MM5 Simulations of the China Regional Climate During the LGM. Ⅱ： Influence of Change of Land Area,Vegetation, and Large-scale Circulation Background

Using a regional climate model MM5 nested to an atmospheric global climate model CCM3, a series of simulations and sensitivity experiments have been performed to investigate the relative LGM climate response to changes of land-sea distribution, vegetation, and large-scale circulation background over China. Model results show that compared with the present climate, the fluctuations of sea-land distribution in eastern Asia during the LGM result in the temperature decrease in winter and increase in summer. It has significant impact on the temperature and precipitation in the east coastal region of China. The impact on precipitation in the east coastal region of China is the most significant one, with 25%-50% decrease in the total precipitation change during the LGM. On the other hand, the changes in sea-land distribution have less influence on the climate of inland and western part of China. During the LGM, significant changes in vegetation result in temperature alternating with winter increase and summer decrease, but differences in the annual mean temperature are minor. During the LGM, the global climate, i.e., the large-scale circulation background has changed significantly. These changes have significant influences on temperature and precipitation over China. They result in considerable temperature decreases in this area, and direct the primary patterns and characteristics of temperature changes. Results display that, northeastern China has the greatest temperature decrease, and the temperature decrease in the Tibetan Plateau is larger than in the eastern part of China located at the same latitude. Moreover, the change of large-scale circulation background also controls the pattern of precipitation change. Results also show that, most of the changes in precipitation over western and northeastern parts of China are the consequences of changing large-scale circulation background, of which 50%-75% of precipitation changes over northern and eastern China are the results of changes in large-scale circulation backgrou     

The impact of boreal autumn SST anomalies over the South Pacific on boreal winter precipitation over East Asia

The possible mechanism behind the variability in the dipole pattern of boreal winter precipitation over East Asia is analyzed in this study. The results show that the SST anomalies(SSTAs) over the South Pacific Ocean(SPO) in boreal autumn are closely related to the variability in the dipole pattern of boreal winter precipitation over East Asia. The physical link between the boreal autumn SPO SSTAs and the boreal winter East Asian precipitation dipole pattern is shown to mainly be the seasonal persistence of the SPO SSTAs themselves. The seasonal persistence of the SPO SSTAs can memorize and transport the signal of the boreal autumn SSTAs to the following winter, and then stimulates a meridional teleconnection pattern from the SH to the NH, resulting in a meridional dipole pattern of atmospheric circulation over East Asia in boreal winter. As a major influencing factor, this dipole pattern of the atmospheric circulation can finally lead to the anomalous precipitation dipole pattern over East Asia in boreal winter. These observed physical processes are further confirmed in this study through numerical simulation. The evidence from this study, showing the impact of the SPO SSTAs in boreal autumn,not only deepens our understanding of the variability in East Asian boreal winter precipitation, but also provides a potentially useful predictor for precipitation in the region.     

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.     

THE INFLUENCE OF PERSISTENT ANOMALY OF MJO ON ENSO

In this study, two possible persistent anomalies of the Madden-Julian Oscillation mode (MJO) are found in the summer season (persistently Pacific active and Indian Ocean active), and an index is set to define the intensity of the two modes. They are proved to have high statistical correlations to the later ENSO events in the autumn and winter seasons: When persistent anomaly of MJO happens in the Pacific Ocean in summer, El Ni?o events are often induced during the autumn and winter seasons of that year. However, during the other MJO mode when the summer persistent anomaly of MJO occurs in the Indian Ocean, La Ni?a events often follow instead. The analysis of the atmospheric circulation field indicates that persistent anomaly of MJO can probably affect the entire Equatorial Pacific circulation, and results in wind stress anomalies. The wind stress anomalies could excite warm or cold water masses which propagate eastwards at the subsurface ocean. The accumulation of warm or cold subsurface water in the Equatorial Eastern Pacific Ocean may eventually lead to the formation of an ENSO.     

VARIATION AND CAUSES OF PERSISTENT DROUGHT EVENTS IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE

Variation characteristics of persistent drought events in Guangdong province are analyzed using 45-year(1961-2005) and 86-station observational precipitation data of Guangdong,and the causes of drought events are discussed from different angles(e.g.,atmospheric circulation,sea surface temperature) on the basis of global coverage datasets of sea surface temperature and atmospheric elements.It is found that the occurrence frequency of persistent drought events in Guangdong province is once every 26 months on average,and autumn-winter or winter-spring persistent drought events take up the majority.The persistent drought events possess large scale spatial characteristics.While the 1960s is the most frequent and strongest decade of drought events in the latter half of the 20th century,the occurrence is more frequent and the intensity is stronger in the first five years of the 21st century(2001-2005).This reflects the response of regional extreme climatic events in Guangdong to global climatic change.The atmospheric circulation,sea surface temperature,etc,appear to have different abnormal characteristics when drought events happen in different seasons.The results of this paper provide some good reference information for the drought forecast,especially for the dynamic interpretation of climatic model products.     

Circulation Characteristics of Persistent Cold Spells in Central–Eastern North America

The circulation patterns of persistent cold weather spells with durations longer than 10 days in central–eastern North America(United States and Canada; 32°–52°N, 95°–65°W) are investigated by using NCEP reanalysis data from 1948 to 2014. The criteria for the persistent cold spells are:(1) three-day averaged temperature anomalies for the regional average over the central–eastern United States and Canada must be below the 10th percentile, and(2)such extreme cold spells must last at least 10 days. The circulation patterns associated with these cold spells are examined to find the common signals of these events. The circulation anomaly patterns of these cold spells are categorized based on the El Ni?o–Southern Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation(AO), and other climate indices. The atmospheric circulation patterns that favor the cold spells are identified through composites of geopotential height maps for the cold spells. Negative AO phases favor persistent cold spells. Phases of sea surface temperature(SST) modes that are associated with warm SSTs in the eastern extratropical Pacific also favor persistent cold events in the study region.Stratospheric polar vortex breakdown alone is not a good predictor for the regional extreme cold spells in central–eastern North America. The meridional dispersions of quasi-stationary Rossby waves in the Pacific–North America sector in terms of cut-off zonal wavenumber modulated by background flow are analyzed to provide insight into the difference in evolution of the cold spells under different mean AO phases. The waveguide for AO 1 is in a narrow latitudinal band centered on 40°N, whereas the waveguide for AO –1 is in a broader latitudinal band from 40° to 65°N. The circulation patterns and lower boundary conditions favorable for persistent cold spells identified by this study can be a stepping-stone for improving winter subseasonal forecasting in North America.     

An Interdecad l Change of Summer Atmospheric Circulation over Asian Mid-High Latitudes and Associated Effects

The atmospheric circulation over the mid-high latitudes in Asia has an important influence on regional climate, yet its long-term variation has not been fully explored. The main task of this study is to reveal the interdecadal variation features of summer atmospheric circulation over Asian mid-high latitudes in recent decades. The results show that the atmospheric circulation over mid-high latitudes of Asia has stronger interdecadal fluctuations than that over low latitudes and one significant change center appears near Lake Baikal. It is found that the atmospheric circulation near Lake Baikal has a significant interdecadal change around 1996 and a deep anomalous anticyclonic circulation has been controlling this region since then, which contributes to the significant increase in the surface temperature near Lake Baikal since 1997 and makes the region a remarkable warming center in Asia in recent 40 years. During 1997-2015, the pattern of less precipitation in the north and more precipitation in the south of east China is closely related to the anomalous anticyclonic circulation near Lake Baikal. Especially, this anomalous circulation near Lake Baikal has been found to contribute to the obvious interdecadal decrease of the precipitation in northeast China and north China near 1997. The sea surface temperature (SST) of northwestern Atlantic is an important influence factor to the interdecadal change in the atmospheric circulation near Lake Baikal around 1996.     

Sensitivity of the Indian Monsoon to Human Activities

In this paper the authors perform an extensive sensitivity analysis of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall to changes in parameters and boundary conditions which are influenced by human activities. For this study the authors use a box model of the Indian monsoon which reproduces key features of the observed monsoon dynamics such as the annual course of precipitation and the transitions between winter and summer regimes. Because of its transparency and computational efficiency, this model is highly suitable for exploring the effects of anthropogenic perturbations such as emissions of greenhouse gases and sulfur dioxide, and land cover changes, on the Indian monsoon. Results of a systematic sensitivity analysis indicate that changes in those parameters which are related to emissions of greenhouse gases lead to an increase in Indian summer rainfall. In contrast, all parameters related to higher atmospheric aerosol concentrations lead to a decrease in Indian rainfall. Similarly, changes in parameters which can be related to forest conversion or desertifieation, act to decrease the summer precipitation. The results indicate that the sign of precipitation changes over India will be dependent on the direction and relative magnitude of different human perturbations.     

A Preliminary Study on the Polar Climate Predictability

Studies have revealed that predictability of the atmospheric general circulation is generally high in the tropics throughout the year and that there is some predictability in the Northern extra-tropical winter at-mospheric circulation through some patterns of tele connection. Predictability of the general circulation at the polar regions has still remained as a ‘cold’ topic and little has been known about this question. Based on a preliminary study on the predictability by using the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) general circulation model, it is found that the SST-related predictability of the Southern winter lower atmospheric circulation in Antarctica is reasonably high and that there is some predictability in the 500 hPa and 200 hPa geopotential height fields over Europe and the Okhotsk Sea region during the Northern winter. It is sug-gested that more researches on this issue based on data analysis and model simulations are needed to obtain better understanding.     

STUDY ON THE MAIN CLIMATE MODES OF SHANDONG PRECIPITATION AND THEIR RELATIONS WITH THE EAST ASIAN WESTERLY JET

Summer precipitation patterns of Shandong Province are relatively independent with regard to the whole eastern China region.To study the rules and causes of precipitation variations,three main climate modes-on the annual,seasonal,and climatic intra-seasonal oscillation(CISO) scales-are extracted using a harmonic analysis method based on daily precipitation of Shandong during 1965-2009 and multi-year averaged pentad precipitation at 722 stations in China during 1971-2000.Among the three precipitation climate modes,the annual mode is closely related to the annual cycle of Earth-Atmosphere thermal system,which is characterized by the periodic dry and wet seasons.The seasonal mode reflects the monsoon effect on precipitation and the main flood season’s contribution to annual precipitation variations.As an important climatic signal,the CISO mode is more evident during summer monsoon.The gradual modulations of the CISO mode,seasonal mode,and annual mode control the annual variation of precipitation.To study the relationship between precipitation climate modes and atmospheric circulations,an East Asian Westerly Jet Index(EAWJI) is defined in this paper.It is revealed that precipitation of Shandong is closely related to EAWJI in all climate modes.A wet or dry phase of each climate mode corresponds to a specific atmospheric circulation pattern.The phase of the annual mode is reverse to that of EAWJI.During the wet phase of the seasonal mode(weak phase of EAWJI),the atmospheric circulation in and around Shandong is characterized by upper-level divergence and low-level convergence.A reversed atmospheric circulation exists for the dry phase(strong phase for EAWJI).In the summer wet phase of CISO mode(strong phase of EAWJI),Shandong is controlled by upper-level divergence and low-level convergence.Again,the dry phase is corresponding to a reversed circulation structure.The methodology employed in this research,i.e.studying the precipitation climatic variations in terms of independent components of different temporal scales,provides a new approach for annual and seasonal precipitation prediction.     

Linkage Between the Northeast Mongolian Precipitation and the Northern Hemisphere Zonal Circulation

The long-term relationship between the tree-ring-reconstructed annual precipitation in northeastern Mongolia (PRM) and the Northern Hemisphere Zonal Circulation (NHZC)§defined as the normalized zonal mean sea-level pressure at 60N in May-June-July, is examined in this study. A significant correlation coefficient (0.31) was found between the NHZC indices and PRM based on the dataset for the period of 1872–1995. The mechanisms responsible for the relationship are discussed through analyses of the atmospheric general circulation variability associated with NHZC. It follows that NHZC-related atmospheric circulation variability provides an anomalous southeast flow from the ocean to Northeast Mongolia (northwest flow from Northeast Mongolia to the ocean) in the middle and low troposphere in positive (negative) phase of NHZC, resulting in more (less) water vapor transport to the target region and more (less) precipitation in Northeast Mongolia.     

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.     

EFFECTS OF PACIFIC SSTA ON SUMMER PRECIPITATION OVER EASTERN CHINA, PART II: NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS

Based on an observational analysis, seven numerical experiments are designed to study the impacts of Pacific SSTA on summer precipitation over eastern China and relevant physical mechanism by NCAR CCM3. The numerical simulation results show that preceding winter SSTA in the Kuroshio region leads to summer precipitation anomaly over the Yangtze River valleys by modifying atmospheric general circulation over eastern Asia and middle-high latitude. West Pacific subtropical high is notably affected by preceding spring SSTA over the middle and east of Equator Pacific; SSTA of the central region of middle latitude in the corresponding period causes the summer rainfall anomaly over eastern China so as to trigger the atmospheric Eurasia-Pacific teleconnection pattern.     

Variability Modes of the Winter Upper-Level Wind Field over Asian MidHigh Latitude Region

In this study,the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dataset was used to analyze the variability modes of the winter upper-level wind field over Asian mid-high latitude region.As shown by the results,the dominant variability modes of the winter upper-level wind field over Asian mid-high latitude region are characterized by the out-of-phase variation in the intensity of the subtropical and temperate jets over East Asia and the meridional shift of the subtropical jet axis,on interannual and multiannual scales,respectively.The first leading variability mode can be used as a good measure to represent the integral variation of atmospheric general circulation in Asian mid-latitude region.Composite analyses suggest that the first leading variability mode of the winter upper-level wind field is intimately related to the atmospheric circulation and temperature anomalies in the northern hemispheric mid-latitude region.     

How the “Best” Models Project the Future Precipitation Change in China

Projected changes in summer precipitation characteristics in China during the 21st century are assessed using the monthly precipitation outputs of the ensemble of three “best” models under the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B, A2, and B1 scenarios. The excellent reproducibility of the models both in spatial and temporal patterns for the precipitation in China makes the projected summer precipitation change more believable for the future 100 years. All the three scenarios experiments indicate a consistent enhancement of summer precipitation in China in the 21st century. However, the projected summer precipitation in China demonstrates large variability between sub-regions. The projected increase in precipitation in South China is significant and persistent, as well as in North China. Meanwhile, in the early period of the 21st century, the region of Northeast China is projected to be much drier than the present. But, this situation changes and the precipitation intensifies later, with a precipitation anomaly increase of 12.4%–20.4% at the end of the 21st century. The region of the Xinjiang Province probably undergoes a drying trend in the future 100 years, and is projected to decrease by 1.7%–3.6% at the end of the 21st century. There is no significant long-term change of the projected summer precipitation in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley. A high level of agreement of the ensemble of the regional precipitation change in some parts of China is found across scenarios but smaller changes are projected for the B1 scenario and slightly larger changes for the A2 scenario.     

Interannual and Interdecadal Variations in Atmospheric Circulation Factors and Rainfall in China and Their Relationship

Wavelet analysis is used to study the interannual and interdecadal variations of rainfall in China and atmospheric circulation factors, including the key atmospheric oscillations, W, C, E patterns and subtropical high. Regression analysis and correlation analysis are both used to study the relationship of atmospheric circulation factors and China rainfall on different time scale and spatial scale. The results are as follows: (1) The variations of atmospheric circulation and rainfall in China are characterized by interannual and interdecadal scales. The variations of atmospheric circulation and rainfall are composed of interannual and interdecadal variations. It is necessary to separate those two time scales when climate changes and forecast are studied. (2) The variations of China rainfall are due to the interaction of multi-factors rather than single factors. The marked factors which influence the interannual and interdecadal variations are various. Subtropical high is one of the marked factors which influence interannual variations of rainfall, while AO, NAO, and NPO are one of the marked factors which influence interdecadal variations of rainfall. (3) The longer the time scale is, and the larger the spatial scale is, and the more remarkable the relationships between atmospheric circulation and rainfall are.     

VARIATIONS OF ATMOSPHERIC OSCILLATION FACTORS AND 500 HPA CIRCULATION PATTERNS AND THEIR RELATIONS*

Wavelet analysis,EOF and CCA are used to analyze the variations of atmospheric circulation factors,including the key atmospheric oscillations,W,C,E and subtropical high (SH),and their relationships.The results are shown that the variations of atmospheric circulation factors both in troposphere and lower atmosphere layer are different on different time scales.The most significant variation of atmospheric circulation factors is in the period less than 7 years.The correlation relations of atmospheric circulation factors are different on different time scales.Combination patterns of circulation factors have impact on the relationships of factors.There are lag correlations between combination patterns of circulation factors in former year and that of in next year.     

Influence of Tropical Cyclones on Hong Kong Air Quality

Tropical cyclones(TCs) constitute one of the major atmospheric activities affecting the air quality of the Pearl River Delta region. In this study, the impact of TCs on air quality in Hong Kong during the TC active season(July–October) from 2000 to 2015 is investigated. It is found that 57.5% of days with concentration of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter 10 μm(PM_(10)) above the 90th percentile are related to TC activity. TCs in three regions, located to the east, southeast, and southwest of Hong Kong, have obvious impacts on pollutant concentration. When TCs are located east of Hong Kong near Taiwan, 65.5%/38.7% of the days have high or extremely high PM_(10)/ozone(O_3) levels, which are associated with northerly wind, sinking motion, and relatively low precipitation. When TCs are located southeast of Hong Kong, 48.1%/58.2% of the days have high pollution levels, associated mainly with continental air mass transport. When TCs are south or west of Hong Kong, only 20.8%/16.9% of the days have high PM_(10)/O_3 levels, and the air quality in Hong Kong is generally good or normal due to TC-associated precipitation, oceanic air mass transport, and an enhanced rising motion. The higher chance of high O_3 days when TCs are present between Hong Kong and Taiwan, possibly due to lower-than-normal precipitation along the east coast of China under TC circulation. The results in this study highlight the important influence of TC position and associated atmospheric circulations on the air quality in Hong Kong.     

An Observed Connection Between Wintertime Temperature Anomalies over Northwest China and Weather Regime Transitions in North Atlantic

In this study, the association between wintertime temperature anomalies over Northwest China and the weather regime transitions in North Atlantic on synoptic scale is analyzed by using observational surface air temperature(SAT) data and atmospheric reanalysis data. Daily SAT anomaly and duration time are used in order to define SAT anomaly cases. Differences with regard to the circulation anomalies over the Ural Mountains and the upstream North Atlantic area are evident. It is found that the colder than normal SAT is caused by the enhanced Ural high and associated southward flow over Northwest China. Time-lagged composites reveal possible connections between the SAT anomalies and the different development phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO). The Ural highs tend to be strengthened during the negative phase of NAO(NAO–) to Atlantic ridge transition, which are closely related to the downstream-propagating Rossby wave activity. The opposite circulation patterns are observed in the warm SAT cases. A cyclonic circulation anomaly is distinctly enhanced over the Urals during the positive phase of NAO(NAO+) to Scandinavian blocking transition, which would cause warmer SAT over Northwest China. Further analyses suggest that the intensified zonal wind over North Atlantic would favor the NAO– to Atlantic ridge transition, while the weakened zonal wind may be responsible for the transition between NAO+ and Scandinavian blocking.     

Autumn Snow Cover Variability over Northern Eurasia and Roles of Atmospheric Circulation

This study analyzes the variability of northern Eurasian snow cover(SC) in autumn and the impacts of atmospheric circulation changes. The region of large SC variability displays a southward shift from September to November, following the seasonal progression of the transition zones of surface air temperature(SAT). The dominant pattern of SC variability in September and October features a zonal distribution, and that in November displays an obvious west–east contrast. Surface air cooling and snowfall increase are two factors for larger SC. The relative contribution of SAT and snowfall changes to SC, however, varies with the region and depends upon the season. The downward longwave radiation and atmospheric heat advection play important roles in SAT changes. Anomalous convergence of water vapor flux contributes to enhanced snowfall.The changes in downward longwave radiation are associated with those in atmospheric water content and column thickness.Changes in snowfall and the transport of atmospheric moisture determine the atmospheric moisture content in September and October, and the snowfall appears to be a main factor for atmospheric moisture change in November. These results indicate that atmospheric circulation changes play an important role in snow variability over northern Eurasia in autumn. Overall, the coupling between autumn Eurasian snow and atmospheric circulation may not be driven by external forcing.