Continued post-bleaching decline and changed benthic community of a Kenyan coral reef

During the global coral bleaching event of 1997/1998 Kenyan reefs experienced between 50% and 90% coral mortality, with coral cover at Malindi being reduced from 35–45% (pre-bleaching) to 10–20%. Even before this event there was concern that these reefs were being impacted by increased sediment loads from the nearby Sabaki River. Here we report that since 1998 coral cover has declined yet further with, in 2004, means of 5.1% being recorded at North Reef (within the non-fished Malindi Marine National Park) and 2.3% on Leopard Reef (within the fished Marine Reserve). Prior to bleaching 55 coral genera were recorded from the area, currently we find only 23. Meanwhile algal cover, especially the calcareous green alga Halimeda, has increased, and on Leopard Reef is twice that on North Reef. Taken with the evidence of previous studies, these data suggest a combined impact of coral bleaching with sedimentation and fishing.     

淮北地区2010年4月异常低温气候特征及成因分析

利用1961—2010年NCEP/NCAR再分析资料和4月淮北地区气温资料,用累积距平(CA)法、合成分析法对淮北地区气温的时空分布特征以及2010年4月淮北地区持续冷气候背景进行分析。文章分析了淮北地区4月冷、暖年的大气环流异常及要素场的空间分布特征。结果表明:淮北地区4月气温的年代际变化特征明显,在1990年前后发生了突变。贝加尔湖南部,100°E以东的华北地区中低层的冷空气活动与淮北地区4月气温高低存在很好的相关性,该地中低层冷空气强(弱),淮北地区4月气温低(高)。冷暖年,乌拉尔山暖脊、东亚大槽、西伯利亚高压等差异显著,说明以上是影响淮北地区4月气温异常的关键系统。另据分析,El Nino与淮北地区4月气温异常也具有很好的相关性。     

Distinguished Effects of Interannual Salinity Variability on the Development of the Central-Pacific El Nino Events

El Nio events in the central equatorial Pacific (CP) are gaining increased attention,due to their increasing intensity within the global warming context.Various physical processes have been identified in the climate system that can be responsible for the modulation of El Nio,especially the effects of interannual salinity variability.In this work,a comprehensive data analysis is performed to illustrate the effects of interannual salinity variability using surface and subsurface salinity fields from the Met Office ENSEMBLES (EN3) quality controlled ocean dataset.It is demonstrated that during the developing phase of an El Nio event,a negative sea surface salinity (SSS) anomaly in the western-central basin acts to freshen the mixed layer (ML),decrease oceanic density in the upper ocean,and stabilize the upper layers.These related oceanic processes tend to reduce the vertical mixing and entrainment of subsurface water at the base of the ML,which further enhances the warm sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with the El Nio event.However,the effects of interannually variable salinity are much more significant during the CP-El Nio than during the eastern Pacific (EP) El Nio,indicating that the salinity effect might be an important contributor to the development of CP-El Nio events.     

CAM3模式模拟厄尔尼诺事件对大气环流异常的影响

采用CAM3（Community Atmosphere Model Version3）模式中海气湍流通量参数化原方案和改进方案,利用观测海温驱动CAM3模式进行气候模拟,以分析模式对厄尔尼诺事件影响气候变化的模拟能力。结果表明,采用CAM3模式海气湍流通量参数化改进方案,模式能够更好地模拟出由厄尔尼诺事件引起的北太平洋和北美地区大气环流的变化,尤其是对厄尔尼诺年冬季阿留申低压强度和与PNA遥相关型有关的500hPa位势高度异常的模拟。     

Warming in the northwestern Indian Ocean associated with the El Niño event

This paper investigates possible warming effects of an E1 Nifio event on the sea surface temperature anomaly （SSTA） in the northwestern Indian Ocean. Most pure positive Indian Ocean dipole （IOD） events （without an E1 Nifio event co-occurring） have a maximum positive SSTA mainly in the central Indian Ocean south of the equator, while most co-occurrences with an E1 Nifio event exhibit a northwest-southeast typical dipole mode. It is therefore inferred that warming in the northwestern Indian Ocean is closely related to the E1 Nifio event. Based on the atmospheric bridge theory, warming in the northwestern Indian Ocean during co-occurring cases may be primarily caused by relatively less latent heat loss from the ocean due to reduced wind speed. The deepened thermocline also contributes to the warming along the east coast of Africa through the suppressed upwelling of the cold water. Therefore, the E1 Nifio event is suggested to have a modulating effect on the structure of the dipole mode in the tropical Indian Ocean.     

福建省冬季暴雨过程及其环流特征

利用福建省66个气象观测站1960年12月至2008年2月的暴雨资料,分析了福建冬季暴雨的时空特征及主要影响天气系统。结果表明,冬季暴雨主要发生在闽西;福建冬季暴雨主要是南支槽东移、切变线维持和冷空气南下影响所致;冬季暴雨的产生与充沛的水汽、对流不稳定和辐合上升运动密切相关,但大气层结比汛期暴雨要稳定得多;冬季暴雨异常与500 hPa大气环流和赤道中东太平洋海温异常关系密切,它们可能主要通过大气环流的改变引起福建冬季暴雨异常。     

高低层纬向风切变的年际变率及气候学意义

用1959～1998共40年全球格点风场资料计算了200 hPa与850 hPa的纬向风速差, 即对流层纬向风切变(简称TZWS),并在此基础上得到其距平值。为了全面考察对流层中环流异常的年际变率特征, 根据TZWS的标准差分布, 文中选出了7个TZWS标准差数值大于5 m/s的代表性区域。这7个区域分别位于赤道中太平洋、赤道东太平洋、北太平洋亚热带地区、南太平洋亚热带地区、赤道大西洋、亚洲西南部以及东北部。前5个分别位于赤道、亚热带太平洋和大西洋的区域TZWS指数, 其年际变率与ENSO循环有密切联系, 反映了热带海洋温度异常对低纬度地区对流层环流的影响; 后2个区域的TZWS指数反映的是亚洲西南部和东北部的气候统变率, 在年际时间尺度上与ENSO循环有着明显的区别。通过对全球陆地降水和温度场的分析, 比较了热带、副热带的TZWS指数以及北极涛动指数的异同, 发现后2个区域TZWS指数能很好且能独立反映出北半球中高纬度地区陆地降水及陆地温度的异常模态。     

中国冬半年最低气温概率分布特征

 根据1955-2005年中国160个站冬半年 (当年11月至翌年4月)平均最低气温资料,使用统计检验的方法,分析了近50 a中国冬半年最低气温的突变事实,在此基础上给出了气候变暖前后最低气温的概率分布,比较了变暖前后时段全国最低气温空间分布的差异。结果表明：1) 20世纪80年代末中国冬半年最低气温发生了显著突变,进入异常增暖时期,其增温程度比平均气温明显;2) 增暖后中国最低气温的概率分布发生了明显的变化,最低气温偏冷的概率显著减小,偏暖的概率明显增大;3)气候变暖后除西南地区最低气温上升幅度不显著外,其余地区均呈现显著增温趋势。     

对ENSO循环机理的一些新认识

近几年国内学者通过资料诊断、理论分析和数值试验,对ENSO循环的机理提出了一些新的看法,其中包括El Nino和La Nina的起源,与ENSO循环相联系的暖、冷水的传播过程,热带西太平洋纬向风应力异常,以及热带东太平洋经向风应力异常在ENSO循环中的动力作用等.作者介绍了我国在这些方面的一些研究成果.     

Contrasting Regional Responses of Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall to Exhausted Spring and Concurrently Emerging Summer El Ni?o Events

The inverse relationship between the warm phase of the El Ni?o Southern Oscillation(ENSO) and the Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall(ISMR) is well established. Yet, some El Ni?o events that occur in the early months of the year(boreal spring) transform into a neutral phase before the start of summer, whereas others begin in the boreal summer and persist in a positive phase throughout the summer monsoon season. This study investigates the distinct influences of an exhausted spring El Ni?o(springtime)...