青藏高原中部降水稳定同位素变化与季风活动

根据1998年夏季中日GAME／Tibet项目在青藏高原中部进行的降水中稳定同位素研究结果以及相关的气象观测资料，分析了青藏高原中部夏季降水中δ^18O的变化规律。研究结果发现，青藏高原中部夏季降水中δ^18O的波动与大规模天气活动有关，而不是地方性的气象条件。该地区降水中δ^18O对水汽来源的变化以及水汽的输送过程十分敏感。夏季伴随西南季风进入高原南部的水汽形成的降水中δ^18O较低，而且季风活动越强，降水中δ^18O也越来低。从青藏高原北部而来的水汽或地方蒸发水汽形成的降水，其δ^18O值较高。     

Climate variability in the southern Indian Ocean as revealed by self-organizing maps

Using a non-linear statistical analysis called “self-organizing maps”, the interannual sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the southern Indian Ocean are investigated. The SST anomalies during austral summer from 1951 to 2006 are classified into nine types with differences in the position of positive and negative SST anomaly poles. To investigate the evolution of these SST anomaly poles, heat budget analysis of mixed-layer using outputs from an ocean general circulation model is conducted. The warming of the mixed-layer by the climatological shortwave radiation is enhanced (suppressed) as a result of negative (positive) mixed-layer thickness anomaly over the positive (negative) SST anomaly pole. This contribution from shortwave radiation is most dominant in the growth of SST anomalies. In contrast to the results reported so far, the contribution from latent heat flux anomaly is not so important. The discrepancy in the analysis is explained by the modulation in the contribution from the climatological heat flux by the interannual mixed-layer depth anomaly that was neglected in the past studies.     

Poleward propagation of boreal summer intraseasonal oscillations in a coupled model: role of internal processes

The study compares the simulated poleward migration characteristics of boreal summer intraseasonal oscillations (BSISO) in a suite of coupled ocean?Catmospheric model sensitivity integrations. The sensitivity experiments are designed in such a manner to allow full coupling in specific ocean basins but forced by temporally varying monthly climatological sea surface temperature (SST) adopted from the fully coupled model control runs (ES10). While the local air?Csea interaction is suppressed in the tropical Indian Ocean and allowed in the other oceans in the ESdI run, it is suppressed in the tropical Pacific and allowed in the other oceans in the ESdP run. Our diagnostics show that the basic mean state in precipitation and easterly vertical shear as well as the BSISO properties remain unchanged due to either inclusion or exclusion of local air?Csea interaction. In the presence of realistic easterly vertical shear, the continuous emanation of Rossby waves from the equatorial convection is trapped over the monsoon region that enables the poleward propagation of BSISO anomalies in all the model sensitivity experiments. To explore the internal processes that maintain the tropospheric moisture anomalies ahead of BSISO precipitation anomalies, moisture and moist static energy budgets are performed. In all model experiments, advection of anomalous moisture by climatological winds anchors the moisture anomalies that in turn promote the northward migration of BSISO precipitation. While the results indicate the need for realistic simulation of all aspects of the basic state, our model results need to be taken with caution because in the ECHAM family of coupled models the internal variance at intraseasonal timescales is indeed very high, and therefore local air?Csea interactions may not play a pivotal role.     

Influence of Indian Ocean Dipole and Pacific recharge on following year’s El Niño: interdecadal robustness

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) can affect the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) state of the following year, in addition to the well-known preconditioning by equatorial Pacific Warm Water Volume (WWV), as suggested by a study based on observations over the recent satellite era (1981–2009). The present paper explores the interdecadal robustness of this result over the 1872–2008 period. To this end, we develop a robust IOD index, which well exploits sparse historical observations in the tropical Indian Ocean, and an efficient proxy of WWV interannual variations based on the temporal integral of Pacific zonal wind stress (of a historical atmospheric reanalysis). A linear regression hindcast model based on these two indices in boreal fall explains 50 % of ENSO peak variance 14 months later, with significant contributions from both the IOD and WWV over most of the historical period and a similar skill for El Niño and La Niña events. Our results further reveal that, when combined with WWV, the IOD index provides a larger ENSO hindcast skill improvement than the Indian Ocean basin-wide mode, the Indian Monsoon or ENSO itself. Based on these results, we propose a revised scheme of Indo-Pacific interactions. In this scheme, the IOD–ENSO interactions favour a biennial timescale and interact with the slower recharge-discharge cycle intrinsic to the Pacific Ocean.     

Generation and termination of Indian Ocean dipole events in 2003, 2006 and 2007

Evolution of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events in 2003, 2006 and 2007 is investigated using observational and re-analysis data products. Efforts are made to understand various processes involved in three phases of IOD events; activation, maturation and termination. Three different triggers are found to activate the IOD events. In preceding months leading to the IOD evolution, the thermocline in southeastern Indian Ocean shoals by reflection of near equatorial upwelling Rossby waves at the East African coast into anomalous upwelling equatorial Kelvin waves. Strengthening (weakening) of northern (southern) portion of ITCZ in March/April and May/June of IOD years, leads to strengthening of alongshore winds along Sumatra/Java coasts. With the combined shallow thermocline and increased latent heat flux due to enhanced wind speeds, the SST in the southeastern Indian Ocean cools in following months. On intraseasonal time scales convection-suppressing phase of Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) propagates from west to east in May/June of IOD year, and easterlies associated with this phase of MJO causes further shoaling of thermocline in southeastern Indian Ocean, through anomalous upwelling Kelvin wave. All these three mechanisms appear to be involved in initiating IOD event in 2006. On the other hand, except the strengthening/weakening of ITCZ, all other mechanisms are involved in activation of 2003 IOD event. Activation of 2007 IOD event was due to propagation of convection-suppressing MJO in May/June and strengthening of mean winds along Sumatra/Java coast from March to June through changes in convection. The IOD events matured into full-fledged events in the following months after activation, by surface heat fluxes, vertical and horizontal advection of cool waters supported by local along-shore upwelling favorable winds and remote equatorial easterly wind anomalies through excitation of upwelling Kelvin waves. Propagating MJO signals in the tropical Indian Ocean brings significant changes in evolution of IOD events on MJO time scales. Termination of 2003 and 2007 IOD events is achieved by strong convection-enhancing MJOs propagating from west to east in the tropical Indian Ocean which deepen the thermocline in the southeastern equatorial Indian Ocean. IOD event in 2006 was terminated by seasonal reversal of monsoon winds along Sumatra/Java coasts which stops the local coastal upwelling.