Influence of future tropical cyclone track changes on their basin-wide intensity over the western North Pacific: Downscaled CMIP5 projections

The possible changes of tropical cyclone(TC) tracks and their influence on the future basin-wide intensity of TCs over the western North Pacific(WNP) are examined based on the projected large-scale environments derived from a selection of CMIP5(Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) models. Specific attention is paid to the performance of the CMIP5 climate models in simulating the large-scale environment for TC development over the WNP. A downscaling system including individual models for simulating the TC track and intensity is used to select the CMIP5 models and to simulate the TC activity in the future.The assessment of the future track and intensity changes of TCs is based on the projected large-scale environment in the21 st century from a selection of nine CMIP5 climate models under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5(RCP4.5)scenario. Due to changes in mean steering flows, the influence of TCs over the South China Sea area is projected to decrease,with an increasing number of TCs taking a northwestward track. Changes in prevailing tracks and their contribution to basin-wide intensity change show considerable inter-model variability. The influences of changes in prevailing track make a marked contribution to TC intensity change in some models, tending to counteract the effect of SST warming. This study suggests that attention should be paid to the simulated large-scale environment when assessing the future changes in regional TC activity based on climate models. In addition, the change in prevailing tracks should be considered when assessing future TC intensity change.     

Evolution of aerosol vertical distribution during particulate pollution events in Shanghai

A set of micro pulse lidar(MPL)systems operating at 532 nm was used for ground-based observation of aerosols in Shanghai in 2011.Three typical particulate pollution events(e.g.,haze)were examined to determine the evolution of aerosol vertical distribution and the planetary boundary layer(PBL)during these pollution episodes.The aerosol vertical extinction coefficient(VEC)at any given measured altitude was prominently larger during haze periods than that before or after the associated event.Aerosols originating from various source regions exerted forcing to some extent on aerosol loading and vertical layering,leading to different aerosol vertical distribution structures.Aerosol VECs were always maximized near the surface owing to the potential influence of local pollutant emissions.Several peaks in aerosol VECs were found at altitudes above 1 km during the dust-and bioburning-influenced haze events.Aerosol VECs decreased with increasing altitude during the local-polluted haze event,with a single maximum in the surface atmosphere.PM2.5 increased slowly while PBL and visibility decreased gradually in the early stages of haze events;subsequently,PM2.5 accumulated and was exacerbated until serious pollution bursts occurred in the middle and later stages.The results reveal that aerosols from different sources impact aerosol vertical distributions in the atmosphere and that the relationship between PBL and pollutant loadings may play an important role in the formation of pollution.     

高速公路交通事故与气象条件的关系研究

恶劣天气是高速公路交通事故发生的重要诱因。为了解气象条件对高速公路交通事故的影响程度,基于2006—2008年汉宜高速公路交通事故数据,统计分析了该路段交通事故的月际和日变化特征,利用事故率和日交通事故指数区分定义了交通事故频次和灾害严重程度,采用多项式曲线拟合了气象条件与事故指数的关系,确定了事故突发增长的临界气象指标。结果表明:汛期5—9月是汉宜高速公路交通事故高发时期,冬季其次,春季3—4月及秋季10—11月事故发生较少。高速公路交通事故存在明显日变化特征,03—04时和14—17时为事故高发时段。汉宜高速公路交通事故频率主要受中到大雨和夏季高温天气的影响,事故灾害严重程度主要受强降水和冬季低温天气的影响。大风强降水天气条件下的事故率要高于一般强降水条件下的事故率,夏季潮湿、闷热天气条件下的事故率要高于一般高温天气条件下的事故率。当高速公路沿线平均日雨量达到中到大雨时,事故率达到高峰;当沿线平均雨量超过20 mm时,事故灾害突发严重。当公路沿线平均高温超过33℃时,事故率突发增长;0~3℃的低温对事故灾害程度影响较大。     

Changes in wheat potential productivity and drought severity in Southwest China

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Wheat production in Southwest China (SWC) plays a vital role in guaranteeing local grain security, but it is threatened by increasingly frequent seasonal...     

利用地基遥感方法监测大气中汽态、液态水含量分布特征的分析

文章根据1992～1994年4～6月间利用北京大学研制的新一代双通道共天线地基微波辐射计在河北省石家庄等地的监测资料,分析了晴空、有云无雨两种天气条件下,大气中积分汽态水、液态水含量的分布特征,两种相态大气含水量的相对分布特点。结果表明,在有云无雨的天气条件下,云中液态水积分含量仅占大气中总水量的1%,说明作为人工增雨资源条件的云中液态水含量仅占大气总水量的一小部分。因此,分析认为,以往通常采用大气中水汽含量评估人工增雨资源条件的方法,存在着不确切性。     

海洋风暴形成的一种动力学机制

文中从观测统计学、瞬变涡动能量学和 MM5中尺度数值模拟角度 ,研究了海洋风暴 (爆发性气旋 )形成的气候特征及其可能的动力学机制 ,揭示了一幅爆发性发展的物理图像。结果表明 ,在冷季大气特别是日本以东洋面上大气特有的热力气候背景下 ,通过同海洋风暴过程相联系的涡动热通量 vθ的向极地输送 (- vθ· θm>0 ) ,将季节尺度的时间平均有效位能向瞬变涡旋时间尺度的涡动有效位能转换 ,是海洋风暴形成的主要动力机制。在该过程中转换来的具有最大贡献的涡动有效位能 ,连同具有次大贡献的积云加热制造的涡动有效位能(q3 )一起 ,通过暖异常区 (α >0 )暖湿空气上升运动 (-ω >0 )的斜压转换 (-ωα) ,促使涡动动能增长。同时 ,补充的涡动有效位能又加强了暖异常区的暖湿空气上升运动 ,进而产生积云对流活动及其潜热释放的正反馈过程 ,最终导致涡动动能急剧增长和海洋风暴的形成。海-气潜热输送的作用是在风暴形成初期提供后来积云尺度对流活动及潜热释放的水汽潜力。研究还表明 ,海洋风暴主要发生在冷季月份 1 3 0°E以东的中高纬洋面上 ,这种对特定季节和特定海域的依赖性是大气和海洋气候背景的动力 /热力共同作用的结果     

Respiration of Recently-Fixed Plant Carbon Dominates Mid-Winter Ecosystem CO2 Production in Sub-Arctic Heath Tundra

Arctic ecosystems could provide a substantial positive feedback to global climate change if warming stimulates below-ground CO₂ release by enhancing decomposition of bulk soil organic matter reserves.Ecosystem respiration during winter is important in this context because CO₂ release from snow-covered tundra soils is a substantial component of annual net carbon (C) balance, and because global climate models predict that the most rapid rises in regional air temperature will occur in the Arctic during winter. In this manipulative field study, the relative contributions of plant and bulk soil organic matter C pools to ecosystem CO₂ production in mid-winter were investigated. We measured CO₂ efflux rates in Swedish sub-arctic heath tundra from control plots and from plots that had been clipped in the previous growing season to disrupt plant activity. Respiration derived from recently-fixed plant C (i.e., plant respiration, and respiration associated with rhizosphere exudates and decomposition of fresh litter) was the principal source of CO₂ efflux, while respiration associated with decomposition of bulk soil organic matter was low, and appeared relatively insensitive to temperature. These results suggest that warmer mid-winter temperatures in the Arctic may have a much greater impact on the cycling of recently-fixed, plant-associated C pools than on the depletion of tundra bulk soil C reserves, and consequently that there is a low potential for significant initial feedbacks from arctic ecosystems to climate change during mid-winter.     

Adaptation of California’s electricity sector to climate change

Climate change is likely to pose considerable new challenges to California’s electricity sector. This paper primarily focuses on the adaptation challenges of an important component of the energy arena: electricity demand in the residential and commercial sectors and electricity supply. The primary challenge to California’s electricity sector will likely be the increase in demand for air conditioning as a result of rising temperatures. In addition, renewable energy sources, which are an increasing share of the electricity portfolio, are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Many of the key players have been actively considering the implications of climate change. Because electricity generation accounts for nearly 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, this sector has been a target of the state’s efforts to reduce emissions. Fortunately, many of the same tools can simultaneously improve the sector’s resilience to a changing climate. Demand management strategies and supply diversification are both important strategies. Local governments can play a central role in encouraging the adoption of more energy efficient building codes and the use of more renewable sources, such as solar energy. The positive steps taken by many local governments are encouraging. Steps to increase public awareness are an important, often missing component, however. Increases in research, development, and demonstration to improve system resiliency and develop new energy conservation tools are also needed.     

Projection of economic impacts of climate change in sectors of Europe based on bottom up analysis: human health

This paper scopes a number of the health impacts of climate change in Europe (EU-27) quantitatively, using physical and monetary metrics. Temperature-related mortality effects, salmonellosis and coastal flooding-induced mental health impacts resulting from climate change are isolated from the effects of socio-economic change for the 2011–2040 and 2071–2100 time periods. The temperature-induced mortality effects of climate change include both positive and negative effects, for winter (cold) and summer (heat) effects, respectively, and have welfare costs (and benefits) of up to 100 billion Euro annually by the later time-period, though these are unevenly distributed across countries. The role of uncertainty in quantifying these effects is explored through sensitivity analysis on key parameters. This investigates climate model output, climate scenario, impact function, the existence and extent of acclimatisation, and the choice of physical and monetary metrics. While all of these lead to major differences in reported results, acclimatisation is particularly important in determining the size of the health impacts, and could influence the scale and form of public adaptation at the EU and national level. The welfare costs for salmonellosis from climate change are estimated at potentially several hundred million Euro annually by the period 2071–2100. Finally, a scoping assessment of the health costs of climate change from coastal flooding, focusing on mental health problems such as depression, are estimated at up to 1.5 billion Euro annually by the period 2071–2100.     

First-Order Inconsistencies Caused by Rogue Trajectories

A theoretical requirement of the Interaction by Exchange with the Conditional Mean (IECM) micromixing model is that the mean concentration field produced by it must be consistent with the mean concentration field produced by a traditional Lagrangian stochastic (LS) marked particle model. We examine the violation of this requirement that occurs in a coupled LS–IECM model when unrealistically high particle velocities occur. No successful strategy was found to mitigate the effects of these rogue trajectories. It is our hope that this work will provide renewed impetus for investigation into rogue trajectories and methods to eliminate them from LS models.