Novel dynamical indices for the variations of the western Pacific subtropical high based on three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation in a warming climate

Previous studies have often used the 500 hPa geopotential height to define indices of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH). However, some studies reported that global warming caused a significant increase in geopotential height, particularly at the middle and lower latitudes, leading artificial results about long-term trend of the WPSH. To avoid the spurious signals resulting from global warming, this study first redefines the area, intensity, westward ridge point and ridge line indices of the WPSH by adopting the stream function R of horizontal circulation in the three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation (3P-DGAC). Subsequently, the climatic characteristics of the WPSH in summer are investigated by applying the new indices based on four reanalysis datasets. The results show that the circulation features of the WPSH could be revealed by the stream function R in 3P-DGAC. Moreover, the rain belt over East Asia is located at the northwest periphery of the zero-value isoline of the stream function R. We conclude that the climatological average WPSH is contracted and retreated eastward during 1979–2018 relative to 1948–1978. Nevertheless, by analyzing interdecadal changes of the time series of the new indices during 1948–2018, we find that area and intensity indices decrease with time before the end of 1970s and increase slightly with time after the end of 1970s, the western ridge point index moves eastward with time before the end of the 1970s and moves westward slightly with time after the end of 1970s, as well as there is no obvious interdecadal variations in the ridge line index. Because of the evident dynamical meaning, the stream function R in 3P-DGAC can be used as an objective indicator to describe the interdecadal variation of the WPSH under global warming.

     

High resolution global modeling of the atmospheric circulation

An informal review is presented of recent developments in numerical simulation of the global atmospheric circulation with very fine numerical resolution models. The focus is on results obtained recently with versions of the GFDL SKYHI model and the Atmospheric Model for the Earth Simulator (AFES) global atmospheric models. These models have been run with effective horizontal grid resolution of 10–40 km and fine vertical resolution. The results presented demonstrate the utility of such models for the study of a diverse range of phenomena. Specifically the models are shown to simulate the development of tropical cyclones with peak winds and minimum central pressures comparable to those of the most intense hurricanes actually observed. More fundamentally, the spectrum of energy content in the mesoscale in the flow can be reproduced by these models down to near the smallest explicitly-resolved horizontal scales. In the middle atmosphere it is shown that increasing horizontal resolution can lead to significantly improved overall simulation of the global-scale circulation. The application of the models to two specific problems requiring very fine resolution global will be discussed. The spatial and temporal variability of the vertical eddy flux of zonal momentum associated with gravity waves near the tropopause is evaluated in the very fine resolution AFES model. This is a subject of great importance for understanding and modelling the flow in the middle atmosphere. Then the simulation of the small scale variations of the semidiurnal surface pressure oscillation is analyzed, and the signature of significant topographic modulation of the semidiurnal atmospheric tide is identified.     

Climate forcings and climate sensitivities diagnosed from atmospheric global circulation models

Understanding the historical and future response of the global climate system to anthropogenic emissions of radiatively active atmospheric constituents has become a timely and compelling concern. At present, however, there are uncertainties in: the total radiative forcing associated with changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere; the effective forcing applied to the climate system resulting from a (temporary) reduction via ocean-heat uptake; and the strength of the climate feedbacks that subsequently modify this forcing. Here a set of analyses derived from atmospheric general circulation model simulations are used to estimate the effective and total radiative forcing of the observed climate system due to anthropogenic emissions over the last 50 years of the twentieth century. They are also used to estimate the sensitivity of the observed climate system to these emissions, as well as the expected change in global surface temperatures once the climate system returns to radiative equilibrium. Results indicate that estimates of the effective radiative forcing and total radiative forcing associated with historical anthropogenic emissions differ across models. In addition estimates of the historical sensitivity of the climate to these emissions differ across models. However, results suggest that the variations in climate sensitivity and total climate forcing are not independent, and that the two vary inversely with respect to one another. As such, expected equilibrium temperature changes, which are given by the product of the total radiative forcing and the climate sensitivity, are relatively constant between models, particularly in comparison to results in which the total radiative forcing is assumed constant. Implications of these results for projected future climate forcings and subsequent responses are also discussed.     

On the effect of thermal forcing on the global atmospheric angular momentum and the general circulation

The effect of latitudinal differential heating on the atmospheric general circulation is studied using a simple general circulation model driven by different heating rates. It is found that an increase in differential heating leads to a strengthening of the general circulation as characterized by an increase in global available potential energy, kinetic energy and atmospheric angular momentum. The strengthening of the circulation results in three circulation regimes characterized by different eddy activities. One is a zonally symmetric Hadley regime with no eddy activity while the other two are Rossby regimes dominated by eddies with intermediate and low wave numbers, respectively. Relative to other global indices, the global relative atmospheric angular momentum is superior in detecting the transition of circulation regimes. The regime changes in mid- and high-latitudes resemble the response of the atmosphere to large changes in Earths rotation rate.     

基于T106L26全球大气环流模式的夏季集合预报

使用国家气候中心新一代大气环流模式BCC_AGCM2.0(T106L26)进行22 a夏季(6-8月)、11个成员的集合回报试验;针对500 hPa高度场、降水和气温的预测能力进行交叉检验,并计算其均方根误差.结果表明:模式对热带地区、海洋和欧亚大陆部分地区500 hPa高度场的模拟较好;对我国长江中下游、华南大部分地区降水的模拟具有一定可信度;2m温度距平在我国北方大部分地区呈现正相关且相关系数通过90％的信度检验,在南方地区则有待改善.集合预报效果好于单样本预报.模式分辨率的提高在一定程度上有助于改进预报效果.     

A global satellite view of the seasonal distribution of mineral dust and its correlation with atmospheric circulation

Aerosols make a considerable contribution to the climate system through their radiative and cloud condensation nuclei effects, which underlines the need for understanding the origin of aerosols and their transport pathways. Seasonal distribution of mineral dust around the globe and its correlation with atmospheric circulation is investigated using satellite data, and meteorological data from ECMWF. The most important sources of dust are located in North Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia with an observed summer maximum, and East Asia with a spring peak. Maximum dust activity over North Africa and the Middle East in summer is attributed to dry convection associated with the summertime low-pressure system, while unstable weather and dry conditions are responsible for the spring peak in dust emission in East Asia. Intercontinental transport of mineral dust by atmospheric circulation has been observed, including trans-Atlantic transport of North African dust, trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust, and transport of dust from the Middle East across the Indian Ocean. The extent of African dust over the Atlantic Ocean and its latitudinal variation with season is related to the large-scale atmospheric circulation, including seasonal changes in the position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and variation of wind patterns. North African aerosols extend over longer distances across the North Atlantic in summer because of greater dust emission, an intensified easterly low level jet (LLJ) and strengthening of the Azores-Bermuda anticyclonic circulation. Transport of East Asian aerosol is facilitated by the existence of a LLJ that extends from East Asia to the west coast of North America.     

East Atlantic oscillation of the atmospheric circulation

For the period 1950–2007, the comparison is made between the indices of the East Atlantic and North Atlantic oscillations and between the features of the atmospheric circulation and temperature regime of the Atlantic-European region connected with various combinations of indices. The analysis is made for the factors which have caused long difference in indices in 1996–2007 and for possible causes of anomalously warm winter in Europe in 2006–2007.     

The 60-year solar modulation of global air temperature: the Earth’s rotation and atmospheric circulation connection

Summary Spectral analysis of geomagnetic activity, global air temperature, Earth’s rotation rate and zonal circulation, when smoothed from secular trend and periods shorter than 23 years, shows a concentration of energy around the 60-year period explaining more than 80% of the entire variance. This information has enabled the set-up of a cascade physical model that integrates the Sun-atmosphere-Earth system as a single unit and ties solar corpuscular radiation to global warming through Earth’s rotation and atmospheric circulation. Our results suggest that changes in geomagnetic activity, and in the Earth’s rotation, could be used as long- and short-term indicators, respectively, of future changes in global air temperature.     

Global warming mode of atmospheric circulation

Variations of global zonal-mean atmospheric circulation are studied using the National Center of Environment Prediction/National Center of Atmosphere Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data set from January 1948 to February 2001 and CCM3.6 (Community Climate Model Version 3.6) simulations for the period 1900–1999. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis indicates that variations of zonal-mean geopotential height in the tropics are usually opposite to those over the subpolar zone in both hemispheres. The first mode of EOF analysis shows that height is higher than normal in the tropics when it is lower over the subpolar zone in both hemispheres with much stronger westerlies over mid latitudes in both hemispheres, and vice versa. This mode explains about 50% variance and is predominant in the whole troposphere. The time series of EOF1 has a sharp transition near about 1977 and the polarity changes from negative to positive. This mode is closely related to the variations of global mean surface air temperature. The detrended correlation coefficient between EOF1 time series and the surface air temperature is 0.74 in the boreal winter. Furthermore, the lowest correlation coefficient among the other three seasons, annual mean, seasonal mean and monthly mean is higher than 0.42 which indicates the fairly good relationship between this mode and the surface air temperature. This result has been verified using CCM3.6 simulations.     

Connection of the stratospheric QBO with global atmospheric general circulation and tropical SST. Part II: interdecadal variations

The interdecadal variation of the association of the stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) with tropical sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (SSTA) and with the general circulation in the troposphere and lower stratosphere is examined using the ERA40 and NCEP/NCAR reanalyses, as well as other observation-based analyses. It is found that the relationship between the QBO and tropical SSTA changed once around 1978–1980, and again in 1993–1995. During 1966–1974, negative correlation between the QBO and NINO3.4 indices reached its maximum when the NINO3.4 index lagged the QBO by less than 6?months. Correspondingly, the positive correlations were observed when the NINO3.4 index led the QBO by about 11–13?months or lagged by about 12–18?months. However, maximum negative correlations were shifted from the NINO3.4 index lagging the QBO by about 0–6?months during 1966–1974 to about 3–12?months during 1985–1992. During 1975–1979, both the negative and positive correlations were relatively small and the QBO and ENSO were practically unrelated to each other. The phase-based QBO life cycle composites also confirm that, on average, there are two phase (6–7?months) delay in the evolution of the QBO-associated anomalous Walker circulation, tropical SST, atmospheric stability, and troposphere and lower stratosphere temperature anomalies during 1980–1994 in comparison with those in 1957–1978. The interdecadal variation of the association between the QBO and the troposphere variability may be largely due to the characteristic change of El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation. The irregularity of the QBO may play a secondary role in the interdecadal variation of the association.     

大气环流形态的分支现象

本文用二层准地转截断谱模式,研究了大气环流形态的分支现象.结果指出:依赖于热力强迫的不同取值,模式大气将显示出等温静止或Hadley环流两类定常流型,Hadley流型并具有基本解的属性.在热力强迫达到Hadley流型的分支点以前,Hadley流型是稳定的;到达分支点后,Hadley流型不稳定,激发出新的流型,显现出分支现象.绝热无地形时,分支出瞬变斜压波;绝热有地形时,在不同的分支点分别激发出地形驻波与地形瞬变波;非绝热时,分支出非绝热驻波或非绝热驻波与瞬变斜压波的混合波型,非绝热驻波失稳激发出二级分支,     

2013年2月大气环流和天气分析

综合应用常规观测资料、再分析资料、多普勒雷达探测资料等多源数据,分析了2013年2月发生在长江中下游地区一次高架雷暴过程的形成机制。结果表明,此类高架雷暴过程发生在冷锋后部对流稳定的环境大气中,其主要形成过程为：首先气块在地形强迫和锋面抬升作用下产生垂直运动,由于对流稳定环境大气的抑制,气块只能到达较低的中性浮力高度并产生与环境大气之间的绝对地转动量差（ΔM）,在ΔM调整机制作用下自低层抬升的气块将产生沿等熵面的惯性加速度从而加强了倾斜运动,当暖湿气流沿锋面爬升至约700进一步加强,并在此过程中产生对称不稳定并通过反馈机制促进倾斜运动的进一步发展。在地形强迫和锋面抬升的基础上,ΔM调整与对称不稳定的共同作用使得冷锋后部锋区上空产生旺盛的倾斜运动,倾斜运动的持续发展使对流得到组织化,产生带状的对流云和降水带,最终形成了雷暴等强对流天气。总之,在对流稳定的环境大气条件下,由于地形强迫和锋面抬升、ΔM调整、辐合切变线和高低空急流耦合以及对称不稳定等机制的联合作用激发了倾斜对流运动的强烈发展,使倾斜对流有效位能大量累积并释放,最终形成了此次冬季高架雷暴天气过程。     

Current and future atmospheric circulation at 500 hPa over Greenland simulated by the CMIP3 and CMIP5 global models

The Greenland ice sheet is projected to be strongly affected by global warming. These projections are either issued from downscaling methods (such as Regional Climate Models) or they come directly from General Circulation Models (GCMs). In this context, it is necessary to evaluate the accuracy of the daily atmospheric circulation simulated by the GCMs, since it is used as forcing for downscaling methods. Thus, we use an automatic circulation type classification based on two indices (Euclidean distance and Spearman rank correlation using the daily 500 hPa geopotential height) to evaluate the ability of the GCMs from both CMIP3 and CMIP5 databases to simulate the main circulation types over Greenland during summer. For each circulation type, the GCMs are compared to three reanalysis datasets on the basis of their frequency and persistence differences. For the current climate (1961–1990), we show that most of the GCMs do not reproduce the expected frequency and the persistence of the circulation types and that they simulate poorly the observed daily variability of the general circulation. Only a few GCMs can be used as reliable forcings for downscaling methods over Greenland. Finally, when applying the same approach to the future projections of the GCMs, no significant change in the atmospheric circulation over Greenland is detected, besides a generalised increase of the geopotential height due to a uniform warming of the atmosphere.     

东亚夏季风的年际到年代际变化及其与全球大气环流和海表温度的联系

The East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) underwent an interdecadal variation with interannual variations during the period from 1958 to 1997, its index tended to decline from a higher stage in the mid-1960＇s until it reached a lower stage after 1980＇s. Correlation analysis reveals that EASM is closely related with the global atmospheric circulation and sea surface temperature (SST). The differences between the weak and strong stage of EASM shows that, the summer monsoon circulation over East Asia and North Africa is sharply weakened, in the meantime, the westerlies in high latitudes and the trade--wind over the tropical ocean are also changed significantly. Over the most regions south of the northern subtropics, both air temperature in the lower troposphere and SST tended to rise compared with the strong stage of EASM. It is also revealed that the ocean-atmosphere interaction over the western Pacific and Indian Ocean plays a key role in interannual to interdecadal variation of EASM, most probably, the subtropical Indian Ocean is more important. On the other hand, the ENSO event is less related to EASM at least during the concerned period.     

Precipitation climate of Central Asia and the large-scale atmospheric circulation

The precipitation climate in the larger Tian Shan region of Central Asia is described in terms of the climatological seasonal moisture fluxes and background circulation based on the ERA-40 reanalysis data and a precipitation reanalysis. The study area is partitioned into (1) the Tarim river basin, (2) bordering regions of China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and (3) Northwestern China. Moisture supply to these areas is primarily due to the midlatitude westerlies with contributions from higher latitudes. In addition, moisture from the Indian Ocean is notably imported into the Tarim drainage area. Monthly interannual precipitation variability relates to the variability of hemispheric circulation patterns. Extreme precipitation above and below normal in Western China and Central Asia is analyzed using the standardized precipitation index. Related circulation composites show that, despite regional and seasonal differences, episodes of extreme and severe dryness are dominated by various upstream standing wave patterns from the North Atlantic to Central Asia. These features extend further downstream to the North Pacific. Non-symmetry between wet and dry composites is noted upstream and in regional moisture flux composites.     

The impact of land cover change on the atmospheric circulation

 The NCAR Community Climate Model (version 3), coupled to the Biosphere Atmosphere Transfer scheme and a mixed layer ocean model is used to investigate the impact on the climate of a conservative change from natural to present land cover. Natural vegetation cover was obtained from an ecophysiologically constrained biome model. The current vegetation cover was obtained by perturbing the natural cover from forest to grass over areas where land cover has been observed to change. Simulations were performed for 17 years for each case (results from the last 15 years are presented here). We find that land cover changes, largely constrained to the tropics, SE Asia, North America and Europe, cause statistically significant changes in regional temperature and precipitation but cause no impact on the globally averaged temperature or precipitation. The perturbation in land cover in the tropics and SE Asia teleconnect to higher latitudes by changing the position and strength of key elements of the general circulation (the Hadley and Walker circulations). Many of the areas where statistically significant changes occur are remote from the location of land cover change. Historical land cover change is not typically included in transitory climate simulations, and it may be that the simulation of the patterns of temperature change over the twentieth century by climate models will be further improved by taking it into account. Received: 27 May 1999 / Accepted: July 2000     

冬季北太平洋大气低频环流的年际和年代际变化特征及其与大气环流和海温异常的联系

利用1979—2015年ECMWF逐日再分析资料,通过EOF分解和回归分析研究了冬季北太平洋大气低频环流的年际和年代际变化特征及其与海表面温度异常(SSTA)和大气环流异常之间的联系。研究结果表明:冬季中纬度北太平洋地区850 h Pa低频尺度环流存在3个明显的变化模态:第一模态为海盆尺度的单极型异常气旋(反气旋)式环流,同期太平洋SSTA呈现El Ni1o(La Ni1a)以及PDO暖位相(冷位相)空间分布,阿留申低压强度增强(减弱),对流层中高层是正位相(负位相)的PNA型遥相关,北太平洋天气尺度风暴轴中东部南压(北抬);第二模态为在白令海峡和副热带地区呈气旋式与反气旋式环流南北向偶极型变化,同时中纬度北太平洋SSTA呈现NPGO(North Pacific Gyre Oscillation)正位相(负位相)的空间分布,黑潮区域SSTA偏暖(偏冷),北太平洋SSTA经向梯度加大(减小),对流层中高层为负位相(正位相)的WP型遥相关,北太平洋天气尺度风暴轴整体偏北(偏南),强度增强(减弱);第三模态为北太平洋中西部和北美西岸呈气旋式与反气旋式环流东西向偶极型异常,黑潮区域SSTA偏冷(偏暖)而北太平洋东部SSTA偏暖(偏冷),SSTA纬向梯度加大(减弱),同时赤道东太平洋出现类似La Ni1a(El Ni1o)的SSTA分布,北太平洋天气尺度风暴轴中东部明显减弱(加强)而西部略有加强(减弱)。