Lower Tropospheric Structure and Synoptic Scale Circulation Patterns During Prolonged Temperature Inversions over Athens, Greece

Summary In this paper an attempt is made to detect prolonged (of more than 24 hours duration) temperature inversions in the planetary boundary layer over Athens, to study their main characteristics and to find out the synoptic situations with which the inversions are associated. Given the close relationship between the synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation and the occurrence, maintainance and decay of temperature inversions, a simultaneous three category classification of presented inversions and their respective synoptic situations is presented. The classification relies mainly on the similarities and differences in the formation and the maintenance of prolonged temperature inversions. To provide a record of the structure of the lower troposphere and the synoptic conditions favourable to the formation of inversions, mean ascents of temperature and dew-point temperature and mean wind profiles for the years 1980–1994 were calculated for each category into which a total of 297 cases fell. The main element of this structure which strongly affects the pollution of the lower troposphere is the prolonged temperature inversion. Also, for each category, mean 500 and 850 hPa heights and temperature charts, 500 hPa height anomaly charts, mean sea level (MSL) pressure charts and MSL pressure anomaly charts were drawn. Received March 11, 1997 Revised October 6, 1997     

An analysis of the spatial pattern of summer persistent moderate-to-heavy rainfall regime in Guizhou Province of Southwest China and the control factors

In this study, we investigated spatial and temporal variation patterns of persistent moderate-to-heavy rainfall events in Guizhou Province of southwest China during 1951–2004. We first performed conventional frequency analysis using the annual maximum daily series at 36 weather stations fit to log-normal distribution curves. Then, we examined the frequencies of moderate-to-heavy rainfall events (>?=?20 mm/day) and persistent rainfall events (10–day running sum >?=?100 mm) during the summer season (June through August). Using principal component analysis, we identified various spatial patterns of the rainfall regime and macroscale atmospheric conditions that influence these patterns. It was found that a minor mode of variation in the 500 hPa geopotential height anomaly field over East Asia (the third principal component) had a very good relationship to the dominant regional precipitation regime (Spearman’s correlation coefficient?=?–0.623). This mode of circulation represents the N–S variation of the upper-air pressure gradients over East Asia. During its positive phase, the pressure gradient south of 40°N is reduced and accompanied by a ridge over the East China coast, while the pressure gradient north of this latitude is enhanced. Correspondingly, the study region experiences fewer persistent moderate-to-heavy rainfall events. In its negative phase, the pattern in the 500 hPa geopotential height anomaly field is reversed and the study region experiences more persistent moderate-to-heavy rainfall events. This circulation mode is related to both East Asian and Indian summer monsoons. It is also associated with the northward intrusion of the West Pacific subtropical high, the size of the circumpolar vortex over the Pacific, and the impact of the Tibetan Plateau.     

A climatological study of the influence of synoptic-scale flows on sea breeze evolution in the Bay of Alicante (Spain)

The focus of this study is on sea breeze (SB) characteristics during May and August in the Bay of Alicante (south-eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, IP, Spain) for the period 2000–2005 in relation to dominating synoptic-scale winds. A dataset containing 292 SB events was objectively constructed to study the impact of the daily synoptic winds at 850 hPa on the main characteristics of SBs. The winds were used to designate three major synoptic-scale regimes: offshore, onshore, and coast-parallel flows. The SB features examined include mean lag of the SB passage, wind speed and direction at the time of onset, mean lag of SB cessation, mean duration of SB, mean maximum velocity, and inland propagation of SB. Some of the characteristics had not been previously considered in the literature. It is found that in comparison with onshore synoptic flows, offshore favors the delayed arrival and termination of SBs, resulting in a longer mean duration. Further, they produce the most intense passages, cause a more frequent southeasterly component, and result in a higher SB gust speed and shorter mean inland penetration. Results from coast-parallel flows are also presented. The strength of the large-scale flows plays a major role upon SB parameters, which essentially support other numerical modeling results.     

华南前汛期大范围暴雨的合成分析

根据广东1959—1982年前汛期13次大范围暴雨过程的普查分析结果,发现这些暴雨过程全部与低空急流密切相关。选取850百帕的大风核中心点为基准,计算了18—30°N,105—120°E间的合成气象场,得到两类大范围暴雨的主要特征,指出了大风核附近的气象要素与广州站5—6月多年平均状态的差别。最后,作了简短的讨论,并给出简要的结论。      

High temperature extremes in the Czech Republic 1961–2010 and their synoptic variants

Our research focuses on the analysis of extreme high maximum air temperature events (EXHTEs) in the Czech Republic in the period 1961–2010, their climatological characteristics, and on the identification of synoptic-scale circulation conditions conductive to them. EXHTEs are detected using the Weather Extremity Index (WEI) combining return periods of daily maximum air temperature, duration of events, and the extent of the affected area. We selected 37 EXHTEs as non-overlapping periods with the highest WEI. Some long EXHTEs were divided into several shorter synoptically homogeneous episodes. Using the two-level divisive clustering of 700 hPa air temperature and wind field anomalies, we obtained four main variants of synoptic-scale circulation conditions. The most frequent variant associated with extreme episodes is characterized by a westerly flow connected with a high pressure ridge extending northeastward from North Africa over Central Europe or with an anticyclone centered over the Central Mediterranean. The most extreme episodes occurred during the variant characterized by an easterly flow between a high pressure area to the northeast and a low pressure area to the southeast.     

The Little Ice Age climate of New Zealand reconstructed from Southern Alps cirque glaciers: a synoptic type approach

Little Ice Age (LIA) austral summer temperature anomalies were derived from palaeoequilibrium line altitudes at 22 cirque glacier sites across the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Modern analog seasons with temperature anomalies akin to the LIA reconstructions were selected, and then applied in a sampling of high-resolution gridded New Zealand climate data and global reanalysis data to generate LIA climate composites at local, regional and hemispheric scales. The composite anomaly patterns assist in improving our understanding of atmospheric circulation contributions to the LIA climate state, allow an interrogation of synoptic type frequency changes for the LIA relative to present, and provide a hemispheric context of the past conditions in New Zealand. An LIA summer temperature anomaly of ?0.56 °C (±0.29 °C) for the Southern Alps based on palaeo-equilibrium lines compares well with local tree-ring reconstructions of austral summer temperature. Reconstructed geopotential height at 1,000 hPa (z1000) suggests enhanced southwesterly flow across New Zealand occurred during the LIA to generate the terrestrial temperature anomalies. The mean atmospheric circulation pattern for summer resulted from a crucial reduction of the ‘HSE’-blocking synoptic type (highs over and to the west of NZ; largely settled conditions) and increases in both the ‘T’- and ‘SW’-trough synoptic types (lows passing over NZ; enhanced southerly and southwesterly flow) relative to normal. Associated land-based temperature and precipitation anomalies suggest both colder- and wetter-than-normal conditions were a pervasive component of the base climate state across New Zealand during the LIA, as were colder-than-normal Tasman Sea surface temperatures. Proxy temperature and circulation evidence were used to corroborate the spatially heterogeneous Southern Hemisphere composite z1000 and sea surface temperature patterns generated in this study. A comparison of the composites to climate mode archetypes suggests LIA summer climate and atmospheric circulation over New Zealand was driven by increased frequency of weak El Niño-Modoki in the tropical Pacific and negative Southern Annular Mode activity.     

我国南方冬季低温雨雪冰冻事件的大气扰动信号分析

利用中国549个站点的温度和降水资料确定了1960～2008年发生在我国南方冬季的23次低温雨雪冰冻事件。对全球大气变量再分析资料做物理分解得到天气尺度扰动分量用于这些事件的早期信号分析。结果表明,在低温事件发生时,南方地区上空300 hPa对应有最大负高度扰动,850 hPa有负温度扰动。这些扰动的传播特性可以作为低温事件发生的早期信号。在低温雨雪站日数大于10的11次事件中,它们的扰动信号平均可提前11.2天追踪到。     

Diurnal variation in the occurrence frequency of the Tibetan Plateau vortices

A diagnostic study is made on the diurnal variation in the occurrence frequency of the Tibetan Plateau vortices (TPVs) in four local time (LT) periods of a day (06–12 LT, 12–18 LT, 18–00 LT, 00–06 LT) using the data from May to September in 2006–2008. The occurrence frequency of the TPVs shows a robust diurnal variation with its maximum from evening to midnight (18–00 LT) and minimum from early morning to noon (06–12 LT). The physical processes in association with the diurnal variation of the TPVs are revealed. Both large-scale circulations and condensational latent heat induced by the precipitation system have important effect on the diurnal variation of the TPVs’ occurrence. In the evening at 18 LT, there are strongest convergence at 500 hPa and divergence at 200 hPa. Meanwhile, the largest water vapor is transported to the main body of the Tibetan Plateau, and the stratification is unstable, which are conducive to the strongest convection and condensational latent heat release accompanied with the largest precipitation system. All these conditions are responsible for the maximum occurrence of the TPVs in 18–00 LT. On the contrary, at 06 LT the weakest convergence at 500 hPa and divergence at 200 hPa as well as the stable stratification result in little latent heat release, and the minimum occurrence of the TPVs is observed in 06–12 LT.     

An analysis of extreme intraseasonal rainfall events during January–March 2010 over eastern China

The precipitation over eastern China during January–March 2010 exhibited a marked intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) and a dominant period of 10-60 days. There were two active intraseasonal rainfall periods. The physical mechanisms responsible for the onset of the two rainfall events were investigated using ERA-interim data. In the first ISO event, anomalous ascending motion was triggered by vertically integrated (1000–300 hPa) warm temperature advection. In addition to southerly anomalies on the intraseasonal (10–60-day) timescale, synoptic-scale southeasterly winds helped advect warm air from the South China Sea and western Pacific into the rainfall region. In the second ISO event, anomalous convection was triggered by a convectively unstable stratification, which was caused primarily by anomalous moisture advection in the lower troposphere (1000–850 hPa) from the Bay of Bengal and the Indo-China Peninsula. Both the intraseasonal and the synoptic winds contributed to the anomalous moisture advection. Therefore, the winter intraseasonal rainfall events over East Asia in winter could be affected not only by intraseasonal activities but also by higher frequency disturbances.     

Probing for suitable climatology to estimate the predictability of monsoon onset over Kerala (MOK), India

Inter-annual variability in the onset of monsoon over Kerala (MOK), India, is investigated using daily temperature; mean sea level pressure; winds at 850, 500 and 200 hPa pressure levels; outgoing longwave radiation (OLR); sea surface temperature (SST) and vertically integrated moisture content anomaly with 32 years (1981–2013) observation. The MOK is classified as early, delayed, or normal by considering the mean monsoon onset date over Kerala to be the 1st of June with a standard deviation of 8 days. The objective of the study is to identify the synoptic setup during MOK and comparison with climatology to estimate the predictability of the onset type (early, normal, or delayed) with 5, 10, and 15 days lead time. The study reveals that an enhanced convection observed over the Bay of Bengal during early MOK is found to shift over the Arabian Sea during delayed MOK. An intense high-pressure zone observed over the western south Indian Ocean during early MOK shifts to the east during delayed MOK. Higher tropospheric temperature (TT) over the western Equatorial Ocean during early MOK and lower TT over the Indian subcontinent intensify the land–ocean thermal contrast that leads to early MOK. The sea surface temperature (SST) over the Arabian Sea is observed to be warmer during delayed than early MOK. During early MOK, the source of 850 hPa southwesterly wind shifts to the west equatorial zone while a COL region has been found during delayed MOK at that level. The study further reveals that the wind speed anomaly at the 200-hPa pressure level coincides inversely with the anomaly of tropospheric temperature.     

中国南方冬雨与El Niño事件相关关系的年代际差异及其成因

利用1961—2016年中国160站逐月降水资料和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,采用统计学方法分析了中国南方冬雨与El Niño事件相关关系的年代际差异及其成因。结果表明：1）1961—2016年南方冬雨年际变化显著,且降水量呈现阶段性变化,1961—1988年为少雨期,1989—2016年为多雨期。2）El Niño事件与南方冬雨之间的相关关系存在年代际差异。1961—1988年El Niño事件冬季,500 hPa上中国东部地区位势高度距平的经向差异很小,不利于冷空气向南推进,850 hPa上中国南方南风距平偏小,来自孟加拉湾和南海的水汽较难向中国南方地区输送,且中国南方地区受下沉运动异常影响,对流发展受抑制,故南方冬雨偏少;1989—2016年El Niño事件冬季,500 hPa上中国东部地区位势高度距平的经向梯度较大,有利于冷空气向南推进,850 hPa上南海北部到中国东部出现异常的西南风,有利于孟加拉湾和南海的暖湿气流向中国南方地区输送,且中国南方地区受上升运动异常控制,有利于对流发展,故南方冬雨偏多。     

福州市灰霾气象要素场特征分析

利用1988-2007年常规观测资料、地面图5、00 hPa高空图资料,分析了福州市灰霾的时间分布,冬、夏半年霾日气象要素场和稳定度因子特征。结果表明：福州市灰霾年变化呈明显上升趋势;月分布呈单峰型,高发期在12、1月;冬半年14：00,夏半年08：00灰霾发生几率最高。冬半年灰霾多出现在冷空气减弱后,地面气压持续下降,温度不断上升,风速弱,湿度大,充分回暖后的天气下,对应地面天气形势有变性高压后部和底部、锋前暖区、地面倒槽;少数出现在冷空气入侵,地面气压上升,温度下降,湿度较小的天气下,对应地面天气形势为大陆冷高压。夏半年灰霾多出现在高温、干燥、大气层结稳定的清晨,对应500 hPa天气形势为副热带高压、副热带高压边缘、地面弱倒槽,以及少量台风外围控制下干热的下沉气流里。     

Winter Arctic Amplification at the synoptic timescale, 1979–2018, its regional variation and response to tropical and extratropical variability

We investigate winter Arctic Amplification (AA) on synoptic timescales and at regional scales using a daily version of the Arctic Amplification Index (AAI) and examine causes on a synoptic scale. The persistence, frequency and intensity of high AAI events show significant increases over the Arctic. Similarly, low AAI events are decreasing in frequency, persistence and intensity. In both cases, there are regional variations in these trends, in terms of significance and timing. Significant trends in increasing persistence, frequency and intensity of high AAI events in winter are concentrated in the period 2000–2009, with few significant trends before and after this. There are some decreases in sea-ice concentration in response to synoptic-scale AA events and these AA events can contribute to the decadal trends in AA found in other studies. A sectoral analysis of the Arctic indicates that in the Beaufort–Chukchi and East Siberian–Laptev Seas, synoptic scale high AAI events can be driven by tropical teleconnections while in other Arctic sectors, it is the intrusion of moisture-transporting synoptic cyclones into the Arctic that is most important in synoptic-scale AA. The presence of Rossby wave breaking during high AAI events is indicative of forcing from lower latitudes, modulated by variations in the jet stream. An important conclusion is that the increased persistence, frequency and intensity of synoptic-scale high AAI events make significant contributions to the interannual trend in AA.

     

我国南方盛夏气温主模态特征及其与海温异常的联系

利用NCEP/NCAR大气环流资料、HadISST海温数据以及中国160站气温数据等,通过EOF分解、线性相关等统计方法,分析了我国南方盛夏气温异常的主导模态及其所对应的关键环流系统和可能的海洋外强迫信号。结果表明:我国南方盛夏气温偏高有两种不同的分布模态,一是以江淮地区为中心的江淮型高温,二是以江南和华南为中心的江南型高温,导致这两种高温型发生的环流影响系统和海温外强迫因子均有显著差异。影响江淮型高温的关键环流系统是高低空正压结构的高度场正距平和偏弱的东亚副热带西风急流。而影响这两个关键环流系统的海洋外强迫因子包括热带印度洋至东太平洋的"-+-"海温异常分布型及北大西洋中纬度的暖海温异常。2016年盛夏江淮型高温的大气环流和海温异常均表现出典型江淮型高温年的特征,更好的证明了统计分析的结论。而江南型高温的关键环流系统主要是加强西伸的西太平洋副热带高压。其海洋外强迫因子包括前冬赤道中东太平洋的暖海温异常和春季-盛夏热带印度洋全区一致型暖海温异常,其中热带印度洋海温的影响更为持续和显著。     

The Multi-Scale Structure of the Australian Cool Changes

Summary In Southern Australia summertime deep cold fronts are frequently preceded by a shallow cold frontal line connected to a prefrontal lower tropospheric trough. The advance of this line defines a “cool change” which in many cases causes severe weather events. The goal of this paper is to analyze the multi-scale structure of these cool changes using aircraft observations and synoptic-scale analyses. The aircraft measurements on cross-frontal tracks of horizontal lengths of up to 300 km are performed with an average resolution of 3 to 4 m along the track. Thus a multi-scale analysis from micro-scale events up to the synoptic-scale phenomena can be presented. All flights and thus all meso- and micro-scale analyses are performed over water only. The obviously very different characteristics of the cool change structure elements over land are not investigated. The synoptic analyses for one very typical case show a prefrontal trough as characterized by its position in relation to the main deep cold front, its source region in Western Australia and its extent to the southeast. Fields of strong wind shear, temperature gradients, vertical wind and Q-vectors are displayed. The meso-β-scale x, z-cross-sections derived from two aircraft missions (data of the second one in brackets) show: a shallow cold front with a 160 (60) km wide transition zone in which the near surface potential temperature drops rather steadily by 9 °C (20 °C); a shallow feeder flow topped by a strong inversion with a vertical gradient of potential temperature up to 5 °C/100 m between the top of the feeder flow at 400 (200) m and 1500 (700) m; a cross-frontal circulation expressed by the ageostrophic wind components u _ϕ,subscale and w with a center at 1200 m over the frontal edge of the feeder flow (for one mission only); a strong shear of the along-frontal wind component v _ϕ with a large increase of the negative v _ϕ-values with height, which very well fits to the synoptic-scale view of the wave structure of the geostrophic wind (well-known from the upper level synoptic charts) at different heights; a jet core of this along-frontal wind in the center of the cross-frontal circulation, again for one mission only. A very striking example of a micro-scale event is an approximately 1 km wide head of a frontal squall line. It shows dramatic changes of all meteorological parameters. The event is displayed in a horizontal domain of 4 km with full resolution (∼ 4 m). Derivatives of the measured parameters in the cross-frontal direction add information to the space series of the parameters themselves. Deformation frontogenesis of potential temperature and specific humidity show very large values on the scale resolved here. Fortunately the squall line could be sampled again at the same height, but in a somewhat degenerated state 1? h later. Received September 3, 1999 Revised December 14, 1999     

2010年6月中国南方持续性强降水过程：天气系统演变和青藏高原热力作用的影响

2010年6月中国南方发生持续性强降水,其强度与2008年6月相当,超过近年来其他年份。但是,与2008年6月相比,2010年6月对流层中低层低值系统活动在青藏高原至长江中下游地区异常频繁,副热带高压(副高)位置异常偏西、强度偏强,导致低层异常风场辐合区及强降水区域相对偏北。分析2010年6月14—24日中国南方连续出现的4次持续性强降水过程,发现南亚高压、对流层中层的中纬度槽脊和西太平洋副高以及低层切变线和东移低涡是造成持续性强降水的主要天气系统。利用WRF模式对2010年6月强降水过程实施显式对流集合模拟试验,在控制试验重现观测到的地面降水和天气系统特征的基础上,在敏感性试验中将青藏高原的地表短波反照率修改为1.0,对比两组模拟试验的结果表明:控制试验中青藏高原的地表感热加热作用使得高原及其周边地区的大气温度发生变化,相应的热成风平衡调整使得对流层低层至高层大气环流和天气系统特征发生显著变化,增强了中国南方的持续性降水。200 hPa青藏高原西部形成反气旋性环流异常,东部形成气旋性环流异常,青藏高原东部南下的冷空气加强,中国南方辐散增强;500 hPa青藏高原北部的脊加强,中国东部的槽加深,副高西北侧的西南风明显增强,从青藏高原向下游传播的正涡度也显著加强;850 hPa的低涡强烈发展并逐步东移,华南沿海的西南低空急流更为强盛,导致降水区的水汽辐合、上升运动及降水强度都增强。     

El Nio事件次年中国东部夏季气温分布特征研究

利用Had ISST和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,采用统计学方法分析了1949年以来El Nio事件次年夏季中国东部气温分布特征。结果表明,混合型El Nio次年夏季,中国东部气温距平表现为山东—淮河流域及华南沿海出现负距平,其余地区为正距平;东部型,则表现为中国东部地区整体的负距平气温,且北方降温幅度明显大于长江以南地区;中部型,主要表现为长江以北气温负距平远大于长江以南。结合环流形势分析发现,三类El Nio事件次年夏季的赤道地区(5°S~5°N)异常纬向垂直环流均表现为三圈型,但3类异常Walker环流不仅强度有差异,纬向范围也有所不同。500 h Pa上西太平洋副高的强度和范围,是造成三类El Nio事件次年夏季中国东部地区气温距平分布差异的主要原因之一,850 h Pa上西南暖湿气流的输送对其也存在明显影响。     

Meteorological aspects of an abnormal cooling event over Iran in April 2009

During the period from 12 to 15 April, 2009 nearly the entire Iran, apart from the southern border, experienced an advective cooling event. While winter freezing concerns are typical, the nature of this freezing event was unusual with respect to its date of occurrence and accompanying synoptic meteorological situation. To analyze the freezing event, the relevant meteorological data at multiple levels of the atmosphere were examined from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dataset. The results showed that a polar vortex was responsible for the freezing event over the country extending southward extraordinarily in such a way that its ridge influenced most parts of Iran. This was recognized as an abnormal extension of a polar vortex in the recent years. The sea-level pressure fields indicated that a ridge of large-scale anticyclone centered over Black Sea extended southward and prevailed over most parts of Iran. This resulted in the formation of a severe cold air advection from high latitudes (Polar region) over Iran. During the study period, moisture pumping was observed from the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. The winds at 1000 hPa level blew with a magnitude of 10 m s^?1 toward south in the region of convergence (between ?2 × 10^?6 s^?1 and ?12 × 10^?6 s^?1). The vertical profiles of temperature and humidity also indicated that the ICE structural icing occurred at multiple levels of the atmosphere, i.e, from 800 hPa through 400 hPa levels. In addition to the carburetor (or induction), icing occurred between 900 and 700 hPa levels in the selected radiosonde stations during the study period. In addition, the HYSPLIT backward trajectory model outputs were in quite good agreement with the observed synoptic features.     

北半球冬季环流异常对我国东北夏季长期天气过程的影响

用北半球１４个冬季的５００ｈＰａ候距平高度场和１４个夏季东北地区温度和降水候距平资料，分析了冬季环流异常对次年夏季温度和降水异常的影响，发现北半球冬季环流异常的显著区与冬季大气活动中心或超长波槽脊相联系；与我国东北地区夏季温度和降水异常关系密切。在Ｅｌ Ｎｉｎｏ和反Ｅｌ Ｎｉｎｏ年，这种现象更为明显。     

Synoptic conditions of extreme windstorms over Switzerland in a changing climate

This paper reports on a method using composites for studying synoptic conditions of a series of windstorm events selected on the basis of maximum wind speeds in Switzerland. The composite storm-averaged conditions indicate how flow fields, as well as related surface conditions, are organised so as to produce high wind speeds near the surface. On average, high winds in Switzerland, mainly generated by transient synoptic-scale eddies, are characterised by a minimum in the mean sea level pressure field over southern Norway, anticyclonic conditions south of 35°N and a steep pressure gradient over continental western Europe. The geopotential aloft has a predominant zonal structure, producing high winds between 45°N and 50°N over the eastern Atlantic and further inland; the jet stream has its maximum speed at 50°N over the Celtic Sea and Brittany at 250?hPa. Close to the surface, large temperature contrasts between the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and the cooler continent are diagnosed. The results thus obtained differ to those produced by other methods based on the analysis of deep cyclones or of strong vorticity in the northern North Atlantic Ocean basin. Differences of the composite mean synoptic conditions for current (1961?C1990) and future climate (2071?C2100) as simulated by the Global Climate Model HadAM3H in the context of the EU PRUDENCE project indicate that windstorms in a warmer world are generated by a subtle modification of the atmospheric baroclinicity, especially over the ocean and where greater ocean-continent temperature contrasts are simulated during winters. However, there are no signs of reduced storm activity as the climate warms by the end of the twenty-first century.