Sources of CAM3 vorticity bias during northern winter from diagnostic study of the vorticity equation

CAM3 (Community Atmosphere Model version 3) simulation bias is diagnosed using the vorticity equation. The study compares CAM3 output with ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) 40?year reanalysis (ERA-40) data. A time mean vorticity bias equation is also formulated and the terms are grouped into categories: linear terms, nonlinear terms, transient contributions, and friction (calculated as a residual). Frontal cyclone storms have much weaker band passed kinetic energy and enstrophy in CAM3. The downstream end of the North Atlantic storm track (NAST) has large location error. While the vorticity equation terms have similar amplitude ranking in CAM3 and ERA-40 at upper levels, the ranking differs notably in the lower troposphere. The linear and friction terms dominate the vorticity bias equation. The transient terms contribute along the storm track, but the nonlinear terms are generally much smaller, with the primary exception being over the Iberian peninsula. Friction is much stronger in CAM3. As evidence, nearly all wavelengths (including the longest planetary waves) have smaller amplitude in CAM3 than in ERA-40 vorticity data. Negative near surface vorticity tendency bias on the European side of the Arctic is linked to the NAST track error (evident in the divergence term). CAM3 misses the Beaufort high in sea level pressure (SLP) due to low level warm temperature bias, too little vortex compression, and to too little horizontal advection of negative vorticity compared with ERA-40. Generally lower SLP values in CAM3 over the entire Arctic follow from lower level warm bias in CAM3.     

Sources of CAM3 temperature bias during northern winter from diagnostic study of the temperature bias equation

The Community Atmosphere Model version 3 (CAM3) temperature simulation bias is examined in this paper. We compare CAM3 output with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 40 year reanalysis (ERA-40) data. We formulate a time mean temperature bias equation then evaluate each term in the equation. Our focus is on the Northern Hemisphere winter time. We group the temperature equation terms into these categories: linear advection terms, nonlinear advection terms, transient eddy terms and diabatic heating, and find that linear advection and diabatic bias are the largest. The nonlinear terms (velocity bias advection of temperature bias) are much smaller than each of the other groups of terms at all levels except near the surface. Linear advection terms have dipolar pattern in the Atlantic (negative NW of positive) which reflects the shift of the CAM3 model North Atlantic storm track (NAST) into Europe, especially in the upper troposphere; opposite sign dipolar structure occurs over Alaska (positive) and the north Pacific storm track (negative). The transient advection terms in middle latitudes are larger in the upper troposphere and generally positive along the Atlantic storm track. Along the north Pacific storm track (NPST), the transient terms are negative in the mid and lower troposphere over much of the NPST (positive in upper troposphere). The diabatic heating bias has large values in the tropics along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ICZ) and along the midlatitude storm tracks. During this time of year the ICZ is mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, but CAM3 emphasizes an ICZ-like heating in the northern hemisphere of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. CAM3 tends to have a weaker ICZ, especially in the Atlantic. In midlatitudes, we find large bias in heating by precipitation and vertically averaged net radiation over the NAST, Europe, and the Middle East.     

Simulations of 20th and 21st century Arctic cloud amount in the global climate models assessed in the IPCC AR4

Simulations of late 20th and 21st century Arctic cloud amount from 20 global climate models (GCMs) in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) dataset are synthesized and assessed. Under recent climatic conditions, GCMs realistically simulate the spatial distribution of Arctic clouds, the magnitude of cloudiness during the warmest seasons (summer–autumn), and the prevalence of low clouds as the predominant type. The greatest intermodel spread and most pronounced model error of excessive cloudiness coincides with the coldest seasons (winter–spring) and locations (perennial ice pack, Greenland, and the Canadian Archipelago). Under greenhouse forcing (SRES A1B emissions scenario) the Arctic is expected to become cloudier, especially during autumn and over sea ice, in tandem with cloud decreases in middle latitudes. Projected cloud changes for the late 21st century depend strongly on the simulated modern (late 20th century) annual cycle of Arctic cloud amount: GCMs that correctly simulate more clouds during summer than winter at present also tend to simulate more clouds in the future. The simulated Arctic cloud changes display a tripole structure aloft, with largest increases concentrated at low levels (below 700 hPa) and high levels (above 400 hPa) but little change in the middle troposphere. The changes in cloud radiative forcing suggest that the cloud changes are a positive feedback annually but negative during summer. Of potential explanations for the simulated Arctic cloud response, local evaporation is the leading candidate based on its high correlation with the cloud changes. The polar cloud changes are also significantly correlated with model resolution: GCMs with higher spatial resolution tend to produce larger future cloud increases.     

Impact of Surface Potential Vorticity Density Forcing over the Tibetan Plateau on the South China Extreme Precipitation in January 2008. Part Ⅰ:Data Analysis

The external source/sink of potential vorticity (PV) is the original driving force for the atmospheric circulation. The relationship between surface PV generation and surface PV density forcing is discussed in detail in this paper. Moreover, a case study of the extreme winter freezing rain/snow storm over South China in January 2008 is performed, and the surface PV density forcing over the eastern flank of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has been found to significantly affect the precipitation over South China in this case. The TP generated PV propagated eastward in the middle troposphere. The associated zonal advection of positive absolute vorticity resulted in the increasing of cyclo-nic relative vorticity in the downstream region of the TP. Ascending air and convergence in the lower troposphere developed, which gave rise to the development of the southerly wind. This favored the increasing of negative meridio-nal absolute vorticity advection in the lower troposphere, which provided a large-scale circulation background conducive to ascending motion such that the absolute vorticity advection increased with height. Consequently, the ascending air further strengthened the southerly wind and the vertical gradient of absolute vorticity advection between the lower and middle troposphere in turn. Under such a situation, the enhanced ascending, together with the moist air transported by the southerly wind, formed the extreme winter precipitation in January 2008 over South China.     

Radiative Forcing and Climate Response Due to Black Carbon in Snow and Ice

The radiative forcing and climate response due to black carbon(BC) in snow and/or ice were investigated by integrating observed effects of BC on snow/ice albedo into an atmospheric general circulation model(BCC AGCM2.0.1) developed by the National Climate Center(NCC) of the China Meteorological Administration(CMA).The results show that the global annual mean surface radiative forcing due to BC in snow/ice is +0.042 W m 2,with maximum forcing found over the Tibetan Plateau and regional mean forcing exceeding +2.8 W m 2.The global annual mean surface temperature increased 0.071 C due to BC in snow/ice.Positive surface radiative forcing was clearly shown in winter and spring and increased the surface temperature of snow/ice in the Northern Hemisphere.The surface temperatures of snow-covered areas of Eurasia and North America in winter(spring) increased by 0.83 C(0.6 C) and 0.83 C(0.46 C),respectively.Snowmelt rates also increased greatly,leading to earlier snowmelt and peak runoff times.With the rise of surface temperatures in the Arctic,more water vapor could be released into the atmosphere,allowing easier cloud formation,which could lead to higher thermal emittance in the Arctic.However,the total cloud forcing could decrease due to increasing cloud cover,which will offset some of the positive feedback mechanism of the clouds.     

Mid-latitude atmospheric responses to heat and vorticity forcing using a linear baroclinic model

Based on diagnostic analysis of reanalysis data for 58-year, the distribution characteristics of decadal variability in diabatic heating, transient eddy heating and transient eddy vorticity forcing related to the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the North Pacific, as well as their relationship with anomalous atmospheric circulation have been investigated in this paper. A linear baroclinic model(LBM) was used to investigate atmospheric responses to idealized and realistic heat and vorticity forcing anomalies, and then to compare relative roles of different kinds of forcing in terms of geopotential height responses. The results illustrate that the responses of atmospheric height fields to the mid-latitude heating can be either baroclinic or barotropic. The response structure is sensitive to the relative horizontal location of heating with respect to the background jet flow, as well as to the vertical profile of heating. The response to the idealized deep heating over the eastern North Pacific, mimicking the observed heating anomaly, is baroclinic. The atmospheric response to the mid-latitude vorticity forcing is always barotropic, resulting in a geopotential low that is in phase with the forcing. The atmospheric responses to the realistic heat and vorticity forcing show the similar results, suggesting that diabatic heating, transient eddy heating and transient eddy vorticity forcing can all cause atmospheric anomalies and that the vorticity forcing plays a relatively more important role in maintaining the equivalent-barotropic structure of geopotential height anomalies.     

超强台风“桑美”(2006)能量发展的物理因子

应用非线性动力系统的研究方法, 基于NCEP/NCAR再分析资料, 以超强台风 “桑美” (2006) 在我国近海的突然增强和突然减弱过程为例, 从动能角度分析热带气旋能量发展的条件, 将分析结果转化为可用于分析预测热带气旋强度变化的实用指标, 如非热成风涡度、 热成风偏差及其垂直变化。结果表明: 热带气旋中心附近存在非热成风涡度负值中心, 有利于近海热带气旋突然增强; 非热成风涡度的变化与热带气旋中心气压变化有较好的一致性。当扰动自下向上传播时, 在热带气旋增强阶段热成风偏差为正值, 而在减弱阶段为负值; 当外围波扰向内核传播时, 在热带气旋增强阶段热成风偏差垂直变化为负值, 而在减弱阶段为正值, 热成风偏差及其垂直变化的这种变化在对流层中低层更明显。当扰动自下向上、 自外围向内核传播时, 在热带气旋增强阶段非热成风涡度为负值、 热成风偏差为正值、 热成风偏差垂直变化为负值; 减弱阶段则相反。     

Impact of a projected future Arctic Sea Ice reduction on extratropical storminess and the NAO

The impact of a reduced Arctic sea ice cover on wintertime extratropical storminess is investigated by conducting atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) experiments. The AGCM ECHAM5 is forced by the present and a projected future seasonal cycle of Arctic sea ice. In the experiment with projected sea-ice concentrations significant reductions in storminess were found during December and January in both midlatitudes and towards the Arctic. However, a substantially larger reduction in extratropical storminess was found in March, despite a smaller change in surface energy fluxes in March than in the other winter months. The projected decrease in storminess is also related to the negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The March response is consistent with a forcing from transient and quasi-stationary eddies associated with negative NAO events. The greater sensitivity to sea-ice anomalies in late winter sets this study apart from earlier ones.     

The simulation of Arctic clouds and their influence on the winter surface temperature in present-day climate in the CMIP3 multi-model dataset

We investigate the influence of clouds on the surface energy budget and surface temperature in the sea-ice covered parts of the ocean north of the Arctic circle in present-day climate in nine global climate models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3, CMIP3. Monthly mean simulated surface skin temperature, radiative fluxes and cloud parameters are evaluated using retrievals from the extended AVHHR Polar Pathfinder (APP-x) product. We analyzed the annual cycle but the main focus is on the winter, in which large parts of the region experience polar night. We find a smaller across-model spread as well as better agreement with observations during summer than during winter in the simulated climatological annual cycles of total cloudiness and surface skin temperature. The across-model spread in liquid and ice water paths is substantial during the whole year. These results qualitatively agree with earlier studies on the present-day Arctic climate in GCMs. The climatological ensemble model mean annual cycle of surface cloud forcing shows good agreement with observations in summer. However, during winter the insulating effect of clouds tends to be underestimated in models. During winter, most of the models as well as the observations show higher monthly mean total cloud fractions, associated with larger positive surface cloud forcing. Most models also show good correlation between the surface cloud forcing and the vertically integrated ice and liquid cloud condensate. The wintertime ensemble model mean total cloud fraction (69%) shows excellent agreement with observations. The across-model spread in the winter mean cloudiness is substantial (36?C94%) however and several models significantly underestimate the cloud liquid water content. If the two models not showing any relationship between cloudiness and surface cloud forcing are disregarded, a tentative across-model relation exists, in such a way that models that simulate large winter mean cloudiness also show larger surface cloud forcing. Even though the across-model spread in wintertime surface cloud forcing is large, no clear relation to the surface temperature is found. This indicates that other processes, not explicitly cloud related, are important for the simulated across-model spread in surface temperature.     

“98·5”华南前汛期暴雨的湿位涡异常诊断:质量和热力强迫的数值分析

利用MM5输出的高分辨率资料对“98．5”华南暴雨的湿位涡进行了诊断分析，分析了质量强迫和热力强迫引起的湿位涡异常。结果揭示：降水区位于负湿位涡的下方，负湿位涡的趋势走向与降水区的一致。造成本次暴雨的成因中包括湿对称不稳定和对流不稳定两种机制，湿位涡MPV（moist potential vorticity）的分量MPV2对MPV起主要作用，其中主要是MPV2v的贡献。质量强迫和热力强迫共同作用引起湿位涡异常变化，它们的作用大小相当，在研究暴雨时，不可忽略因降水造成的质量强迫。     

等熵面和湿等熵面倾斜发展的诊断分析

利用等压坐标系中的热力学方程和水汽方程推导出可以诊断分析等熵面（等位温面）和湿等熵面（等相当位温面） 倾斜变化的倾角方程。等熵面倾角的局地变化由倾角平流输送项、风速切变项和非绝热加热项共同决定,而影响湿等熵面倾角局地变化的强迫项除倾角平流输送项、风速切变项和非绝热加热项之外,还包括垂直热量通量切变项。NCEP/NCAR实时分析资料的分析结果表明,大气斜压性、相对垂直涡度与等熵面和湿等熵面的倾角密切相关,它们的正高值区互相重叠;垂直风速切变项,特别是垂直速度的经向切变项是影响等熵面倾斜发展的主要强迫项,而纬向和经向风速的垂直切变项对湿等熵面倾角演变的贡献最大。     

Column Observations of Stratospheric Gases at Søndre Strømfjord, Greenland During Winter 1994-1995

As part of the Second European Stratospheric Arctic and Mid-latitude Experiment (SESAME) field campaign, observations were made during the period from October 1994 to April 1995 at Søndre Strømfjord, Greenland (67°N, 53°W). Using a Fourier transform spectrometer, high resolution (0.06 cm-1) infrared spectra were recorded with the sun as a radiation source. Column amounts of trace gases including HCl, HF, HNO3, N2O and O3 are shown for five time periods during the course of the 1994-95 Arctic winter. Results are compared with lower stratospheric potential vorticity fields to describe variations in trace gas column amounts.     

Multi-decadal scenario simulation over Korea using a one-way double-nested regional climate model system. Part 1: recent climate simulation (1971–2000)

We present an analysis of a high resolution multi-decadal simulation of recent climate (1971–2000) over the Korean Peninsula with a regional climate model (RegCM3) using a one-way double-nested system. Mean climate state as well as frequency and intensity of extreme climate events are investigated at various temporal and spatial scales, with focus on surface air temperature and precipitation. The mother intermediate resolution model domain encompasses the eastern regions of Asia at 60 km grid spacing while the high resolution nested domain covers the Korean Peninsula at 20 km grid spacing. The simulation spans the 30-year period of January 1971 through December 2000, and initial and lateral boundary conditions for the mother domain are provided from ECHO-G fields based on the IPCC SRES B2 scenario. The model shows a good performance in reproducing the climatological and regional characteristics of surface variables, although some persistent biases are present. Main results are as follows: (1) The RegCM3 successfully simulates the fine-scale structure of the temperature field due to topographic forcing but it shows a systematic cold bias mostly due to an underestimate of maximum temperature. (2) The frequency distribution of simulated daily mean temperature agrees well with the observed seasonal and spatial patterns. In the summer season, however, daily variability is underestimated. (3) The RegCM3 simulation adequately captures the seasonal evolution of precipitation associated to the East Asia monsoon. In particular, the simulated winter precipitation is remarkably good, clearly showing typical precipitation patterns that occur on the northwestern areas of Japan during the winter monsoon. Although summer precipitation is underestimated, area-averaged time series of precipitation over Korea show that the RegCM3 agrees better with observations than ECHO-G both in terms of seasonal evolution and precipitation amounts. (4) Heavy rainfall phenomena exceeding 300 mm/day are simulated only at the high resolution of the double nested domain. (5) The model shows a tendency to overestimate the number of precipitation days and to underestimate the precipitation intensities. (6) A CSEOF analysis reveals that the model captures the strength of the annual cycle and the surface warming trend throughout the simulated period.     

关于CAS FGOALS-f3-L模式中青藏高原地表温度偏差的归因分析

中国科学院全球海洋-大气-陆地耦合模式(FGOALS-f3-L)参加了耦合模式比较计划的第六阶段(CMIP6)试验,但是其对关键气候敏感地区青藏高原的地表温度的再现能力还不清楚.这项研究用再分析资料CFSR评估了FGOALS-f3-L模式对青藏高原地表温度的再现能力.结果表明,FGOALS-f3-L可以合理模拟整个高原上年平均地表温度的空间分布,但低估了整个高原上年平均地表温度.模拟的地表温度在整个高原上冬春季表现为冷偏差,夏秋季表现为暖偏差.基于地表能量平衡方程的进一步定量分析表明,地表反照率反馈(SAF)项极大地贡献了高原西部年平均,冬春季平均地表温度的冷偏差,而对高原东部是暖偏差贡献.与SAF项相比,地表感热项对地表温度偏差的贡献几乎相反,这大大抵消了SAF项引起的偏差.云辐射强迫项对高原东部的年平均和季节平均弱冷偏差有很大贡献.与高估的水蒸气含量有关的长波辐射项造成了夏秋季整个高原上大部分的暖偏差.该研究表明,提高FGOALS-f3-L中的陆面和云过程对降低高原上地表温度偏差至关重要.     

Quantifying Arctic contributions to climate predictability in a regional coupled ocean-ice-atmosphere model

The relative importance of regional processes inside the Arctic climate system and the large scale atmospheric circulation for Arctic interannual climate variability has been estimated with the help of a regional Arctic coupled ocean-ice-atmosphere model. The study focuses on sea ice and surface climate during the 1980s and 1990s. Simulations agree reasonably well with observations. Correlations between the winter North Atlantic Oscillation index and the summer Arctic sea ice thickness and summer sea ice extent are found. Spread of sea ice extent within an ensemble of model runs can be associated with a surface pressure gradient between the Nordic Seas and the Kara Sea. Trends in the sea ice thickness field are widely significant and can formally be attributed to large scale forcing outside the Arctic model domain. Concerning predictability, results indicate that the variability generated by the external forcing is more important in most regions than the internally generated variability. However, both are in the same order of magnitude. Local areas such as the Northern Greenland coast together with Fram Straits and parts of the Greenland Sea show a strong importance of internally generated variability, which is associated with wind direction variability due to interaction with atmospheric dynamics on the Greenland ice sheet. High predictability of sea ice extent is supported by north-easterly winds from the Arctic Ocean to Scandinavia.     

LBM模式中中纬度大气对热源和涡度强迫的响应(英文)

Based on diagnostic analysis of reanalysis data for 58-year,the distribution characteristics of decadal variability in diabatic heating,transient eddy heating and transient eddy vorticity forcing related to the sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies over the North Pacific,as well as their relationship with anomalous atmospheric circulation have been investigated in this paper.A linear baroclinic model(LBM)was used to investigate atmospheric responses to idealized and realistic heat and vorticity forcing anomalies,and then to compare relative roles of different kinds of forcing in terms of geopotential height responses.The results illustrate that the responses of atmospheric height fields to the mid-latitude heating can be either baroclinic or barotropic.The response structure is sensitive to the relative horizontal location of heating with respect to the background jet flow,as well as to the vertical profile of heating.The response to the idealized deep heating over the eastern North Pacific,mimicking the observed heating anomaly,is baroclinic.The atmospheric response to the mid-latitude vorticity forcing is always barotropic,resulting in a geopotential low that is in phase with the forcing.The atmospheric responses to the realistic heat and vorticity forcing show the similar results,suggesting that diabatic heating,transient eddy heating and transient eddy vorticity forcing can all cause atmospheric anomalies and that the vorticity forcing plays a relatively more important role in maintaining the equivalent-barotropic structure of geopotential height anomalies.     

The impact of natural versus anthropogenic aerosols on atmospheric circulation in the Community Atmosphere Model

The equilibrium response of atmospheric circulation to the direct radiative effects of natural or anthropogenic aerosols is investigated using the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM3) coupled to two different ocean boundary conditions: prescribed climatological sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and a slab ocean model. Anthropogenic and natural aerosols significantly affect the circulation but in nearly opposite ways, because anthropogenic aerosols tend to have a net local warming effect and natural aerosols a net cooling. Aerosol forcings shift the Intertropical Convergence Zone and alter the strength of the Hadley circulation as found in previous studies, but also affect the Hadley cell width. These effects are due to meridional gradients in warming caused by heterogeneous net heating, and are stronger with interactive SST. Aerosols also drive model responses at high latitudes, including polar near-surface warming by anthropogenic aerosols in summer and an Arctic Oscillation (AO)-type responses in winter: anthropogenic aerosols strengthen wintertime zonal wind near 60°N, weaken it near 30°N, warm the troposphere, cool the stratosphere, and reduce Arctic surface pressure, while natural aerosols produce nearly opposite changes. These responses are shown to be due to modulation of stratospheric wave-driving consistent with meridional forcing gradients in midlatitudes. They are more pronounced when SST is fixed, apparently because the contrast in land-ocean heating drives a predominantly wavenumber-2 response in the northern hemisphere which is more efficient in reaching the stratosphere, showing that zonal heating variations also affect this particular response. The results suggest that recent shifts from reflecting to absorbing aerosol types probably contributed to the observed decadal variations in tropical width and AO, although studies with more realistic temporal variations in forcing would be needed to quantify this contribution.     

登陆台风莫拉克(2009)的涡度拟能收支分析

利用涡度拟能、散度平方项(简记为散度能量)和总变形平方项(简记为变形能量)来表征涡度、散度和变形的强度,并推导这3个物理量的倾向方程。这些方程中既包含代表这些物理量相互转化的符号相反项,也含有代表共同强迫的符号相同项,其中,涡度拟能局地变化主要由涡度拟能与变形能量的共同强迫项、涡度拟能与变形能量的转化项以及涡度拟能与散度能量的转化项组成。针对2009年第8号台风莫拉克,利用美国全球预报系统分析场资料计算这些方程中的强迫项,分析涡度拟能及其收支特征,以此来探讨影响台风莫拉克涡度拟能局地变化的主要物理因素。结果表明,在莫拉克发展和衰减阶段,涡度拟能与变形能量的共同强迫项(涡-形相同项)和涡度拟能与散度能量的转化项(涡-散转化项)是影响涡度拟能局地变化的重要强迫项。涡度拟能与变形能量转化项(涡-形转化项)的贡献相对来说弱一些。影响位涡拟能局地变化的重要物理因素是涡-形相同项和涡-形转化项中的平流输送项和散度耦合项,以及涡-散转化项中散度耦合项。变形能量一方面通过涡-形转化项向涡度拟能转化,直接促进涡度拟能增长;另一方面通过散-形转化项向散度能量转化,再通过涡-散转化项散度能量向涡度拟能转化,间接促进涡度拟能增长。     

青藏高原地表位涡密度强迫对2008年1月中国南方降水过程的影响Ⅰ:资料分析

位涡外部源汇是驱动大气环流的原动力。文中详细介绍了地表位涡制造和位涡密度强迫的联系,讨论了不同坐标系中位涡密度方程的特点及其在应用中应当注意的问题。还以2008年初南方低温雨雪冰冻灾害为例,探讨了青藏高原地表位涡密度强迫及东传对下游地区对流性天气发生的影响,拟由此揭示青藏高原位涡密度强迫激发中国东部激烈天气发生的一种新机制。伴随着青藏高原地表正位涡密度的东传,下游地区对流层中高层出现纬向正绝对涡度平流,气旋性环流增强,从而促使低空南风发展,为南方地区提供充沛的水汽条件。另外,南风的增强有利于低空经向负绝对涡度平流的加强,从而使南方地区高、低空形成绝对涡度平流随高度增大的大尺度环流背景,有利于上升运动的发展。上升运动的加强又促进低空南风气流的增强,使高、低空绝对涡度平流随高度增大的环流背景进一步增强,最终导致降水的产生。      

Arctic radiation deficit and climate variability

One of the generally accepted climatic effects of stratospheric aerosol injection is the reduction of the global radiation in high latitudes by an order of 5% during El Chichon type eruptions. To test the effect of a high-latitude radiation deficit on global climate, a GCM experiment was performed with the ECMWF T21 atmosphere general circulation model (AGCM). The results provide physically-consistent evidence that this radiation deficit is a possible external forcing factor for severe climatic anomalies not only in the area directly affected by the reduced radiation, but also in the tropics. The most important factor is the creation of enhanced snow cover in regions of Asia that are distant from the location of the introduced radiation anomaly. The simulated results show certain features that are well known from observations in weak monsoon years, i.e. the weakened easterly jet in the upper troposphere over northern India, prolonged winter monsoon conditions, and prevailing anticyclonic vorticity anomalies over the entire Indian summer monsoon region. Over the western Pacific at the end of boreal winter (May), increased convective activity leads to a negative Walker circulation anomaly with westerly wind anomalies near the surface and easterly anomalies in the upper troposphere. This is known as one of the most important anomalies at the beginning of an El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event.This paper was presented at the International Conference on Modelling of Global Climate Change and Variability, held in Hamburg 11–15 September 1989 under the auspices of the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Guest Editor for these papers is Dr. L. Dümenil