Roles of Indian and Pacific Ocean air–sea coupling in tropical atmospheric variability

Sea surface temperature (SST) variations include negative feedbacks from the atmosphere, whereas SST anomalies are specified in stand-alone atmospheric general circulation simulations. Is the SST forced response the same as the coupled response? In this study, the importance of air–sea coupling in the Indian and Pacific Oceans for tropical atmospheric variability is investigated through numerical experiments with a coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model. The local and remote impacts of the Indian and Pacific Ocean coupling are obtained by comparing a coupled simulation with an experiment in which the SST forcing from the coupled simulation is specified in either the Indian or the Pacific Ocean. It is found that the Indian Ocean coupling is critical for atmospheric variability over the Pacific Ocean. Without the Indian Ocean coupling, the rainfall and SST variations are completely different throughout most of the Pacific Ocean basin. Without the Pacific Ocean coupling, part of the rainfall and SST variations in the Indian Ocean are reproduced in the forced run. In regions of large mean rainfall where the atmospheric negative feedback is strong, such as the North Indian Ocean and the western North Pacific in boreal summer, the atmospheric variability is significantly enhanced when air–sea coupling is replaced by specified SST forcing. This enhancement is due to the lack of the negative feedback in the forced SST simulation. In these regions, erroneous atmospheric anomalies could be induced by specified SST anomalies derived from the coupled model. The ENSO variability is reduced by about 20% when the Indian Ocean air–sea coupling is replaced by specified SST forcing. This change is attributed to the interfering roles of the Indian Ocean SST and Indian monsoon in western and central equatorial Pacific surface wind variations.     

热带印度洋偶极子模态的不对称性及其成因的数值研究

热带印度洋偶极子 (Indian Ocean Dipole) 是印度洋海域内海洋和大气环流年际变化的主要特征模态之一, 在热带海气耦合系统中起到非常重要的作用。同热带太平洋的ENSO现象类似, 热带印度洋偶极子也呈现出显著的不对称性。本文利用中国科学院大气物理研究所发展的全球海洋环流模式, 在观测风应力距平的强迫下, 评估了模式对热带印度洋季节变化、 热带印度洋偶极子 (IOD) 模态及其不对称性的模拟能力, 并且通过数值试验分析了IOD模态不对称性特征及其对气候平均态的影响。对照观测资料, 模式较好地再现了热带印度洋SST在季风驱动下的季节变化特征。在年际时间尺度上, 模式不仅能够再现IOD指数的变化趋势, 而且可以成功模拟出IOD模态的空间分布特征, 即表层和次表层海温在西印度洋表现为正异常, 在东印度洋表现为负异常。可见, 对于热带印度洋而言, IOD模态主要是对风应力异常的响应。热带印度洋海温与Niño3.4指数的相关性分析表明, 模式能够模拟出超前热带太平洋ENSO现象2～4个月时海温的偶极子型分布, 但是不能模拟出滞后ENSO现象2个月左右的全海盆增暖模态, 可能是因为模式试验中没有考虑热通量年际异常的强迫。同时, 模式模拟的IOD模态具有同观测结果相类似的不对称性, 进一步的敏感性试验表明风应力的不对称性对偶极子指数的不对称性贡献较小, 次表层及以下海温的不对称性可能主要受到海洋内部非线性动力过程的影响。通过数值试验, 本文还发现热带印度洋海温的不对称性对气候平均态会有影响, 而这种不对称性长期积累后, 会导致上层热带印度洋温度层结趋于稳定状态。     

热带对流和环流季内振荡强度与海表温度关系对比研究

利用外逸长波辐射(OLR）、风场和海表温度(SST)资料, 研究了热带大气季节内振荡(ISO)强度的季节变化特征, 发现热带印度洋和热带西太平洋区域是OLR和风场季内振荡最主要的共同活跃区。对比分析了OLR和风场季内振荡强度与海表温度异常之间的年际异常关系, 发现OLR季内振荡强度异常与海表温度异常之间存在显著局地正相关关系, 即在热带中东太平洋区域、热带西北太平洋区域和热带西南太平洋区域, 当海表温度正(负)异常时, OLR季内振荡增强(减弱),特别在冬春季节这一关系更清楚。除个别区域外, 风场季内振荡强度异常与海表温度异常不存在类似OLR的局地关系。OLR和风场季内振荡强度异常与海表温度异常之间局地和非局地关系的差异, 体现了两种要素特性的本质差异。但两种要素季内振荡强度在El Niño事件发展过程中的变化基本一致, 即在气候场中季内振荡活跃的区域, 事件发生之前季内振荡会增强, 并逐渐向东传播, 事件发生之后这些区域振荡减弱。     

Polar Vortex Response to Pacific Ocean Warming and Its Additive Nonlinearity with the Indian Ocean

A previous modeling study about Pacific Ocean warming derived polar vortex response signals, by subtracting those in the Indian Ocean warming experiments from those in the Indo-Pacific. This approach questions the resemblance of such an indirectly derived response to one directly forced by Pacific Ocean warming. This is relevant to the additive nonlinearity of atmospheric responses to separated Indian and Pacific Ocean forcing. In the present study, an additional set of ensemble experiments are performed by prescribing isolated SST forcing in the tropical Pacific Ocean to address this issue. The results suggest a qualitative resemblance between responses in the derived and additional experiments. Thus, previous findings about the impact of Indian and Pacific Ocean warming are robust. This study has important implications for future climate change projections, considering the non-unanimous warming rates in tropical oceans in the 21st century. Nevertheless, a comparison of present direct-forced experiments with previous indirect-forced experiments suggests a significant additive nonlinearity between the Indian and Pacific Ocean warmings. Further diagnosis suggests that the nonlinearity may originate from the thermodynamic processes over the tropics.     

热带风场季内振荡强度与海表温度异常关系研究

利用NCEP/NCAR逐日风场及英国气象局逐月海表温度资料,研究了对流层高低层风场季内振荡强度季节变化特征,探讨了其年际及年代际异常特征与海表温度异常的关系。热带印度洋、热带西太平洋是高低层风场季内振荡终年均活跃的区域。对流层高低层风场季内振荡强度异常与海表温度异常均不存在确定的局地关系。风场季内振荡能量异常与海表温度异常在年代际尺度上具有良好对应关系,20世纪70年代中后期以来,赤道东太平洋海温异常升高,Walker环流减弱,导致亚洲区域季风季内振荡强度减弱,赤道太平洋区域200hPa（850hPa）风场季内振荡在赤道东太平洋增强（减弱）,在印度洋东南部—印尼—中西太平洋的暖池区域减弱（增强）,促进了ElNino事件的增强。对流层高低层风场季内振荡强度年际异常与ElNino事件关系密切,这一特征在低层（850hPa）风场表现更显著。在事件发展初期,热带中西太平洋区域850hPa风场季内振荡异常增强并东移,事件发生之后这些区域能量减弱。大气季内振荡可能是ElNino事件的激发因素。     

Structure and variances of equatorial zonal circulation in a multimodel ensemble

The structure and variance of the equatorial zonal circulation, as characterized by the atmospheric mass flux in the equatorial zonal plane, is examined and inter-compared in simulations from 9 CMIP3 coupled climate models with multiple ensemble members and the NCEP-NCAR and ERA-40 reanalyses. The climate model simulations analyzed here include twentieth century (20C3M) and twenty-first century (SRES A1B) simulations. We evaluate the 20C3M modeled zonal circulations by comparing them with those in the reanalyses. We then examine the variability of the circulation, its changes with global warming, and the associated thermodynamic maintenance. The tropical zonal circulation involves three major components situated over the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. The three cells are supported by the corresponding diabatic heating extending deeply throughout the troposphere, with heating centers apparent in the mid-troposphere. Seasonal features appear in the zonal circulation, including variations in its intensity and longitudinal migration. Most models, and hence the multi-model mean, represent the annual and seasonal features of the circulation and the associated heating reasonably well. The multi-model mean reproduces the observed climatology better than any individual model, as indicated by the spatial pattern correlation and mean square difference of the mass flux and the diabatic heating compared to the reanalysis based values. Projected changes in the zonal circulation under A1B forcing are dominated by mass flux changes over the Pacific and Indian oceans. An eastward shift of the Pacific Walker circulation is clearly evident with global warming, with anomalous rising motion apparent over the equatorial central Pacific and anomalous sinking motions in the west and east, which favors an overall strengthening of the Walker circulation. The zonal circulation weakens and shifts westwards over the Indian Ocean under external forcing, whereas it strengthens and shifts slightly westwards over the Atlantic Ocean. The forced circulation changes are associated with broad SST and atmospheric diabatic heating changes in the tropics. Linear trends of these forced circulation changes, as characterized by regional spatial maximum amplitudes of mass fluxes and their longitudes over the three oceans, are statistically significant at the 5?% level for 2000–2099 for the multi-model mean. However, wide differences of the trends are apparent across the models, because of both deficiencies in the simulation of the circulations in different models and the high internal variability of the circulations.     

Decadal and long-term sea level variability in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean

In this study, we analysed decadal and long-term steric sea level variations over 1966–2007 period in the Indo-Pacific sector, using an ocean general circulation model forced by reanalysis winds. The simulated steric sea level compares favourably with sea level from satellite altimetry and tide gauges at interannual and decadal timescales. The amplitude of decadal sea level variability (up to ~5 cm standard deviation) is typically nearly half of the interannual variations (up to ~10 cm) and two to three times larger than long-term sea level variations (up to 2 cm). Zonal wind stress varies at decadal timescales in the western Pacific and in the southern Indian Ocean, with coherent signals in ERA-40 (from which the model forcing is derived), NCEP, twentieth century and WASWind products. Contrary to the variability at interannual timescale, for which there is a tendency of El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole events to co-occur, decadal wind stress variations are relatively independent in the two basins. In the Pacific, those wind stress variations drive Ekman pumping on either side of the equator, and induce low frequency sea level variations in the western Pacific through planetary wave propagation. The equatorial signal from the western Pacific travels southward to the west Australian coast through equatorial and coastal wave guides. In the Indian Ocean, decadal zonal wind stress variations induce sea level fluctuations in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, through equatorial and coastal wave-guides. Wind stress curl in the southern Indian Ocean drives decadal variability in the south-western Indian Ocean through planetary waves. Decadal sea level variations in the south–western Indian Ocean, in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean and in the Bay of Bengal are weakly correlated to variability in the Pacific Ocean. Even though the wind variability is coherent among various wind products at decadal timescales, they show a large contrast in long-term wind stress changes, suggesting that long-term sea level changes from forced ocean models need to be interpreted with caution.     

亚洲夏季风环流结构与热带印度洋偶极型海温异常

使用T42L28大气环流模式就夏季风时期大气对印度洋海温偶极子型异常的响应进行了数值试验研究,结果表明,印度洋偶极子型海温异常可以引起感热和潜热加热异常并进而形成异常辐合辐散,导致热带印度洋及其邻近地区夏季降水异常。同时此热带扰动可激发或造成中纬度异常波列。通过改变季风区温度场分布,偶极子型海温强迫可以影响大气的正／斜压环流结构和斜压性强弱。强的纬向风垂直切变趋向于靠近海洋异常偏暖的地区。不论是正偶极子型强迫或负偶极子型强迫,西太平洋暖池和东亚地区的大气环流均出现异常并激发出中纬度的异常波列,但异常类型并未显著反相。     

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。     

印度洋对ENSO事件的响应:观测与模拟

观测事实显示,在El Ni(n～)o期间,伴随着赤道中东太平洋表层海温(SST)的升高,热带印度洋SST出现正距平.作者利用海气耦合模式模拟了印度洋对ENSO事件的上述响应,并进而讨论了其物理机制.所用模式为法国国家科研中心Pierre-Simon-Laplace 全球环境科学联合实验室(IPSL)发展的全球海气耦合模式.该模式成功地控制了气候漂移,能够合理再现印度洋的基本气候态.观测中与ENSO相关的热带印度洋SST变化,表现为全海盆一致的正距平,并且这种变化要滞后赤道中东太平洋SST变化大约一个季度,意味着它主要是对东太平洋SST强迫的一种遥响应,模式结果也支持这一机制,尽管模式中的南方涛动现象被夸大了,使得模拟的与ENSO相关联的SST正距平的位置南移,阿拉伯海和孟加拉湾被负距平(而不是正距平)所控制.研究表明,东太平洋主要通过大气桥影响潜热释放来影响印度洋SST变化.赤道东太平洋El Ni(n～)o事件的发展,导致印度洋上空风场异常自东而西传播;伴随着风场的变化,潜热发生相应变化,并最终导致SST异常的发生.非洲东海岸受索马里急流控制的海域,其SST的变化不能简单地利用热通量的变化来解释.证据显示,印度洋的增暖是ENSO事件发生的结果而不是其前期信号.     

BCC S2S模式对亚洲夏季风准双周振荡预报评估

利用1994-2013年ERA-Interim及NCEP/NCAR再分析数据,对国家气候中心（BCC）次季节到季节尺度模式（S2S）1994-2013年的回报试验数据进行亚洲季风区准双周振荡（QBWO）预报能力评估,并诊断模式预报误差来源。结果表明:BCC S2S模式对QBWO的预报能力随着预报提前时间的增长而降低,9 d后预报技巧明显减弱,其周期、传播特征和强度出现误差;在提前9 d预报中,印度洋地区QBWO对流-环流系统结构松散,信号偏弱,对流向东传播,这与印度洋平均态的预报误差有关,夏季对流平均态低层水汽场在西太平洋和阿拉伯海较强,而东印度洋、孟加拉湾一带偏弱;西北太平洋地区QBWO具有向西北传播的特征,但强度偏弱,可能原因是预报低估了QBWO对流西北侧低层涡度的超前信号,经涡度方程诊断发现,地转涡度平流正贡献微弱,相对涡度平流在对流西北侧引发负涡度,从而减弱了对流西北侧由低层正涡度引发的有利条件。     

Resonance of baroclinic waves in the tropical oceans: The Indian Ocean and the far western Pacific

The Indian Ocean has a particularity, its width is close to half the wavelength of a Rossby wave of biannual frequency, this coincidence having been capitalized on by several authors to give the observations a physical basis. The purpose of this article is to show that this is not the case since the resonance of tropical baroclinic waves occurs in all three oceans. This is because the westward-propagating Rossby wave is retroflexed at the western boundary to form off-equatorial Rossby waves dragged by countercurrents before receding and turning back as a Kelvin wave. Thus a quasi-stationary baroclinic wave is formed, whose mean period is tuned to the forcing period. Two independent basin modes resonantly forced are highlighted – 1) a nearly symmetric zonal 1/2-yr period Quasi-Stationary Wave (QSW) that is resonantly forced by the biannual monsoon. It is formed from first baroclinic mode equatorial-trapped Rossby and Kelvin waves and off-equatorial Rossby waves at the western antinode. This QSW controls the Equatorial Counter Current at the node. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) results from a subharmonic mode locking resulting from the coupling of this QSW and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th baroclinic modes - 2) a 1-yr period QSW formed from an off-equatorial baroclinic Rossby wave, which is induced from the southernmost current of the Indonesian Throughflow through the Timor passage, propagating in the southern and northern hemispheres: the drivers are south-easterlies in the southern hemisphere and monsoon wind in the northern hemisphere.     

Investigating the Initial Errors that Cause Predictability Barriers for Indian Ocean Dipole Events Using CMIP5 Model Outputs

By analyzing the outputs of the pre-industrial control runs of four models within phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, the effects of initial sea temperature errors on the predictability of Indian Ocean Dipole events were identified. The initial errors cause a significant winter predictability barrier(WPB) or summer predictability barrier(SPB).The WPB is closely related with the initial errors in the tropical Indian Ocean, where two types of WPB-related initial errors display opposite patterns and a west–east dipole. In contrast, the occurrence of the SPB is mainly caused by initial errors in the tropical Pacific Ocean, where two types of SPB-related initial errors exhibit opposite patterns, with one pole in the subsurface western Pacific Ocean and the other in the upper eastern Pacific Ocean. Both of the WPB-related initial errors grow the fastest in winter, because the coupled system is at its weakest, and finally cause a significant WPB. The SPB-related initial errors develop into a La Ni ?na–like mode in the Pacific Ocean. The negative SST errors in the Pacific Ocean induce westerly wind anomalies in the Indian Ocean by modulating the Walker circulation in the tropical oceans. The westerly wind anomalies first cool the sea surface water in the eastern Indian Ocean. When the climatological wind direction reverses in summer, the wind anomalies in turn warm the sea surface water, finally causing a significant SPB. Therefore, in addition to the spatial patterns of the initial errors, the climatological conditions also play an important role in causing a significant predictability barrier.     

Impact of the Equatorial Atlantic on the El Ni?o Southern Oscillation

Observations indicate that the Atlantic zonal mode influences El Ni?o Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific, as already suggested in previous studies. Here we demonstrate for the first time using partial coupled experiments that the Atlantic zonal mode indeed influences ENSO. The partial coupling experiments are performed by forcing the coupled general circulation model (ECHAM5/MPI-OM) with observed sea surface temperature (SST) in the Tropical Atlantic, but with full air-sea coupling allowed in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The ensemble mean of a five member simulation reproduces the observational results well. Analysis of observations, reanalysis, and coupled model simulations all indicate the following mechanism: SST anomalies associated with the Atlantic zonal mode affect the Walker Circulation, driving westward wind anomalies over the equatorial Pacific during boreal summer. The wind stress anomalies increase the east-west thermocline slope and enhance the SST gradient across the Pacific; the Bjerknes positive feedback acts to amplify these anomalies favouring the development of a La Ni?a-like anomalies. The same mechanisms act for the cold phase of Atlantic zonal mode, but with opposite sign. In contrast to previous studies, the model shows that the influence on ENSO exists before 1970. Furthermore, no significant influence of the Tropical Atlantic on the Indian Monsoon precipitation is found in observation or model.     

Southern Hemisphere extra-tropical forcing: a new paradigm for El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation

The main goal of this paper is to shed additional light on the reciprocal dynamical linkages between mid-latitude Southern Hemisphere climate and the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal. While our analysis confirms that ENSO is a dominant source of interannual variability in the Southern Hemisphere, it is also suggested here that subtropical dipole variability in both the Southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans triggered by Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude variability may also provide a controlling influence on ENSO in the equatorial Pacific. This subtropical forcing operates through various coupled air?Csea feedbacks involving the propagation of subtropical sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies into the deep tropics of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans from boreal winter to boreal spring and a subsequent dynamical atmospheric response to these SST anomalies linking the three tropical basins at the beginning of the boreal spring. This atmospheric response is characterized by a significant weakening of the equatorial Atlantic and Indian Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This weakened ITCZ forces an equatorial ??cold Kelvin wave?? response in the middle to upper troposphere that extends eastward from the heat sink regions into the western Pacific. By modulating the vertical temperature gradient and the stability of the atmosphere over the equatorial western Pacific Ocean, this Kelvin wave response promotes persistent zonal wind and convective anomalies over the western equatorial Pacific, which may trigger El Ni?o onset at the end of the boreal winter. These different processes explain why South Atlantic and Indian subtropical dipole time series indices are highly significant precursors of the Ni?o34 SST index several months in advance before the El Ni?o onset in the equatorial Pacific. This study illustrates that the atmospheric internal variability in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere may significantly influence ENSO variability. However, this surprising relationship is observed only during recent decades, after the so-called 1976/1977 climate regime shift, suggesting a possible linkage with global warming or decadal fluctuations of the climate system.     

The CLIVAR C20C project: which components of the Asian–Australian monsoon circulation variations are forced and reproducible?

A multi-model set of atmospheric simulations forced by historical sea surface temperature (SST) or SSTs plus Greenhouse gases and aerosol forcing agents for the period of 1950–1999 is studied to identify and understand which components of the Asian–Australian monsoon (A–AM) variability are forced and reproducible. The analysis focuses on the summertime monsoon circulations, comparing model results against the observations. The priority of different components of the A–AM circulations in terms of reproducibility is evaluated. Among the subsystems of the wide A–AM, the South Asian monsoon and the Australian monsoon circulations are better reproduced than the others, indicating they are forced and well modeled. The primary driving mechanism comes from the tropical Pacific. The western North Pacific monsoon circulation is also forced and well modeled except with a slightly lower reproducibility due to its delayed response to the eastern tropical Pacific forcing. The simultaneous driving comes from the western Pacific surrounding the maritime continent region. The Indian monsoon circulation has a moderate reproducibility, partly due to its weakened connection to June–July–August SSTs in the equatorial eastern Pacific in recent decades. Among the A–AM subsystems, the East Asian summer monsoon has the lowest reproducibility and is poorly modeled. This is mainly due to the failure of specifying historical SST in capturing the zonal land-sea thermal contrast change across the East Asia. The prescribed tropical Indian Ocean SST changes partly reproduce the meridional wind change over East Asia in several models. For all the A–AM subsystem circulation indices, generally the MME is always the best except for the Indian monsoon and East Asian monsoon circulation indices.     

A DIAGNOSIS OF THE INTERANNUAL VARIABILITY OF SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND SURFACE WIND FIELD IN THE TROPICAL OCEANS AND ITS CORRELATIVE CHARACTERS WITH ENSO CYCLE*

Utilizing the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis monthly datasets,and based on the filter and standard deviation calculation,the interannual variability of sea surface temperature (SST) and 1000 hPa wind field for the tropical Pacific,Indian and Atlantic Oceans is investigated for the past 20 years (1979-1998).The characters of space-time evolution in SST anomalies (SSTA) for each ocean and corresponding wind anomaly field are acquired by using rotated principal component (RPC) and linear regression analysis methods.Using the method of correlation analysis.the characters of three tropical oceans correlated with ENSO are investigated.The contemporary correlation between the SSTA in the Indian Ocean and in the equatorial eastern Pacific is positive,and there is a weak negative correlation between the SSTA in the equatorial east Atlantic Ocean and in the equatorial eastern Pacific.The lead-lag correlation analysis indicates that the SSTA in the equatorial Indian Ocean lags the dominant Pacific ENSO mode by 3 months,and the SSTA in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean leads ENSO mode by 6 months.The ENSO-correlated components in tropical Indian Ocean and tropical Atlantic Ocean display much the same amount of total variance in each ocean,i.e..14% in the Indian Ocean and 12% in the Atlantic Ocean and the maximums are all above 40%.     

近20年来热带印度洋与热带太平洋海气系统相互作用特征的诊断研究

利用1979年1月～1998年12月的月平均海表温度(SST)、向外长波辐射(OLR)和l000hPa纬向风速等NCEP/NCAR再分析资料，对近20年来热带印度洋与太平洋海温异常(SSTA)及相关的环流特征量进行综合分析和研究，发现热带印度洋的内部耦合动力特征模态—偶极子模的强度，存在着年代间的差异，80年代偏弱，90年代偏强。热带印度洋与热带太平洋海气耦合系统之间存在着相互作用，80年代热带印度洋的SSTA主要是对太平洋ENSO的响应，90年代太平洋ENSO的异常发展在一定程度上是受印度洋偶极子模态异常活跃影响的结果。从观测资料诊断分析的角度，找出了90年代后ZC耦合模式对ENSO事件预报失败的可能原因。     

热带海表温度和低层风场的年际变率及与ENSO循环的相关特征研究

采用 NCEP/NCAR的 1 979～ 1 998年逐月平均的海表温度及 1 0 0 0 h Pa风场资料 ,进行滤波和均方差计算 ,得到了热带太平洋、印度洋、大西洋海表温度 (SST)和风场的年际变化特征。用旋转主分量 (RPC)方法和投影法对热带三大洋海表温度距平 (SSTA)进行分析 ,得到了各大洋 SSTA演变的主要时空特征和相应的距平风场特征 ;并用相关分析研究热带三大洋与ENSO相关的特征 ,得到三大洋间的同期相关关系为 :印度洋 SSTA与赤道东太平洋 SSTA成正相关 ,而赤道东大西洋 SSTA与赤道东太平洋 SSTA成弱的负相关 ;赤道印度洋在落后于赤道东太平洋 3个月左右时正相关达到最大 ,赤道大西洋在超前于赤道东太平洋 6个月左右时负相关达到最大 ;热带印度洋和大西洋与 ENSO相关的分量对各自大洋海表温度年际变化的方差贡献数值相近 ,最大在 40 %以上 ,平均解释方差分别为 1 4%和 1 2 %。     

基于CMIP5资料的热带太平洋和印度洋海温变化与降水变化的关系及其成因分析

利用第五次耦合模式比较计划(Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5,简称CMIP5)月平均资料,从季节变化角度,对热带太平洋、印度洋海温变化与降水变化的关系及其成因进行了初步分析。20个模式集合平均结果表明:在全球增暖背景下,热带太平洋年平均的海温变化与降水变化符合"warmer-get-wetter"型特征,而季节平均与年平均存在明显的差异;冬季和春季,海温增暖最大区和降水增加区之间存在东西向和南北向的位置偏差;夏季和秋季,二者只存在明显的南北位置偏差,且与冬季和春季的情况相反。热带印度洋的冬季和春季海温变化与降水变化也存在位置偏差。两个热带大洋季节平均的降水变化均是"warmer-get-wetter"和"wet-get-wetter"两个机制共同作用的结果。