Intraseasonal variations of June–September rainfall and upper-air circulation over Kenya

Summary In the Northern Summer, Kenya is located under the influence of the divergent Indian monsoon flow, and therefore is dry except for two separate areas: the coastal strip and the western regions. Analysis of daily rainfall data for June–September 1982 to 1988 has revealed that, although there are many distinct rainfall events between the two regions, an out-of-phase relationship is also evident, rain on the Coast being frequently accompanied by a drop in the precipitation over the Rift Valley area. It is shown that two types of wind forcing accompany these patterns. Alternating westerly and easterly anomalies at the 700 hPa level are associated with persistent wet and dry conditions (respectively) in western Kenya, and the opposite along the Coast. Large speed increases of the cross-equatorial low-level jet over Mombasa are followed by short rain spells in this latter region. These observations are thought to reflect the importance of an influx of moist unstable air from the west, linked to the West African monsoon, to ensure heavy rainfall over the Highlands. Variations in the low-level jet speed, which cannot be easily followed downstream, also have a significant, but less persistent impact on rainfall in the two regions.With 7 Figures     

Equatorial westerlies over the Eastern hemisphere

Summary On the basis of extensive data of observations obtained by 272 aerological stations of the tropical zone and of radiosonde observations made in 16 Soviet oceanic expeditions the peculiarities of the equatorial westerlies in the Eastern hemisphere and their relationships with the entire mechanism of tropical circulation have been investigated. New data have been obtained on the structure, meridional extension, vertical distribution and velocity of the equatorial westerlies over Africa, the Indian ocean and the western part of the Pacific ocean. The relationship of equatorial westerlies with easterlies of the upper troposphere and with westerlies of middle latitudes is shown. In this context some features of monsoon circulation over the Guinea gulf, South-Eastern Asia and Northern Australia are discussed.Regularities of the annual migration of equatorial westerlies have been followed, the yearround existence of persistent westerlies in the lower troposphere near the equator being revealed. In order to look into the genesis and mechanism of existence of equatorial westerlies, the peculiarities of the many years distribution of cloudiness in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) are considered using weather-satellite pictures presented in the US-catalogues. The features of zonal circulation in tropics are compared with the field of cloudiness of the ITCZ.

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Die äquatorialen Westwinde über der östlichen Hemisphäre

Zusammenfassung Auf Grund von umfangreichen Beobachtungsdaten von 272 Stationen in der Tropenzone und von Radiosondenbeobachtungen auf 16 sowjetischen ozeanischen Expeditionen sind die Eigenheiten der äquatorialen Westwindzone in der östlichen Hemisphäre und ihre Beziehungen zum ganzen Mechanismus der tropischen Zirkulation untersucht worden. Es sind neue Angaben über die Struktur, die meridionale Erstreckung, die vertikale Verteilung und die Geschwindigkeit der äquatorialen Westwinde über Afrika, über dem Indischen Ozean und über dem westlichen Teil des Pazifischen Ozeans gewonnen worden. Es wird die Beziehung der äquatorialen Westwinde zu den östlichen Winden der oberen Troposphäre und zu den Westwinden der mittleren Breiten gezeigt.In diesem Zusammenhang werden einige charakteristische Merkmale der Monsunzirkulation über dem Golf von Guinea, über Südost-Asien und über dem nördlichen Australien besprochen. Regelmäßigkeiten der jährlichen Verlagerung der äquatorialen Westwindzone sind verfolgt worden und die ganzjährige Existenz einer beständigen Westwindzone in der unteren Troposphäre nahe dem Äquator ist nachgewiesen worden. Um einen Einblick in die Entstehung und in den Mechanismus der Existenz äquatorialer Westwinde zu bekommen, sind die Besonderheiten der mehrjährigen Bewölkungsverteilung in der intertropischen Konvergenzzone (ITCZ) auf Grund der in den US-Katalogen veröffentlichten Wettersatelliten-Bilder in Betracht gezogen worden. Die Besonderheiten der zonalen Zirkulation in den Tropen sind mit den Bewölkungsfeldern der ITCZ verglichen worden.

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With 4 Figures     

高空图的业务客观分析

一、引言 所谓的客观分析的基本点是根据不规则的、疏密不均匀的测站资料而得到规则网格点上的适当数值。客观分析应用于实况资料分析和为数值天气预报提供初始场,是自动化数值预报体系的重要环节。 由Panofsky(1949)提出并由Gilckrist和Cressman(1954)作了修改的最早的客观分析方法是用最小二乘法使资料满足一些多项式。多项式法在无资料地区会产生计算不     

Intraseasonal and interannual zonal circulations over the Equatorial Indian Ocean

El Ni?o Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and given phases of the Madden?CJulian Oscillation (MJO) show similar regional signatures over the Equatorial Indian Ocean, consisting in an enhancement or reversing of the convective and dynamic zonal gradients between East Africa and the Maritime Continent of Indonesia. This study analyses how these two modes of variability add or cancel their effects at their respective timescales, through an investigation of the equatorial cellular circulations over the central Indian Ocean. Results show that (1) the wind shear between the lower and upper troposphere is related to marked regional rainfall anomalies and is embedded in larger-scale atmospheric configurations, involving the Southern Oscillation; (2) the intraseasonal (30?C60?days) and interannual (4?C5?years) timescales are the most energetic frequencies that modulate these circulations, confirming the implication of the MJO and ENSO; (3) extreme values of the Indian Ocean wind shear result from the combination of El Ni?o and the MJO phase enhancing atmospheric convection over Africa, or La Ni?a and the MJO phase associated with convective activity over the Maritime Continent. Consequences for regional rainfall anomalies over East Africa and Indonesia are then discussed.     

Three-type MJO initiation processes over the Western Equatorial Indian Ocean

Thirty strong Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) events in boreal winter 1982-2001 are selected to investigate the triggering processes of MJO convection over the western equatorial Indian Ocean (IO). These MJO events are classified into three types, according to their dynamic and thermodynamic precursor signals in situ. In Type I, a remarkable increase in low-level moisture occurs, on average, 7 days prior to the convection initiation. This low-level moistening is mainly due to the advection of the background mean moisture by easterly wind anomalies over the equatorial IO. In Type II, lower-tropospheric ascending motion anomalies develop, on average, 4 days prior to the initiation. The cause of this ascending motion anomaly is attributed to the anomalous warm advection, set up by a suppressed MJO phase in the equatorial IO. In Type III, there are no clear dynamic and thermodynamic precursor signals in situ. The convection might be triggered by energy accumulation in the upper layer associated with Rossby wave activity fluxes originated from the midlatitudes.     

Aircraft measurements of boundary-layer turbulence over the central Equatorial Pacific Ocean

We analyze gust probe measurements obtained in the convective boundary layer over the central equatorial Pacific as part of the Equatorial Pacific Ocean Climate Studies (EPOCS) program. From the lowest level flights, the bulk transfer coefficients are found to be 1.1 × 10^-3 and 1.4 × 10^-3 for latent and sensible heat fluxes, respectively. Vertical profiles of water vapor density, potential temperature and wind velocity are obtained as are the profiles of the fluxes of latent and sensible heat and momentum. From the extrapolated profiles, we obtain surface fluxes of 120 W m^-2 and 13 W m^-2 for latent and sensible heat, respectively, and 0.11 N m^-2 for momentum. The 10 m drag coefficient is 1.5 × 10^-3. Two convergence boxes, north and south of the ITCZ, are analyzed. Enhanced convergence is found in the northern trades relative to the southern trades. The advective acceleration is found to be comparable in magnitude to the other terms in the horizontal equations of motion.     

赤道印度洋—太平洋海面经向风的年际低频振荡

通过对COADS1950—1979年海面经向风和海温资料的分析,本文探讨了印度洋—太平洋近赤道地区经向风的长期变化特征及其与厄尼诺发生发展间的关系。结果表明：（1）热带太平洋辐合带系统与海温具有相同的季节变化趋势,冬季赤道辐合带和高海温位于南半球,夏季位于北半球。厄尼诺年经向风发生异常,近赤道地区出现强烈的经向风辐合。（2）近赤道经向风存在准2年（QBO）,准3.5年（SO）和准5年（FYO）3种年际低频振荡。QBO对厄尼诺年经向风异常起着重要作用,SO对厄尼诺年和冷水年的经向风变化均十分重要,这两种振荡可以很好的拟合经向风的实际变化,FYO则起着加强的作用。（3）经向风年际低频振荡起源于印度洋—海洋大陆和东太平洋沿岸地区,南北半球冬季风异常和东太平洋沿岸地区信风异常是其主要原因。（4）季风—信风（V）相互作用表现为当异常经向风扰动从季风区东传到信风区时明显增幅,这与信风区海气系统之间时间尺度约1年的自我正反馈有关。     

On the Role of the Cross Equatorial Flow on Summer MonsoonRainfall over India using NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Data

Summary  The role of the cross equatorial flow from the southern Indian Ocean on the Indian Summer monsoon is examined using the National Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) data for the period January 1982 to December 1994. A comparison of NCEP/NCAR data with the satellite data retrieved from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) sensor onboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) exhibited a negative bias for the wind speeds greater than 4 m/s. whereas in the case of specific humidity, SSMI values exhibited a positive bias and the precipitable water derived from the satellite data exhibited a negative bias. The NCEP reanalysis is able to depict the mean annual cycle of both the cross equatorial flow and moisture flow into the Indian subcontinent during the monsoon season, but it fails to depict these differences during excess (1983, 1988, 1994) and deficit monsoon (1982, 1986, 1987) composites. Further, it is seen that inter hemispheric flow far exceeds the excess moisture available over the Arabian Sea indicating that it is the cross equatorial flow which decides the fate of the Indian summer monsoon. Received September 29, 1998 Revised May 20, 1999     

赤道太平洋西风异常与El Nio的关系

分析了1980年以来赤道太平洋西风异常观测资料,并利用 POM海洋模式模拟了赤道太平洋海温对不同类型西风异常的响应.分析和数值模拟试验结果都表明,赤道太平洋上的西风异常可以引起赤道中东太平洋海温升高,但是El Nio事件是否能发生,则与西风异常的位置、强度和东移有关.只有当赤道中太平洋(160°E～160°W)出现一定强度的西风异常并较快东移,才有利于El Nio发生.     

青藏高原及其紧邻地区夏季环流的若干特征

解放前,青藏高原的气象学基本上是个谜,解放以后由于党对气象事业的关怀,青藏高原地区和全国各地一样,气象事业有了很大的发展。五十年代末期“西藏高原气象学”一书总结了解放后头十年的成果。六十年代以后尤其是文化大革命以来,我国广大气象工作者对于这个世界屋脊——青藏大高原上的气象、气候研究取得了不少可喜的成果。     

赤道波动转换在西北太平洋热带气旋生成中的作用

This study associates tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the western North Pacific (WNP) with the equatorial wave transition from an interannual viewpoint, revealing that the tropical cyclogenesis mean location may be modulated by a longitudinal shift in the transition of Mixed Rossby-gravity (MRG) waves to off-equatorial tropical depression (TD) disturbances from year to year. To a large extent, the wave transition is attributable to the monsoon trough in response to the thermal state of the warm pool (WP) over the WNP. During the cold state years in the WP, the basic flow confluence region associated with the monsoon trough penetrates eastward, leading to an eastward shift in the location of the wave transition. Such an environment, in which wave accumulation and energy conversion occur, is favorable for tropical cyclogenesis; as a result, the averaged cyclogenesis location moves eastward. The condition is reserved during the warm years in the WP, resulting in the prominent westward-retreating mean TC formation. Citation: Chen, G. H., and R. H. Huang, 2008: Role of equatorial wave transitions in tropical cyclogenesis over the western north Pacific, Atmos. Oceanic Sci. Lett., 1, 64-68     

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.     

赤道东太平洋海温正异常对西太平洋副高影响的数值模拟研究

利用LASG九层大气环流谱模式及IAP两层大气环流模式，模拟研究了不同持续时间的赤道东太平洋海表温度正异常(海表温度异常的持续时间分别为1月份，1～2月份，1～4月份及1～8月份，其他月份为气候SST)对西太平洋副高的影响。结果表明，尽管海表温度异常的持续时间不同，但其引起的西太平洋副高的异常演变及其分布却十分相似；同时，季风区的异常降水(进而异常潜热释放)随时间的演变及其分布也存在一定的相似性(对应于不同持续时间的赤道东太平洋的海表温度正异常，5月份印度洋至西太平洋地区都表现出赤道辐合带北移偏晚的特征)；季风区降水的这种变化同西太平副高的异常是一致的，从而揭示出这两种现象有可能存在着某种联系。结果还表明，导致这种大气响应场对赤道东太平洋海表温度异常持续时间不敏感的一个重要原因是大气内部过程的影响:中纬大气的内部Rossby波源维持了热带地区激发的扰动在中高纬的存在，同时大气内部Rossby波源对赤道太平洋地区的海表温度异常持续时间表现出不敏感性，正是由于这种不敏感性才导致了响应场对赤道太平洋地区海表温度异常持续时间的不敏感性。模拟结果还表明，在夏季赤道东太平洋存在海表温度正异常的情况，尽管大气内部动力过程的作用十分重要，但夏季赤道东太平洋海表温度正异常对夏季西太平洋副高的影响却明显存在，因此，基于赤道太平洋地区海表温度异常的夏季西太平洋副高的可预报性受到赤道东太平洋海表温度正异常及大气内部动力过程的双重影响。模式的依赖性研究表明，模拟结果具有一定的普遍性。     

热带太平洋低层环流主模态与东亚大气环流的可能联系

利用1958—2001年NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,探讨了热带太平洋(100°E~60°W,10°S~10°N)10 m风场的时空变化特征及其与东亚大气环流的可能联系。结果表明:1)热带太平洋风场异常存在两种主模态,第一模态对应中西太平洋一致的西(东)风异常,关于赤道呈准对称分布,与ENSO(El Nio-Southern Oscillation)暖(冷)位相时风场的分布对应;第二模态则关于赤道呈反对称分布,西北太平洋存在显著的反气旋(气旋)式环流,中太平洋异常西风不再位于赤道上,而是南移到了10°S左右,对应ENSO暖(冷)位相向相反位相转换时的风场分布特征。2)两模态时间系数的主振荡周期不同,与ENSO循环的位相关系也不同。研究发现,当两模态呈正(负)位相分布时,贝加尔湖南侧(South to Lake Baikal,SLB)容易发生持续的高压(低压)异常环流。3)两模态与SLB异常环流的联系途径不同。第一模态正位相对应热带中东太平洋大范围暖海温引起的二极型Walker环流异常,SLB异常高压不仅能通过东亚沿岸北风和南海低槽的作用促进第一模态的前期发展,还对其后期维持起重要作用。负位相时,情况相反。该环流系统既与热带中东太平洋大范围垂直运动有关,还与邻近的中国东南沿海低层异常辐合有关;第二模态则对应热带西太平洋及东印度洋为主、大西洋为辅的暖海温引起的热带四极型Walker环流异常。此时热带西太平洋到东印度洋局地偏强的经圈Hadley环流可能是SLB异常环流维持的主要原因。     

赤道东太平洋海温异常对夏季东亚大气环流的影响

采用统计诊断和数值试验方法讨论了赤道东太平洋海温异常对东亚夏季大气环流异常的影响，研究表明赤道东太平洋海温的持续异常，引起南海－菲律宾附近地区对流异常的持续，从而导致东亚大气环流的持续异常；同时指出春季赤道东太平洋海温异常和夏季海温异常对夏季东亚大气环流的影响并非是线性叠加，海温持续性异常对东亚夏季气环流的影响在季节时间尺度上存在非线性相互作用。     

Intraseasonal oscillations of the monsoon circulation over South Asia

The space–time structure of the three-dimensional circulation over the South Asian monsoon region has been studied using the ERA-40 reanalysis of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Applying multi-channel singular spectrum analysis on combined daily values of horizontal winds and pressure vertical velocity at ten vertical levels for the period 1958–2001, two leading intraseasonal nonlinear oscillations were extracted. The first oscillation has an average period of 50?days and propagates northeastward from the Indian Ocean to the Indian subcontinent. The second oscillation has a period of 30?days and propagates northwestward from the West Pacific to the Indian region. Both the oscillations exhibit the oscillatory and propagation features at all vertical levels from 1,000 to 100?hPa. The two oscillations correspond well with similar oscillations found in outgoing longwave radiation and precipitation in earlier studies. The wind oscillations also account for the active and break phases of the Indian monsoon. The vertical structures and propagation of specific humidity and temperature are found to be consistent with those of the winds in each oscillation. The structure and movement of regional Hadley and Walker circulations have also been described. The analyses provide further strong evidence for the existence of two distinct monsoon intraseasonal oscillations.     

Kinematic properties of the mean circulation over southern Africa

Summary Harmonic analysis is used to study the temporal and spatial distributions of monthly-mean zonal and meridional wind components, and their standard deviations, above southern African radiosonde stations. Thermal and mechanical influences of the underlying subcontinent have substantial impacts on the form of the flow. Below the plateau inversion mechanical effects are the predominant influence but above inversion levels winds are primarily modified by spatially-varying pressure gradients related to differential surface-atmosphere heat fluxes. The flow below is decoupled from that above the coastal inversion, as is the flow across the plateau inversion. Two independent high pressure systems influence the circulation of either side of the coastal inversion. Two standing waves may be detected above the inversion. The first, modulated on an annual cycle, is marked by a local Hadley Cell over the west coast and a local Ferrel Cell over the east coast. The second, modulated on a semi-annual cycle, is marked by meridional component reversals over the interior of the subcontinent. With these reversals there is a shift in the latitude of the subtropical jet.With 13 Figures     

Remote Efects of Tropical Cyclone Wind Forcing over the Western Pacific on the Eastern Equatorial Ocean

An ocean general circulation model(OGCM)is used to demonstrate remote efects of tropical cyclone wind(TCW)forcing in the tropical Pacific.The signature of TCW forcing is explicitly extracted using a locally weighted quadratic least-squares regression(called as LOESS)method from six-hour satellite surface wind data;the extracted TCW component can then be additionally taken into account or not in ocean modeling,allowing isolation of its efects on the ocean in a clean and clear way.In this paper,seasonally varying TCW fields in year 2008 are extracted from satellite data which are prescribed as a repeated annual cycle over the western Pacific regions of the equator(poleward of 10 N/S);two long-term OGCM experiments are performed and compared,one with the TCW forcing part included additionally and the other not.Large,persistent thermal perturbations(cooling in the mixed layer(ML)and warming in the thermocline)are induced locally in the western tropical Pacific,which are seen to spread with the mean ocean circulation pathways around the tropical basin.In particular,a remote ocean response emerges in the eastern equatorial Pacific to the prescribed of-equatorial TCW forcing,characterized by a cooling in the mixed layer and a warming in the thermocline.Heat budget analyses indicate that the vertical mixing is a dominant process responsible for the SST cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific.Further studies are clearly needed to demonstrate the significance of these results in a coupled ocean-atmosphere modeling context.