Phase transition of the Pacific decadal oscillation and decadal variation of the East Asian summer monsoon in the 20th century

This paper focuses on the relationship between the phase transition of the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and decadal variation of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in the twentieth century. The first transition occurred in the 1940s, with an enhanced SST in the North Pacific and reduced SST in the tropical eastern Pacific and South Indian Ocean. In agreement with these SST changes, a higher SLP was found in most parts of the Pacific, while a lower SLP was found in the North Pacific and most parts of the Indian Ocean. In this case, the EASM was largely enhanced with a southerly anomaly in the lower troposphere along the east coast of China. Correspondingly, there was less rainfall in the Yangtze River valley and more rainfall in northern and southern China. An opposite change was found when the PDO reversed its phase in the late 1970s. In the tropical Indian Ocean and western Pacific, however, the SST was enhanced in both the 1940s and 1970s. As a result, the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) tended to extend westward with a larger magnitude in the 1970s. The major features were reasonably reproduced by an atmospheric general circulation model (IAP AGCM4.0) prescribed with observed SST and sea ice. On the other hand, the westward extension of the WPSH was exaggerated in the 1970s, while it was underestimated in the 1940s. Besides, the spatial pattern of the simulated summer rainfall in eastern China tended to shift southward compared with the observation.     

The Congo basin zonal overturning circulation

The Gulf of Guinea in the equatorial Atlantic is characterized by the presence of strong subsidence at certain times of the year. This subsidence appears in June and becomes well established from July to September. Since much of theWest African monsoon flow originates over the Gulf, Guinean subsidence is important for determining moisture sources for the monsoon. Using reanalysis products, I contribute to a physical understanding of what causes this seasonal subsidence, and how it relates to precipitation distributions across West Africa.There is a seasonal zonal overturning circulation above the Congo basin and the Gulf of Guinea in the ERA-Interim, ERA-40, NCEP2, and MERRA reanalyses. The up-branch is located in the Congo basin around 20°E. Mid-tropospheric easterly flows constitute the returning-branch and sinking over the Gulf of Guinea forms the down-branch, which diverges at 2°W near the surface, with winds to the east flowing eastward to complete the circulation. This circulation is driven by surface temperature differences between the eastern Gulf and Congo basin. Land temperatures remain almost uniform, around 298 K, throughout a year, but the Guinean temperatures cool rapidly from 294 K in May to about 290 K in August. These temperature changes increase the ocean/land temperature contrast, up to 8 K, and drive the circulation.I hypothesize that when the overturning circulation is anomalously strong, the northward moisture transport and Sahelian precipitation are also strong. This hypothesis is supported by ERA-Interim and PERSIANN-CDR (Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Climate Data Record) data.     

中国南海夏季风强、弱年多尺度相互作用能量学特征

中国南海夏季风为东亚季风的主要系统之一,其具有多重尺度特征,除季节平均环流场外,低频（季节内振荡）和高频（天气尺度）扰动也十分活跃,各尺度系统存在明显的年际变化。该研究使用ERA-Interim和NCEP/NCAR两套再分析资料,从季风平均动能（MKE）诊断的角度出发,探讨了1979-2010年中国南海夏季风环流年际变化的能量来源及其和扰动场的相互作用过程。结果表明:中国南海夏季风对流活跃年份,中国南海南部（12°N以南）及中南半岛一带为季风平均动能显著增强区,此与南亚季风区西风急流的增强并向东延伸有关;中国南海北部（12°N以北）及西太平洋为气旋性环流盘踞,季风槽加深。中国南海南部季风平均动能增强的能量源自于扰动动量通量与平均环流的相互作用,强季风年,平均环流失去较少的动能给扰动场（亦即平均环流保留较多的动能）。通过进一步探讨高频（<10 d）及低频（10-90 d）扰动场与平均环流不同分量的（散度、涡度、风垂直切变）相互作用过程,发现季风平均动能的增长主要来自于<10 d扰动与季风平均散度和涡度的相互作用。中国南海北部季风槽区季风平均动能的维持来自于大气热源和平均上升运动的相互作用,但同时有较多的季风平均动能向扰动动能转换,有利于扰动的成长。因此,强季风年,中国南海北部热带气旋生成数目增多,夏季北传的季节内振荡也增强,导致中国南部沿海及华南地区出现较多的灾害天气。      

中国中东部冬季霾日的形成与东亚冬季风和大气湿度的关系

利用1961-2013年中国地面台站长期观测资料和同期NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,以华北、江淮和华南为研究区,分析了中国中东部冬季霾日的形成与东亚冬季风以及大气湿度的关系。结果表明:(1)冬季霾日与东亚冬季风强度成显著的负相关。首先,东亚冬季风强度的减弱使得地面风速减小,进而导致冬季霾日增多。其中,华北7-8 m/s最大风速日数和江淮6-8 m/s最大风速日数的减少,及华南≤2 m/s最大风速日数的增多对各区冬季霾日的增多作用较大。其次,东亚冬季风减弱引起冬季气温的持续升高,易导致冬季霾日的增多,这在华北地区较之在江淮和华南更为明显。(2)由于气候变暖,冬季气温升高,使得近地面相对湿度减小。在江淮和华南地区,冬季霾日的增多与近地面相对湿度的减小显著相关,而在华北地区这种相关较弱。(3)冬季气温升高也有利于大气层结稳定度的增强,3个区域冬季霾日的增多均与大气层结稳定度的增强显著相关,特别是与对流层中低层(850-500 hPa)大气饱和度的降低显著相关。(4)冬季霾日数变化与区域水汽输送关系密切。其中,华北地区的冬季霾日数与水汽总收入成显著正相关,江淮地区与纬向水汽收入成显著正相关,与经向水汽收入成显著负相关,华南地区与经向水汽收入成显著负相关。     

Long-Term Variability of the Wind Field over the Indian Ocean Based on ERA-Interim Reanalysis

A detailed study of long-term variability of winds using 30 years of data from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts global reanalysis (ERA-Interim) over the Indian Ocean has been carried out by partitioning the Indian Ocean into six zones based on local wind extrema. The trend of mean annual wind speed averaged over each zone shows a significant increase in the equatorial region, the Southern Ocean, and the southern part of the trade winds. This indicates that the Southern Ocean winds and the southeast trade winds are becoming stronger. However, the trend for the Bay of Bengal is negative, which might be caused by a weakening of the monsoon winds and northeast trade winds. Maximum interannual variability occurs in the Arabian Sea due to monsoon activity; a minimum is observed in the subtropical region because of the divergence of winds. Wind speed variations in all zones are weakly correlated with the Dipole Mode Index (DMI). However, the equatorial Indian Ocean, the southern part of the trade winds, and subtropical zones show a relatively strong positive correlation with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), indicating that the SOI has a zonal influence on wind speed in the Indian Ocean. Monsoon winds have a decreasing trend in the northern Indian Ocean, indicating monsoon weakening, and an increasing trend in the equatorial region because of enhancement of the westerlies. The negative trend observed during the non-monsoon period could be a result of weakening of the northeast trade winds over the past few decades. The mean flux of kinetic energy of wind (FKEW) reaches a minimum of about 100?W?m^?2 in the equatorial region and a maximum of about 1500?W?m^?2 in the Southern Ocean. The seasonal variability of FKEW is large, about 1600?W?m^?2, along the coast of Somalia in the northern Indian Ocean. The maximum monthly variability of the FKEW field averaged over each zone occurs during boreal summer. During the onset and withdrawal of monsoon, FKEW is as low as 50?W?m^?2. The Southern Ocean has a large variation of about 1280?W?m^?2 because of strong westerlies throughout the year.     

Anomalous Western Pacific Subtropical High during Late Summer in Weak La Nia Years: Contrast between 1981 and 2013

Both 1981 and 2013 were weak La Niña years with a similar sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly in the tropical Pacific, yet the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) during August exhibited an opposite anomaly in the two years. A comparison indicates that, in the absence of a strong SST anomaly in the tropics, the cold advection from Eurasian high latitudes and the convection of the western Pacific warm pool play important roles in influencing the strength and position of the WPSH in August. In August 1981, the spatial pattern of 500 hPa geopotential height was characterized by a meridional circulation with a strong ridge in the Ural Mountains and a deep trough in Siberia, which provided favorable conditions for cold air invading into the lower latitudes. Accordingly, the geopotential height to the north of the WPSH was reduced by the cold advection anomaly from high latitudes, resulting in an eastward retreat of the WPSH. Moreover, an anomalous cyclonic circulation in the subtropical western Pacific, excited by enhanced warm pool convection, also contributed to the eastward retreat of the WPSH. By contrast, the influence from high latitudes was relatively weak in August 2013 due to a zonal circulation pattern over Eurasia, and the anomalous anticyclonic circulation induced by suppressed warm pool convection also facilitated the westward extension of the WPSH. Therefore, the combined effects of the high latitude and tropical circulations may contribute a persistent anomaly of the WPSH in late summer, despite the tropical SST anomaly being weak.     

长江中下游地区暖区暴雨特征分析

利用2007到2013年5-9月间常规和非常规资料以及6 h一次的NCEP 1°×1°再分析资料,将长江中下游地区暖区暴雨按天气形势划分为冷锋前暖区暴雨、暖切变暖区暴雨以及副热带高压边缘暖区暴雨三种类型。统计表明暖区暴雨一般发生在距离切变线(锋线)100~300 km的暖区内。主要结论包括:(1)冷锋型降水强度偏弱且分布均匀,集中在5、6月;暖切变型发生次数最多且强度大,主要发生在6、7月长江中下游地区的偏南部;副热带高压边缘型发生次数最少但强度较大,发生在7、8月。暖区暴雨的发生次数及强度在大别山、皖南山区较为集中。(2)暖区暴雨中短时强降水贡献大。(3)冷锋背景下的暖区暴雨一般产生在锋前低压槽中,暴雨落区与高低空急流耦合有紧密联系;暖切变型以低层暖切变线为主要天气背景,地面常有弱静止锋,暖区对流活动与中尺度急流结构、地形强迫等因素存在较高的相关性;副热带高压边缘暖区暴雨与局地的水汽积累和对流不稳定条件的发展有密切关系。据此建立三类暖区暴雨的概念模型。     

中国东部高空颠簸时空分布特征及其与热带中东太平洋海温的关系

本文利用1979～2014年NCEP-DOE日平均再分析资料和中国区域2375份航空器空中颠簸报告资料,研究中国东部区域高空颠簸的时空分布特征及其与热带中东太平洋海温异常（简称“海温异常”;空间范围:5°S～5°N,120°～170°W）的关系以及产生这种关系的可能原因。结果表明:中国东部地区高空颠簸与东亚副热带西风急流之间存在显著时空相关关系,其原因是高空纬向风引起的垂直风切变是构成高空颠簸时空分布的主导因素。中国东部夏季高空颠簸与海温异常存在正相关关系;冬季呈现南北两个正负相关区:以30°N为界,北部区域存在显著的负相关,南部区存在显著的正相关,在30°N急流轴附近区域无显著相关关系。海温异常影响中国高空颠簸时空分布的可能原因是海温变化引起对流层高层温度出现异常,进而影响温度的经向梯度,导致东亚副热带西风急流强度和位置出现异常（夏季,急流轴南侧出现西风异常;冬季,急流轴北侧出现东风异常,南侧出现西风异常）。高空纬向风的变化导致纬向风的垂直梯度和经向梯度出现异常,最终影响高空颠簸的时空分布特征。对流层高层温度的异常变化可能是由与热带海温异常相关的平流层水汽变化所引起。     

中国夏季气温对东亚土壤湿度异常响应的统计评估

基于欧亚夏季土壤湿度变化特征及其与中国夏季气温的相关分析,选取东亚地区作为土壤湿度异常影响中国夏季气温的陆面关键区,采用广义平衡反馈分析方法(GEFA)探讨了我国夏季气温对东亚地区土壤湿度异常的可能响应,并初步讨论了相关的物理过程。结果表明:中国夏季气温与东亚地区初夏和同期的土壤湿度异常具有密切的联系;进一步分析表明,夏季气温距平场对土壤湿度第一模态的响应最显著:当东亚中纬度及我国东部地区土壤湿度异常偏干时,夏季气温表现为一致增暖;而土壤湿度第二模态对长江流域至我国西部地区的气温有较弱的强迫作用;气温对第三模态的响应主要表现为华南地区的显著降温。并以对气温影响最为显著的土壤湿度异常第一模态为例,初步探讨了气温对土壤湿度异常响应的可能物理过程。当贝加尔湖以南以及我国东部的土壤偏干时,地表异常加热容易引起我国北方高层大气出现明显正异常和低层的反气旋性异常环流,上述环流异常容易导致温度偏高,同时不利于该区域降水的发生,进而导致土壤湿度偏低,上述正反馈机制可能是该区域土壤湿度与大气之间联系的一种可能途径。     

青藏高原和亚洲夏季风动力学研究的新进展

亚洲夏季风环流受海陆和伊朗高原—青藏高原大地形的热力作用调控.亚洲季风所释放的巨大潜热又对大气环流形成反馈.这种相互反馈过程十分复杂,揭示其物理过程对理解气候变化格局的形成和变化以及提高天气预报及气候预测的准确率十分重要.夏季北半球副热带对流层上层环流的主要特征是存在庞大的南亚高压(SAH)以及强大的对流层上层温度暖中心(UTTM).本文介绍了温度—加热垂直梯度(T-Q_Z)理论的发展,并用以揭示SAH和UTTM的形成机制.指出沿副热带欧亚大陆东部的季风对流潜热加热及其中西部的表面感热加热和高层长波辐射冷却是导致SAH和UTTM在南亚上空发展的原因.文中还介绍了Gill模型用于上部对流层研究的局限性及解决的办法.