Interannual variability in the 1990s in the northern Atlantic and Nordic Seas

A global fine resolution curvilinear ocean model, forced by NCEP Re-Analysis fluxes, is used to study changes in the circulation of the Nordic Seas and surrounding ocean basins during 1994-2001. The model fields exhibit regionally distinct temporal variability, mostly determined by atmospheric forcing but in regions of significant sea-ice longer timescale variability is found. Some abrupt circulation changes accompany the relaxation of the westerlies following the peak North Atlantic Oscillation Index phase of the mid 1990s. The Greenland gyre spins up over the following years, with the increased circulation partially exiting through the Denmark Strait into the northern Atlantic as well as re-circulating within the Nordic Seas. This resulted in a distinct freshening around northern Iceland and an increase in the East Icelandic Current. However, these latter increases steadied after 1998, as the increased Greenland Sea gyre circulation led to a greater proportion of water leaving through the Denmark Strait, rather than re-circulating. The model Denmark Strait Outflow therefore doubles during the latter half of the 1990s. Increased convection in the Icelandic Sea in the model in 1998-2001 acted to obliterate the anomalies that would otherwise have fed into the East Icelandic Current. A fresh, cold anomaly from the Arctic during 1998/1999 is shown to propagate through the system. Model and observations show good agreement generally, but diverge at depth more in the last few years of the simulation. The model shows that density anomalies within the East Greenland Current do not exclusively derive from the Arctic but may also arise from air-sea interaction within the Greenland Sea. Convection is a major means of limiting anomaly propagation within the model. The contrast of climatological with daily forcing shows the inherent strength of the variability in the ocean circulation on sub-decadal timescales.     

Sensitivity of last glacial maximum climate to sea ice conditions in the Nordic Seas

Published reconstructions of last glacial maximum (LGM) sea surface temperatures and sea ice extent differ significantly. We here test the sensitivity of simulated North Atlantic climates to two different reconstructions by using these reconstructions as boundary conditions for model experiments. An atmospheric general circulation model has been used to perform two simulations of the (LGM) and a modern-day control simulation. Standard (CLIMAP) reconstructions of sea ice and sea surface temperatures have been used for the first simulation, and a set of new reconstructions in the Nordic Seas/Northern Atlantic have been used for the second experiment. The new reconstruction is based on 158 core samples, and represents ice-free conditions during summer in the Nordic Seas, with accordingly warmer sea surface temperatures and less extensive sea ice during winter as well. The simulated glacial climate is globally 5.7 K colder than modern day, with the largest changes at mid and high latitudes. Due to more intense Hadley circulation, the precipitation at lower latitudes has increased in the simulations of the LGM. Relative to the simulation with the standard CLIMAP reconstructions, reduction of the sea ice in the North Atlantic gives positive local responses in temperature, precipitation and reduction of the sea level pressure. Only very weak signatures of the wintertime Icelandic Low occur when the standard CLIMAP sea surface temperature reconstruction is used as the lower boundary condition in LGM. With reduced sea ice conditions in the Nordic Seas, the Icelandic Low becomes more intense and closer to its present structure. This indicates that thermal forcing is an important factor in determining the strength and position of the Icelandic Low. The Arctic Oscillation is the most dominant large scale variability feature on the Northern Hemisphere in modern day winter climate. In the simulation of the LGM with extensive sea ice this pattern is significantly changed and represents no systematic large scale variability over the North Atlantic. Reduction of the North Atlantic sea ice extent leads to stronger variability in monthly mean sea level pressure in winter. The synoptic variability appears at a lower level in the simulation when standard reconstructions of the sea surface in the LGM are used. A closer inspection of storm tracks in this model experiment shows that that the synoptic lows follow a narrow band along the ice edge during winter. The trajectories of synoptic lows are not constrained to the sea ice edge to the same degree when the sea ice extent is reduced. Seasonally open waters in the Nordic Seas in the new reconstruction apparently act as a moisture source, consistent with the current understanding of the rapid growth of the Fennoscandian and Barents Ice Sheets, during the LGM. The signal from the intensified thermal forcing in the North Atlantic in Boreal winter is carried zonally by upper tropospheric waves, and thus generates non-local responses to the changed sea ice cover.     

Long-Term Variability of Volume and Heat Transport in the Nordic Seas: A Model Study

This article presents results from a model study of interannual and decadal variability in the Nordic Seas. Fifty years of simulations were conducted in an initial condition ensemble mode forced with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis. We studied two major events in the interannual and interdecadal variability of the Nordic Seas during the past fifty years: the Great Salinity Anomaly in the 1960s and early 1970s and the warming of the Arctic and subarctic oceans in the late 1990s.

Previous studies demonstrated that the Great Salinity Anomaly observed in the subarctic ocean in 1960 was originally generated by intensified sea-ice and freshwater inflow from the Arctic Ocean. Our model results demonstrate that the increase in the transport of fresh and cold waters through Fram Strait in the 1960s was concurrent with a reduction in the meridional water exchange over the Greenland–Scotland Ridge. The resulting imbalance in salinity and heat fluxes through the strait and over the ridge also contributed to the freshening of the water masses of the Nordic Seas and intensified the Great Salinity Anomaly in the Nordic Seas.

The warming of the Atlantic Waters in the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean during the past two decades had an important impact on the variability of these two ocean basins. Some previous observational and model studies demonstrated that the warming of the subpolar Atlantic Ocean in the late 1990s and the meridional transport of the Atlantic Water mass (AW) into the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean contributed to this process. At the same time, observations show that the warming of the AW in the Nordic Seas started in the 1980s (i.e., earlier than the warming of the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean). Our model results suggest that this process was triggered by an imbalance in the lateral heat fluxes through Fram Strait and over the Greenland–Scotland Ridge. In the late 1980s the AW transport over the Greenland–Scotland Ridge was stronger than normal while the exchange through Fram Strait was close to normal. The related imbalance in the lateral heat fluxes through the strait and over the ridge warmed the Nordic Seas and caused an increase in the temperature of the AW inflow to the Arctic Ocean in the late 1980s (i.e., about a decade earlier than the warming of the source of the AW in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean). Thus the model results suggest that the imbalance in lateral heat and salinity fluxes through the strait and over the ridge connecting the Nordic Seas to the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans could amplify the interannual variability in the subarctic ocean.

[Traduit par la rédaction] Cet article présente les résultats d'une étude par modèle de la variabilité interannuelle et décennale dans les mers nordiques. Nous avons effectué des simulations sur une période de cinquante ans en mode d'ensemble de conditions initiales forcé avec les réanalyses des NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction). Nous avons étudié deux événements majeurs survenus dans la variabilité interannuelle et décennale des mers nordiques au cours des cinquante dernières années : la grande anomalie de salinité des années 1960 et du début des années 1970 et le réchauffement des océans Arctique et subarctique vers la fin des années 1990.

Des études précédentes ont démontrées que la grande anomalie de salinité observée dans l'océan subarctique en 1960 a été causée par une intensification de l'apport de glace de mer et d'eau douce depuis l'océan Arctique. Les résultats que nous avons obtenus du modèle montrent que l'accroissement du transport d'eau douce et froide à travers le détroit de Fram dans les années 1960 s'est produit en même temps qu'une réduction dans l’échange méridien d'eau au-dessus de la crête Groenland–Écosse. Le déséquilibre résultant dans les flux de salinité et de chaleur à travers le détroit et au-dessus de la crête a aussi contribué à l'adoucissement des masses d'eau des mers nordiques et a intensifié la grande anomalie de salinité dans les mers nordiques.

Le réchauffement des eaux atlantiques dans les mers nordiques et dans l'océan Arctique au cours des deux dernières décennies a eu un impact important sur la variabilité de ces deux bassins océaniques. Des études observationnelles et par modèle précédentes ont établi que le réchauffement de l'océan Atlantique subpolaire dans les années 1990 et le transport méridien de la masse d'eau atlantique dans les mers nordiques et dans l'océan Arctique ont contribué à ce processus. En même temps, les observations montrent que le réchauffement des eaux atlantiques dans les mers nordiques a commencé dans les années 1980 (c.–à–d. plus tôt que le réchauffement de l'océan Nord-Atlantique subpolaire). Les résultats du modèle suggèrent que ce processus a été déclenché par un déséquilibre dans les flux de chaleur latéraux à travers le détroit de Fram et au-dessus de la crête Groenland–Écosse. À la fin des années 1980, le transport des eaux atlantiques au-dessus de la crête Groenland–Écosse était plus fort que la normale alors que l’échange à travers le détroit de Fram était près de la normale. Le déséquilibre résultant dans les flux de chaleur latéraux à travers le détroit et au-dessus de la crête a réchauffé les mers nordiques et causé une augmentation de la température des eaux atlantiques parvenant à l'océan Arctique à la fin des années 1980 (c.-à-d. environ une décennie avant le réchauffement de la source d'eaux atlantiques dans l'océan Nord-Atlantique subpolaire). Donc, les résultats du modèle suggèrent que le déséquilibre dans les flux de chaleur et de salinité latéraux à travers le détroit et au-dessus de la crête reliant les mers nordiques à l'Atlantique Nord et à l'Arctique pourrait amplifier la variabilité interannuelle dans l'océan subarctique.     

On the seesaw in interannual variability of upper ocean heat advection between the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre and the Nordic Seas

In this study we investigate the interannual variability of the heat content of the upper North Atlantic and the main factors, which influence the observed variability: the ocean-atmosphere heat exchange and the ocean heat transport. The data from the combined in situ and satellite dataset ARMOR-3D, and from the ocean reanalyzes ORAS5 and SODA3 (two versions) show a similar decadal interannual variability of the heat content, as well as of oceanic heat transports the study regions, though the mean values may differ. The observed variations are linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI). The current velocity of the North Atlantic, East Greenland and Labrador currents of the Subpolar Gyre increases with the NAOI, but the velocity of the Irminger and West Greenland currents decreases. This forms a seesaw of heat advection by the North Atlantic Current between the Subpolar Gyre and Nordic Seas. In the Subpolar gyre during the periods of high NAOI, this negative anomaly of the oceanic heat convergence adds to the intensified sea-surface heat release to the atmosphere, together effectively reducing the upper ocean heat content. The upper ocean heat content of the Norwegian Sea shows practically no link to the NAOI, in spite of a somewhat larger oceanic heat flux across its southern boundary linked to high NAOI.     

Unprecedented low twentieth century winter sea ice extent in the Western Nordic Seas since A.D. 1200

We reconstructed decadal to centennial variability of maximum sea ice extent in the Western Nordic Seas for A.D. 1200–1997 using a combination of a regional tree-ring chronology from the timberline area in Fennoscandia and δ¹⁸O from the Lomonosovfonna ice core in Svalbard. The reconstruction successfully explained 59% of the variance in sea ice extent based on the calibration period 1864–1997. The significance of the reconstruction statistics (reduction of error, coefficient of efficiency) is computed for the first time against a realistic noise background. The twentieth century sustained the lowest sea ice extent values since A.D. 1200: low sea ice extent also occurred before (mid-seventeenth and mid-eighteenth centuries, early fifteenth and late thirteenth centuries), but these periods were in no case as persistent as in the twentieth century. Largest sea ice extent values occurred from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, during the Little Ice Age (LIA), with relatively smaller sea ice-covered area during the sixteenth century. Moderate sea ice extent occurred during thirteenth–fifteenth centuries. Reconstructed sea ice extent variability is dominated by decadal oscillations, frequently associated with decadal components of the North Atlantic Oscillation/Arctic Oscillation (NAO/AO), and multi-decadal lower frequency oscillations operating at ~50–120 year. Sea ice extent and NAO showed a non-stationary relationship during the observational period. The present low sea ice extent is unique over the last 800 years, and results from a decline started in late-nineteenth century after the LIA.     

喀拉海和巴伦支海海冰对中高纬异常纬向环流暨中国东部重霾天气形成的作用

采用1981年1月—2017年2月国家气象信息中心雾、霾数据集资料、同期NCEP/NCAR再分析资料以及哈德来中心的海冰资料,分析了秋冬季喀拉海和巴伦支海海冰变化与东亚冬季风暨中国东部冬季雾和霾日数变化特征之间的关系。研究结果表明,喀拉海和巴伦支海海冰对亚洲区中高纬纬向环流有重要影响,秋季海冰异常偏少是冬季亚洲区中高纬异常纬向环流形成的诱因之一。该地区秋季海冰偏少年,冬季亚洲中高纬地区纬向环流异常偏强,东亚大槽偏弱,影响我国东部地区的东亚冬季风减弱,这为大气污染物在水平方向上的聚集提供了有利条件,同时在海冰偏少年,对流层从中层向下均为正温度距平,与地表温差减小,不利于对流发展,使得大气的状况变得更加稳定,不利于大气污染物在垂直方向上的扩散,水平和垂直方向上的共同作用导致中国东部地区易发生霾天气过程。虽然喀拉海和巴伦支海海冰是影响中国东部地区冬季霾过程发生的重要因子之一,但其对冬季中国东部雾天气发生日数多寡的影响并不显著。亚洲区纬向环流指数相比经向环流指数更能反映中国东部地区冬季雾-霾日数的变化,冬季亚洲中高纬纬向环流越强,中国东部地区雾-霾日数越多。     

Climatology of Lightning Activity over the Indian Seas

The climatology of lightning activity over the Indian seas (Arabian Sea (AS) and Bay of Bengal (BoB)) has been studied using monthly satellite-based lightning flash count grid (0.5°?×?0.5°) data from 1998 to 2007. These data have been used to investigate the annual and seasonal variations in lightning activity over the Indian seas. It was found that annual variations in flash rate density and sea surface temperature (SST) show a bimodal pattern with the first peak occurring in May and the second in October. The correlation coefficients between flash rate density and SSTs are 0.76 and 0.65 for the AS and BoB, respectively. Further, the relationship between flash rate density and a low pressure system (LPS) over the BoB shows that the formation of severe tropical cyclonic storms starts during April with the maximum number of storms forming during August. The performance of monsoon on a seasonal and monthly basis depends on the total number of lows, the formation of a depression in the monsoon trough, and the number of days with an LPS. Secular decreases in the number of lows and monsoon depressions were observed in 2000, 2002, and 2004. Overall, results indicate that the peaks in SST during April and September/October over the AS and the BoB may be responsible for advancing the onset of the southwest and northeast monsoon by 30–40 days.     

A note on the air temperature trends of the last 100 years as evidenced in the eastern Mediterranean time series

Summary The present paper is a preliminary study of the long term temperature trends in the eastern Mediterranean area. The air temperature time series of the following stations were investigated: Cairo, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Beirut, Nicosia, Athens, Kerkyra, Catania and Rome. For this group of stations the air temperature trends for about the last 100 years are examined and are compared with the corresponding time series of the land surface air temperature, the sea surface temperature (SST) and the marine air temperature (NMAT) for the northern hemisphere (NH). A better agreement was found between the time series of the eastern Mediterranean region and the SSTs and NMATs, than with the NH air temperature (land surface). The coincidence of the 1900s minimum of eastern Mediterranean air temperature and the SSTs and NMATs especially merits further investigation.

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Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Arbeit präsentiert eine vorläufige Studie der langzeitlichen Temperaturtrends im östlichen Mittelmeerraum. Lufttemperaturzeitserien der folgenden Stationen wurden hierzu untersucht: Kairo, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Beirut, Nikosia, Athen, Kerkyra, Catania und Rom. Anhand der Daten der genannten Stationen wurden die Lufttemperaturtrends über einen Zeitraum von etwa 100 Jahren untersucht und mit den entsprechenden Zeitserien der Landoberflächenlufttemperatur, der Meeresoberflächentemperatur (SST) und der nächtlichen Seelufttemperatur (NMAT) der nördlichen Hemisphäre verglichen.Hierbei konnte größere Übereinstimmung der Lufttemperaturtrends zwischen Zeitserien des östlichen Mittelmeerraums und den Meeresoberflächentemperaturen, bzw. den nächtlichen Seelufttemperaturen festgestellt werden als zwischen den Zeitserien dieser Region mit den Zeitserien der Landoberflächenlufttemperatur der nördlichen Hemisphäre. Die Übereinstimmung des 1900-Minimums der Lufttemperaturtrends des östlichen Mittelmeerraums und den SST- und NMAT-Trends verdient hierbei besondere Aufmerksamkeit und weitere Untersuchungen.

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With 3 Figures     

Climatic Changes in Thermal Conditions of Marginal Seas in the Western Pacific

Observational data from the Roshydromet hydrometeorological stations for 1978–2017, global meteorological network, and objective analysis and reanalysis (NOAA) are used to study the interannual variability of sea surface temperature and air temperature in the coastal and marine areas of the Okhotsk, Japan, Yellow, East China, and South China seas at the modern stage of the warming. Based on the EOF, cluster, and correlation analysis, the spatiotemporal pattern of temperature variations is analyzed and the zoning of sea areas according to the features of modern climate change is performed. The possible cause-and-effect relationships between these changes and the variations in wind components and climate indices are investigated. The studies revealed, specified, and quantified the modern trends and regional features of interannual variability of thermal conditions in the distinguished areas.     

Multifractal analysis of 1-min summer rainfall time series from a monsoonal watershed in eastern China

Multifractal analysis can provide parameters associated with different scales of rainfall, which may be useful for setting up parsimonious downscaling models of rainfall, or for revealing climate-specific properties. Time series of rain rate with 1-min resolution collected from ten stations over a monsoon watershed in eastern China were used to study the multifractal properties. The power spectra estimated by fast Fourier transform (FFT) and discrete Haar wavelet transform (DWT) showed three scaling regimes: the sub-hourly scaling regime with β?≈?1.2, the scaling regime from 1 h to 1 day with β close to 0.6, and the low-frequency spectra plateau with β?≈?0.1. From the hyperbolic tails of exceeding probability distributions, the estimated values of parameter q _c are in 2–2.5, which were consistent with the critical order of K(q) curves. The statistical moments display two main scaling regimes: the high-frequency regime from 3 min to 5 days and the scaling regime beyond 5 days. The scales of 5–10 days seem a transitional regime. The reason that the regimes, revealed by the power spectra, disagree with the statistical moments may be that both FFT and DWT power spectra have limited abilities of analyzing low-frequency scaling but are sensitive to the properties in high-frequency scales. The H values estimated for the regime of sub-hourly scales are larger than 0.4, and the values for the regime 1 h–1 day are close to 0.1. For the low-frequency scales beyond 1 day, negative H is obtained by DWT power spectra. The parameters of universal multifractal models were also estimated. The values of α for the scaling range of 1 min–5 days are 0.486?±?0.047, and for the low-frequency scaling range, its values are 0.808?±?0.323. For the high- and low-frequency scaling ranges, the values of C ₁ are 0.5 and 0.169, respectively, which is different from the values for daily rainfall series collected at the same rain gages.     

中国东部雨季降水事件的静默时间特征及内在动力学机制初探

为了挖掘降水的内在非线性动力学机制,基于1960—2017年4—9月的中国日降水数据,利用百分位阈值法确定不同强度的降水事件,定义相邻同强度降水事件之间的间隔时间为"静默时间",描述同阈值降水事件再次发生的历时长短。"平均静默时间"可以表征不同强度降水事件的群发性特征,即某一时段内,平均静默时间越短(长),同类型降水事件再次发生的历时越短(长),其群发性程度越强(弱)。分析不同强度降水事件的平均静默时间在中国东部地区的空间分布和时间演变特征表明:1960—2017年,一般强度降水事件在长江中游地区较其余地区群发性强,而东北南部地区则较弱;极端降水事件在中国东部北方地区群发性较强,而在南方地区则偏弱。就气候态演化过程而言,一般强度降水事件的群发性在长江以南地区有所增强,在东北南部地区则呈减弱趋势;极端降水事件的群发性特征在中国东部北方地区不断减弱,但在南方地区持续增强。各站点降水事件静默时间的概率密度函数均呈幂律分布,且时、空上呈无标度特征,表明日降水系统为现实世界中的自组织临界系统,为时间序列分析角度理解降水事件内在非线性动力学机制提供了新的视角。     

黄渤海及其邻近地区阵风估测改进

为定量化下垫面等局地性因素对阵风拟合效果的影响, 利用2021年1月—2022年12月风速观测数据, 分析阵风系数方法在黄渤海及其邻近地区不同观测站拟合能力差异的原因, 并基于差异系数及频率匹配构建阵风估测改进(gust estimation correction, GECO)方法, 对阵风系数方法拟合结果进行订正。结果表明:阵风系数方法的拟合结果随风速增加更倾向于整点观测时刻阵风, 使用小时内最大阵风与整点观测时刻阵风计算得到的差异系数可以定量表征观测站局地特性对阵风系数拟合结果的影响。对差异系数大的观测站, 阵风系数方法对其强阵风拟合结果的负偏差也较大, 需对其进行更大幅度订正。基于12个基准观测站构建的GECO方法同样适用于黄渤海及其邻近地区的364个观测站。对于风速为12 m·s-1及以上和16 m·s-1及以上的阵风, 经GECO方法订正后的均方根误差较阵风系数方法分别减少12.3%和11.5%。对台风梅花(2212)的检验显示, GECO方法能够有效提升大级别阵风的估测能力, 可为阵风客观预报方法改进提供参考。     

Cloud climate investigations in the Nordic region using NOAA AVHRR data

Summary A method to estimate monthly cloud conditions (monthly cloud frequencies) from multispectral satellite imagery is described. The operational cloud classification scheme SCANDIA (the SMHI Cloud ANalysis model using DIgital AVHRR data), based on high resolution imagery from the polar orbiting NOAA-satellites, has been used to produce monthly cloud frequencies for the entire year of 1993 and some additional months in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995. Cloud analyses were made for an area covering the Nordic countries with a horizontal resolution of four km. Examples of seasonal, monthly and diurnal variation in cloud conditions are given and an annual mean for 1993 is presented.Comparisons with existing surface observations showed very good agreement for horizontal cloud distributions but approximately 5% smaller cloud amounts were found in the satellite estimations. The most evident problems were encountered in the winter season due to difficulties in identifying low-level cloudiness at very low sun elevations. The underestimation in the summer season was partly fictious and caused by the overestimation of convective cloud cover by surface observers.SCANDIA results were compared to ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) cloud climatologies for two selected months in 1991 and 1992. ISCCP cloudiness was indicated to be higher, especially during the month with anticyclonic conditions where a cloudiness excess of more than 10% were found. The regional variation of cloud conditions in the area was found to be inadequately described by ISCCP cloud climatologies. An improvement of the horizontal resolution of ISCCP data seems necessary to enable use for regional applications.The SCANDIA model is proposed as a valuable tool for local and regional monitoring of the cloud climatology at high latitudes. More extensive comparisons with ISCCP cloud climatologies are suggested as well as comparisons with modelled cloudiness from atmospheric general circulation models and climate models. Special studies of cloud conditions in the Polar areas are also proposed.With 14 Figures     

The observed teleconnection between the equatorial Amazon and the Intra-Americas Seas

Using observations of rainfall and SST analysis it is shown that there is a robust relationship with two-season lag between the austral summer (December–January–February [DJF]) Equatorial Amazon (EA) rainfall and the following boreal summer season (June–July–August [JJA]) Intra-Americas Seas (IAS) Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (SSTA). It is observed that in wetter than normal austral summer seasons over EA, the SSTA in the IAS are cooler than normal in the following JJA season. This teleconnection also manifests in the ocean heat content of the IAS region. Our analysis indicates that the net surface heat flux into the ocean (particularly the surface longwave and the shortwave radiative fluxes) dictates the strongest influence on the JJA Caribbean SSTA, the core region of the IAS where the observed teleconnection with EA rainfall is strongest. This study also finds that this teleconnection is in fact a manifestation of the remote ENSO forcing on the Caribbean SSTA through its modulation of the EA rainfall anomalies. In a wet DJF year over EA, the Atlantic Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) moves further southward than climatology. This causes the dry limb of the associated overturning circulation of the Atlantic ITCZ to reside over the Caribbean Sea region in the subsequent March–April–May and JJA seasons. As a result of this large-scale descent in the wet DJF year over EA, there is a net decrease in the heat flux into the ocean from increased emission of surface longwave radiation in the presence of anomalously dry atmosphere. In a dry DJF year over EA the Atlantic ITCZ is nearly co-located in the core region of the IAS, which is northward than the climatological location, resulting in the descending limb of the overturning location to be located further south of the Caribbean Sea leading to warmer SSTA.     

Tidal mixing in the Indonesian Seas and its effect on the tropical climate system

The sensitivity of the tropical climate to tidal mixing in the Indonesian Archipelago (IA) is investigated using a coupled general circulation model. It is shown that the introduction of tidal mixing considerably improves water masses properties in the IA, generating fresh and cold anomalies in the thermocline and salty and cold anomalies at the surface. The subsurface fresh anomalies are advected in the Indian Ocean thermocline and ultimately surface to freshen the western part of the basin whereas surface salty anomalies are advected in the Leuwin current to salt waters along the Australian coast. The ~0.5°C surface cooling in the IA reduces by 20% the overlying deep convection. This improves both the amount and structure of the rainfall and weakens the wind convergence over the IA, relaxes the equatorial Pacific trade winds and strengthens the winds along Java coast. These wind changes causes the thermocline to be deeper in the eastern equatorial Pacific and shallower in the eastern Indian Ocean. The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) amplitude is therefore slightly reduced while the Indian Ocean Dipole/Zonal Mode (IODZM) variability increases. IODZM precursors, related to ENSO events the preceding winter in this model, are also shown to be more efficient in promoting an IODZM thanks to an enhanced wind/thermocline coupling. Changes in the coupled system in response tidal mixing are as large as those found when closing the Indonesian Throughflow, emphasizing the key role of IA on the Indo-Pacific climate.     

中国近海海平面变化趋势的对比分析

本文分析了近40年的中国近海验潮站资料海表面高度的线性变化趋势,并与卫星高度计资料进行了对比。通过对验潮站资料的分析发现,中国海域无论是近40年(1970~2013年)、还是近20年(1993~2013年)海平面均显著上升。各海区近20年的海平面上升有加速的趋势,且各时段上升速率大于全球平均海平面上升率。但是,受到海平面的年际和年代际变化的影响,近10年海平面上升趋势放缓。同时,本文也分析了不同季节海平面变化的趋势,北部海域秋季最大,冬季最小;南海海域春季最大,秋季最小。通过AVISO资料和验潮站资料的对比可以发现,AVISO资料在描述近20年海平面变化的线性趋势上与验潮站资料接近,较大的差异主要是由验潮站地表发生升降引起的。同时,通过对比也发现了用验潮站资料估算海域平均的海平面高度变化会有一定的误差,在黄海、渤海、东海海域验潮站估计的数值偏高,而在南海海域则偏低。     

北欧气象观测资料的质量控制

气象观测资料的质量对气象及相关领域的研究具有重要影响，如何进行气象观测资料的质量控制，确保资料的代表性和准确性，是气象资料工作者迫切需要解决的科学问题。气象观测资料的质量控制技术和方法各国均不相同，北欧5国的合作研究成果具有先进性和很好的代表性。简要介绍了北欧国家对实时和非实时气象资料进行质量控制的流程，所采用的方法、技术等。北欧气象资料从观测台站到资料中心经历了QC0、QCl、QC2和HQC 4个级别的质量控制流程；质量控制方法可分为单站质量控制和空间质量控制两大类，每类方法又分为不同的检查方案；质量控制标识根据用户对象的不同在北欧各国有不同的方案。     

Rainfall patterns in the eastern United States

This investigation is an extension of earlier work on rainfall patterns in the western United States. In the present study, rainfall figures from World Weather Records for cities east of the Mississippi have been subjected to filter analysis using the four filters described in the earlier investigation.The results suggest substantial coherence of rainfall data in a broad central area of North America, from the Great Lakes to the Rockies and into southern parts of the Canadian Prairies and Ontario. In this entire region there appears to be a pronounced rainfall cycle, of about 22 yr, which exhibits a possible relationship with the double sunspot cycle. However, inland from the U.S. north-east coast and including southern Quebec and the Canadian maritime Provinces, the cycle is different and is closer to 16 yr.Although the earlier investigation pointed to a connection between the lunar cycle of 18.6 yr and rainfall behaviour in the far west of the United States, there is little evidence of a similar connection in the east.     

Historical ENSO teleconnections in the eastern hemisphere

Examination of instrumental data collected over the last one hundred years or so shows that rainfall fluctuations in various parts of the eastern hemisphere are associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. Using proxy rainfall data-sets from Indonesia, Africa, North China; and a chronology of droughts from India, we investigate the occurrence of ENSO-related floods and droughts over the last five hundred years. The aim of this work is to examine the stability of the pattern of ENSO teleconnections over this longer period, noting any changes in ENSO behaviour which may be relevant in estimating its future behaviour, such as its response to climate change due to the enhanced greenhouse effect.Comparisons of the various data sets with each other and with El Niño chronology from South America, showed statistically significant evidence of teleconnections characteristic of ENSO back to around 1750. Prior to that time, relationships characteristic of ENSO were weak or absent. The disappearance of the ENSO signal in the early period is considered to be most likely due to the poorer quality of the data at that time. From the 18th Century onwards, chronologies of ENSO and anti-ENSO events are given and compared with similar chronologies in the literature.