north of the jet axis over the main TC genesis region in the WNP.This would lead to an increase in upward motion in the troposphere with enhanced low-level convergence,which are the most important factors to the increases in low-level vorticity,mid-level humidity and low-level eddy kinetic energy,and the decreases in sea level pressure and vertical wind shear in the region.All these changes are favorable for TC genesis over the WNP and vice versa.Further analyses indicate that the interannual variability of the WP_TEJ intensity is likely to be linked to the local diabatic heating over the Indian Ocean-western Pacific and the central Pacific El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation.     

2009年西北太平洋热带气旋活动的若干特点分析

2009年西北太平洋及南海海域共生成23个风暴以上等级的热带气旋(TC),比常年偏少,但登陆我国的频数(10个)多于常年,台风以上等级TC的活动强于常年.TC源地较常年偏西,并且季节性纬向迁移特征明显,而经向位移并无显著异常,在南海海域生成的TC比例(26.1%)远高于气候均值;路径以西行和西北行为主.登陆华南TC较多...     

Modulation of Tropical Cyclone Activity Over the Northwestern Pacific Through the Quasi-Biweekly Oscillation

The quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) is the second most dominant intraseasonal mode for circulation over the Northwestern Pacific (WNP) during boreal summer. In this study, we investigated how the QBWO modulates tropical cyclone (TC) activities over the WNP from dynamic and thermodynamic perspectives. The propagation of the QBWO can be divided into four phases through empirical orthogonal function analysis of the vorticity at 850 hPa, which was proven to be effective in extracting the QBWO signal. TC generation and landings are significantly enhanced during the active period (phases 1 and 2) relative to the inactive period (phases 3 and 4). Composite analyses show the QBWO could significantly modulate TC activity as it propagates northwestward by changing the atmospheric circulation at both high and low levels. Cumulus convection provides an important link between TCs and the QBWO. The major component of the atmosphere heat source is found to be the latent heat release of convection. The condensation latent heat centers, vertical circulation, and water vapor flux divergence cooperate well during different phases of the QBWO. The vertical profile of the condensation latent heat indicates upper-level heating (cooling) during the active (inactive) phases of the QBWO. Thus, the northwestward propagation of the QBWO can modulate TC activity by affecting the configuration of atmospheric heating over the WNP.     

中国北方秋雨与热带中太平洋海表冷却的关系

本文利用1951～2011年中国160站降水、NCEP/NCAR再分析资料和NOAA延长重建海表温度 (NOAA extended reconstructed SST) 资料,研究了中国9月北方秋雨的年际变化特征及其成因,并用ECHAM5大气环流模式开展了数值试验,最后对2011年9月历史罕见秋雨进行了分析。研究发现,中国北方秋雨有明显的年际和年代际变化,19世纪60年代到1980年代中期,北方秋雨偏多,1950年代、1980年代后期和1990年代秋雨偏少。北方秋雨与西太平洋副热带高压的西伸有密切联系,北方秋雨偏多时,副热带高压偏西偏强,有利于偏南风向北输送水汽并在中国北方辐合。西太平洋副热带高压的加强西伸与热带中太平洋的海表冷却密切有关,偏低的热带中太平洋海表温度(CTSSTI)使其上的对流活动受到抑制,热带西太平洋对流异常旺盛,在西北太平洋出现异常反气旋,加强东亚—西北太平洋的EAP波列,引起西太平洋副热带高压明显西伸,导致秋雨偏多。反之,热带中太平洋海表偏暖,副热带高压偏弱偏南,秋雨偏少。2011年9月北方秋雨的环流异常及成因与统计分析和数值模拟结果基本一致。     

Model Evaluation and Projection on the Linkage between Hadley Circulation and Atmospheric Background Related to the Tropical Cyclone Frequency over the Western North Pacific

The performance of climate models in simulating the linkage of the spring Hadley circulation (HC) to the vertical zonal wind shear and atmospheric divergence in the lower and upper troposphere, which are related to the tropical cyclone frequency over the western North Pacific (WNPTCF) during June-September (JJAS), is evaluated on the basis of the 20th century climate simulations (20C3M). It is found that four models can simulta-neously reproduce the pattern revealed in the observation, with the spring HC in the Northern Hemisphere being positively correlated to the vertical zonal wind shear in the major tropical cyclone (TC) genesis region and negatively (positively) correlated to the atmospheric diver- gence in the upper (lower) troposphere over the western North Pacific (WNP) in the following JJAS. These four models are further used to project their relationship in the late 21st century under the A1B scenario. The results show that the association of spring HC with the vertical zonal wind shear and the upper-and lower-tropospheric divergence over the WNP will weaken in the late 21st century, thereby resulting in a weak relationship between the spring HC and the JJAS WNPTCF.     

Interannual Variation of Multiple Tropical Cyclone Events in the Western North Pacific

The interannual variability of occurrence of multiple tropical cyclone(MTC) events during June-October in the western North Pacific(WNP) was examined for the period 1979-2006.The number of the MTC events ranged from 2 to 9 per year,exhibiting a remarkable year-to-year variation.Seven active and seven inactive MTC years were identified.Compared to the inactive years,tropical cyclone genesis locations extended farther to the east and in the meridional direction during the active MTC years.A composite analysis shows that inactive MTC years were often associated with the El Nin o decaying phase,as warm SST anomalies in the equatorial eastern-central Pacific in the preceding winter transitioned into cold sea surface temperature(SST) anomalies in the concurrent summer.Associated with the SST evolution were suppressed low-level cyclonic vorticity and weakened convection in the WNP monsoon region.In addition to the mean flow difference,significant differences between active and inactive MTC years were also found in the strength of the atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation(ISO).Compared with inactive MTC years,ISO activity was much stronger along the equator and in the WNP region during active MTC years.Both westward-and northward-propagating ISO spectrums strengthened during active MTC years compared to inactive years.The combined mean state and ISO activity changes may set up a favorable environment for the generation of MTC events.     

2007年西北太平洋热带气旋活动综述

利用热带气旋年鉴、海温和大气环流再分析资料,分析2007年西北太平洋(包括南海)的风暴级以上热带气旋(简称TC)活动状况及海-气条件.结果表明,相对于气候平均值,2007年西北太平洋TC活动的季节峰期推后了约2个月,源地明显偏北,生成点纬度发生了2次明显跃变,年度TC的总体活动较弱,但个体的强度较强,路径以西北行为主,登陆比例偏大.影响上述TC活动特征的一个重要原因是年内ENSO循环的位相使得上半年的大气环流不利因素居多,而下半年大尺度上升运动、热带辐合带均较强,副高偏北、局地垂直风切变较小和对流层低层较强的扰动活动等条件,也十分有利热带气旋活动.     

热带太平洋海气系统内部联系的年代际变化

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料和全球海温海冰GISST2.3b资料以及英国CRU提供的南方涛动指数，分析了热带太平洋区域海气系统内部联系的年代际变化特征。结果表明：热带太平洋地区海气年际变化间的相关关系具有显著的年代际变迁；最近50a中，西太平洋地区海温变化与南方涛动的联系存在更为明显的年代际变化，且在IWP与ISO相关关系微弱时，在西太平洋赤道北侧对流层低层，西太平洋海温较暖（冷）时存在反气旋（气旋）环流。这样的高海温-反气旋系统与ENSO时期典型的低海温-反气旋的系统相反，其动力学作用将不利于维持ENSO与西太平洋海温变化间的密切联系。     

Oceanic Origin of A Recent La Nina-Like Trend in the Tropical Pacific

Global ocean temperature has been rising since the late 1970s at a speed unprecedented during the past century of recordkeeping.This accelerated warming has profound impacts not only on the marine ecosystem and oceanic carbon uptake but also on the global water cycle and climate.During this rapid warming period,the tropical Pacific displays a pronounced La Nin a-like trend,characterized by an intensification of west-east SST gradient and of atmospheric zonal overturning circulation,namely the Walker circulation.This La Nin a-like trend differs from the El Nin o-like trend in warm climate projected by most climate models,and cannot be explained by responses of the global water cycle to warm climate.The results of this study indicate that the intensification of the zonal SST gradient and the Walker circulation are associated with recent strengthening of the upper-ocean meridional overturning circulation.     

Impact of the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific on onset date and process of the South China Sea summer monsoon

Since the early or late onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon （SCSM） has a large impact on summer monsoon rainfall in East Asia, the mechanism and process of early or late onset of the SCSM are an worthy issue to study. In this paper, the results analyzed by using the observed data show that the onset date and process of the SCSM are closely associated with the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific in spring. When the tropical western Pacific is in a warming state in spring, the western Pacific subtropical high shifts eastward, and twin cyclones are early caused over the Bay of Bengal and Sumatra before the SCSM onset. In this case, the cyclonic circulation located over the Bay of Bengal can be early intensified and become into a strong trough. Thus, the westerly flow and convective activity can be intensified over Sumatra, the Indo-China Peninsula and the South China Sea （SCS） in mid-May. This leads to early onset of the SCSM. In contrast, when the tropical western Pacific is in a cooling state, the western Pacific subtropical high anomalously shifts westward, the twin cyclones located over the equatorial eastern Indian Ocean and Sumatra are weakened, and the twin anomaly anticyclones appear over these regions from late April to mid-May. Thus, the westerly flow and convective activity cannot be early intensified over the Indo-China Peninsula and the SCS. Only when the western Pacific subtropical high moves eastward, the weak trough located over the Bay of Bengal can be intensified and become into a strong trough, the strong southwesterly wind and convective activity can be intensified over the Indo-China Peninsula and the SCS in late May. Thus, this leads to late onset of the SCSM. Moreover, in this paper, the influencing mechanism of the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific on the SCSM onset is discussed further from the Walker circulation anomalies in the different thermal states of the tropical western Pacific.     

西北太平洋热带气旋频数的年际、年代际变化及预测

利用1950-2009年60 a的热带气旋资料、NOAA海温、NCEP再分析资料及74项环流指数等资料,研究了西北太平洋热带气旋频数的年际、年代际变化特征,结果表明,西北太平洋热带气旋生成频数既有显著的年际变化,同时也存在明显的年代际变化。自1950年以来,西北太平洋热带气旋频数经历了一个先增加再减少的过程,其中转折点在20世纪70年代中后期,与之相对应,热带气旋路径频数也呈现明显年代际变化。在此基础上,通过分析前期春季海温场、大气环流异常及环流指数与夏季(6-10月)热带气旋生成频数的相关关系,选取了影响夏季西北太平洋热带气旋活动频数的预测因子,建立了一个夏季西北太平洋热带气旋生成频数的多元回归预测模型。检验结果表明,该模型能较好地拟合1951-2003年夏季西北太平洋热带气旋生成频数的年际变化,拟合率为0.6。对2004-2009年夏季热带气旋生成频数的独立样本预测试验表明,该模型对夏季西北太平洋热带气旋活动频数具有较好的预测能力,可以为热带气旋业务预报提供一定参考。