An Assessment on the Performance of IPCC AR4 Climate Models in Simulating Interdecadal Variations of the East Asian Summer Monsoon

Observations from several data centers together with a categorization method are used to evaluate the IPCC AR4 （Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Fourth Assessment Report） climate models＇ performance in simulating the interdecadal variations of summer precipitation and monsoon circulation in East Asia. Out of 19 models under examination, 9 models can relatively well reproduce the 1979-1999 mean June-July-August （JJA） precipitation in East Asia, but only 3 models （Category-1 models） can capture the interdecadal variation of precipitation in East Asia. These 3 models are： GFDL-CM2.0, MIROC3.2 （hires）, and MIROC3.2 （medres）, among which the GFDL-CM2.0 gives the best performance. The reason for the poor performance of most models in simulating the East Asian summer monsoon interdecadal variation lies in that the key dynamic and thermal-dynamic mechanisms behind the East Asian monsoon change are missed by the models, e.g., the large-scale tropospheric cooling and drying over East Asia. In contrast, the Category-1 models relatively well reproduce the variations in vertical velocity and water vapor over East Asia and thus show a better agreement with observations in simulating the pattern of ＂wet south and dry north＂ in China in the past 20 years.
It is assessed that a single model＇s performance in simulating a particular variable has great impacts on the ensemble results. More realistic outputs can be obtained when the multi-model ensemble is carried out using a suite of well-performing models for a specific variable, rather than using all available models. This indicates that although a multi-model ensemble is in general better than a single model, the best ensemble mean cannot be achieved without looking into each member model＇s performance.     

江淮入梅异常的强信号及其对入梅的影响

江淮入梅具有显著的年际变化特征.利用NCEP/NCAR再分析数据集以及NOAA提供的全球射出长波辐射(OLR)和扩展重建海温(ERSST)等资料,采用相关分析和合成分析等方法研究了江淮入梅异常的前兆强信号,并初步分析了其影响入梅的可能机制.结果表明,ENSO事件是影响江淮入梅早晚较强的前兆信号.前期冬春季出现ENSO暖位相时有利于入梅开始偏晚,ENSO冷位相出现时入梅往往偏早.前期冬季2月和春季Nino 4区的海温异常能较好地预测入梅早晚,具有短期气候预测的指示意义和实用性.ENSO暖位相年,亚澳"大陆桥"、菲律宾、西太平洋暖池以及印度半岛附近对流偏弱,不利于西太平洋副热带高压北跳和印度夏季风爆发,东亚地区大气环流季节转换偏晚,入梅因而偏晚;ENSO冷位相年情况则相反.     

东亚大气环流由冬向夏的转变时间及其特征

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析数据集及CMAP降水资料分析了东亚大气环流由冬转夏的可能时间及其特征。结果表明,3月底4月初,东亚与西太平洋对流层纬向热力差异由东暖西冷转为东冷西暖,对流层低层大陆高压东移,使得纬向气压梯度发生逆转。与此同时,对流层低层偏南风建立,经向垂直环流也发生季节逆转。同时,3月底4月初华南已出现持续性降水雨带。所有这些特征都表明东亚大气环流可能在3月底4月初已经由冬季型开始转为夏季型。     

SEASONAL PERSISTENCE OF THE WEST PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SURFACE HEAT FLUX ANOMALY

This paper investigates the interannual variation of the West Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) intensity based on the data compiled by the Chinese National Climate Center. Monthly reanalysis data from National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) are also used to study the lead-lag relationship between WPSH intensity and surface heat flux anomalies. The three major findings are as follows: First, WPSH intensity presents good seasonal persistence, especially from winter to the ensuing summer. Persistence is more significant after 1977, especially from spring to summer, and from summer to autumn; persistence of anticyclonic anomalies are significantly better than cyclonic anomalies. Second, surface heat flux tends to present opposite anomalous patterns between the strong and weak years of the WPSH intensity, which is especially valid at the latent heat flux over the ocean. Simultaneous correlations between surface heat flux and WPSH intensity in each of the seasons are marked by similar key areas. Finally, surface heat flux from the preceding winter of a strong summer WPSH is quite similar to strong spring WPSH, but the positive anomalies over the northwest Pacific and south of Japan are notably stronger. The situations in the weak years are similar except for those over the northwest Pacific: winter surface heat flux shows negative anomalies for a weak spring WPSH, but positive anomalies for a weak summer WPSH. It is suggested that surface heat flux in the previous winter plays an important role in maintaining the WPSH intensity in the ensuing spring and summer.     

热带东印度洋海表温度持续性的秋季障碍

利用全球海表海温资料(GISST)和NCEP/NCAR再分析风场、海平面气压场资料,研究了热带东印度洋海表温度持续性的季节差异,发现东印度洋海温持续性存在"秋季障碍"现象。进一步分析了东印度洋"秋季障碍"后冬季海温与中东太平洋海温、海平面气压及850hPa风场的关系,并讨论了热带印度洋—太平洋地区海气系统的季节变化与东印度洋"秋季障碍"的关系,结果表明,秋季热带印度洋—太平洋地区海气系统由以印度洋季风环流为主导转向以太平洋海气系统为主导,太平洋海气系统处于急剧加强期,增强的太平洋海气系统对东印度洋海温持续性"秋季障碍"起着重要的作用。     

Further Study of Typhoon Tracks and the Low-Frequency(30-60 Days)Wind-Field Pattern at 850 hPa

The association of typhoon tracks over the western Pacific with the low-frequency wind-field pattern of atmospheric intraseasonal (30-60 days) oscillation at 850 hPa is further studied by using observational data analyses. Comparative analyses of the composite wind fields at 850 hPa, contrasting the atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) with the original circulation, show that the typhoon tracks are closely related to the wind pattern of the ISO but are not obviously related to the original wind fields. Case studies of two typhoons in 2006 also show that the low-frequency wind-field pattern, particularly the maximum-value line (belt) of low-frequency cyclonic vorticity at 850 hPa, is closely related to the typhoon track. Therefore, the low-frequency circulation pattern and the maximum-value line (belt) of low-frequency cyclonic vorticity at 850hPa can be used to predict typhoon tracks over the northwestern Pacific.     

Model Projections of East Asian Summer Climate under the ‘Free Arctic’ Scenario

This paper addresses the ‘ice-free Arctic’ issue under the future global warming scenario. Four coupled climate models used in the third phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3) were selected to project summer climate conditions over East Asia once the Arctic becomes ice-free. The models project that an ice-free Arctic summer will begin in the 2060s under the SRESA1B (according to IPCC Special Reports on Emissions Scenarios) simulations. Our results show that the East Asian summer monsoons will tend to be stronger and that the water vapor transport to central northern China will be strengthened, leading to increased summer precipitation in central northern China. The models also project an intensified Antarctic Oscillation, a condition which favors increased precipitation in South China’s Yangtze River Valley. The overall precipitation in Northwest China is projected to increase under ice-free Arctic summer conditions.     

The Antarctic oscillation-East Asian summer monsoon connections in NCEP-1 and ERA-40

Connections between the spring Antarctic Oscillation(AAO)and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM)in two reanalysis datasets—NCEP-1(NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis 1)and ERA-40(ECMWF 40- year Reanalysis)—are investigated in this study.Both show significant correlation between AAO and EASM rainfall over the Yangtze River valley,especially after about 1985.Though ERA-40 shows weaker anomalous signals connecting AAO and EASM over southern high latitudes than NCEP-1,both datasets reveal similar connecting patterns between ...     

近46年来华东及周围地区最高与最低气温时空演变的气候特征

选用华东及周围地区157个气象观测站1960-2005年6~8月逐日最高、 最低气温资料, 利用分段线性突变检验、 EOF分解等方法, 分析了我国华东地区最高, 最低气温的空间分布及时间演变特征。结果表明： 高温主要出现在长江以南; 长江以北夏季气温分布受地形影响显著。最高气温分布具有良好的空间一致性, 主要受大尺度天气系统影响; 最低气温更多表现出局地变化特征; 华东夏季最高、 最低气温分布形态较为类似, 有“全区一致型”和“南北反向型”两种, 1980年是夏季气温的一个突变点。1980年以前, 最高、 最低气温都呈下降趋势; 1980年以后则呈升温趋势; 最高气温的演变以“高温-低温-高温”的年代际振荡为主, 极端高温主要发生在两个时段： 第一次在1960-1965年之间; 第二次在2000年以后, 而极端最低气温以升温趋势为主。     

北太平洋海平面气压场变化与海温的关系

利用SVD（singular value decomposition）方法分析了1948年1月—2002年12月北太平洋海平面气压场与海温的关系。结果表明,SVD第1对异类相关分布型反映出,当东北太平洋副热带高压加强（减弱）时,Namias海区海温升高（降低）,而加利福尼亚海流区海温降低（升高）。SVD第2对异类相关分布型表明,当阿留申低压加深、北太平洋副热带地区气压升高时,黑潮暖流区海温升高,而北太平洋高、低纬海温降低;反之亦然。时滞相关表明,北太平洋大气环流异常超前海温1个月的相关最好,海温变化对大气环流异常分布型具有维持作用。NCAR CCSM3模拟结果很好地验证了上述结论,即在海气相互作用过程中,东北太平洋副热带高压和NPO（North Pacific Oscillation）与北太平洋海温存在密切联系。