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.     

江苏沿海高速公路低能见度浓雾的气候特征和影响因子研究

文章对2012年6月至2014年6月期间发生于江苏省沿海高速公路的浓雾过程(能见度0.5 km)进行统计分析,探讨了低能见度浓雾的气候特征、气象要素变化以及主要环流形势背景。研究结果表明:(1)低能见度浓雾月分布次数有显著差异,3-6月、12月至次年2月雾发生次数最高,春、冬季高于夏、秋季;03:00-05:00为低能见度生成的高峰时段,08:00左右为消散峰值时段。(2)能见度低于0.5 km后,如果相对湿度继续增大到97%左右、温度处于0~4℃、风速在0~2 m·s~(-1)、风向在ENE-SSE,能见度可能继续下降到0.2 km以下。(3)对150366个样本的环流背景统计分析表明,中北部路段的低能见度天气大多数是由锋前雾引起的,主要出现在中低层暖区域内,地面为冷锋前部弱气压场的环流条件下。全路段大面积低能见度天气由辐射雾和平流雾造成,辐射雾天气形势主要是高层为下沉气流,配合地面受弱高压或高压南下;平流雾出现在中低层暖性系统,地面位于入海高压后部或低压倒槽东侧,低层盛行偏东风或东南风。(4)"象鼻型"先期振荡现象适用于沿海高速公路低能见度预报过程,尤其对能见度稳定维持0.2 km以下的浓雾过程有很好的预警和监测作用。     

淮河流域夏季降水异常与若干气候因子的关系

基于旋转经验正交函数分解 (REOF) 方法探讨淮河流域1961—2010年夏季降水与厄尔尼诺/南方涛动 (ENSO)、北大西洋涛动 (NAO)、印度洋偶极子 (IOD)、太平洋年代际振荡 (PDO) 之间的关系,并进一步分析各气候因子不同位相单独以及联合对淮河流域夏季降水的影响。结果表明:淮河流域夏季降水与ENSO,PDO,NAO,IOD等气候因子具有较稳定的相关性,其中,PDO和IOD是影响淮河流域夏季降水的关键因子,且PDO与夏季降水呈显著负相关关系;各气候因子的冷暖位相单独及联合对淮河流域夏季降水的影响不同,PDO的冷期以及NAO,IOD冷位相使流域北部的夏季降水量呈显著增加趋势,PDO分别联合ENSO,NAO和IOD的冷、暖位相对流域北部地区和淮河上游地区的夏季降水影响显著。     

热带印度洋海温海盆一致模的变化规律及其对东亚夏季气候影响的回顾

近十几年,热带印度洋对全球气候的作用越来越受到关注.本文从热带印度洋气候态特征、海温海盆一致模的变化规律以及对东亚夏季气候的影响方面回顾了这些研究工作,并且对这些研究以及存在的不足做了系统的总结.     

四川烤烟主产区冰雹灾害风险评估

以四川烤烟主产区冰雹灾害为研究对象,将烤烟气候适应性特征和自然灾害系统论相结合,利用冰雹频率、DEM高程数据、下垫面类型以及农业经济数据等资料,构建冰雹灾害风险评估指标体系,从致灾因子危险性、孕灾环境敏感性、承灾体易损性和抗灾能力4个方面进行分析,最终建立四川烤烟主产区冰雹灾害精细化风险评估模型并计算风险分布指数,借此将攀西烟区划分为由高至低的5个风险区域和1个不适宜种植区。结果表明,安宁河源头河谷地区、雅砻江下游流域以及攀西地区南部的河谷低山区和丘陵区冰雹灾害风险处于较高水平。评估结果为区域烤烟种植结构调整及冰雹灾害防御工作提供了科学指导。     

武威市初、终霜日气候特征

为了因地制宜,合理调整种植结构和布局,有效利用农业气候资源。利用1961—2014年武威市4个气象站点初、终霜日(最低地温≤0℃)观测资料,采用现代气候诊断分析方法,系统分析了该市年初、终霜日的时空变化特征。结果表明:受海拔高度、地形地势以及植被覆盖情况的影响,在空间分布上,武威市初霜日为山区早于荒漠区早于绿洲平原区,终霜日为山区晚于荒漠区晚于绿洲平原区,各地初、终霜日存在一定的异常性,正常初、终霜日均在60%左右,对农业生产造成危害的偏早和特早初霜日、偏晚和特晚终霜日的概率均在20%左右。在时间变化上,武威市初霜日呈显著推迟趋势,终霜日呈显著提早趋势,霜期呈显著缩短趋势,终霜日提早的幅度比初霜日推迟的幅度更大。初霜日和终霜日的时间序列均分别存在着8~10年和9~11年的准周期变化。初霜日在1998年发生了气候突变,终霜日在1996年发生了气候突变。     

Modelling long-term HFC emissions from India's residential air-conditioning sector: exploring implications of alternative refrigerants,best practices,and a sustainable lifestyle within an integrated assessment modelling framework

India's growing role in the global climate debate makes it imperative to analyse emission reduction policies and strategies across a range of GHGs, especially for under-researched non-CO₂ gases. Hydrofluorocarbons' (HFCs) usage in cooling equipment and subsequent emissions are expected to increase dramatically in India with the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) as coolants in air-conditioning equipment. We focus on the residential air-conditioning sector in India and analyse a suite of HFC and alternative coolant gas scenarios for understanding the implications for GHG emissions from this sector within an integrated assessment modelling framework. We find that, if unabated, HFC410A emissions will contribute to 36% of the total global warming impact from the residential air-conditioner sector in India in 2050, irrespective of the future economic growth trajectory, and the remaining 64% is from energy to power residential air-conditioners. A move towards more efficient, low global warming potential (GWP) alternative refrigerants will significantly reduce the cumulative global warming footprint of this sector by 37% during the period 2010–2050, due to gains both from energy efficiency as well as low GWP alternatives. Best practices for reducing direct emissions are important, but only of limited utility, and if a sustainable lifestyle is adopted by consumers with lower floorspace, low GWP refrigerants, and higher building envelope efficiencies, cumulative emissions during 2010–2050 can be reduced by 46% compared to the Reference scenario.

Policy relevance

Our analysis has important implications for Indian climate policy. We highlight that the Indian government's amendment proposal to the Montreal Protocol is a strong signal to the Indian market that the transition away from high GWP refrigerants towards low/zero GWP alternatives will happen sooner or later. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency should extend building energy conservation code policy to residential buildings immediately, and the government should mandate it. Government authorities should set guidelines and mandate reporting of data related to air-conditioner coolant recharge frequency and recovery of scrapped air-conditioner units. For contentious issues like flammability where there is no consensus within the industry, the government needs to undertake an independent technical assessment that can provide unbiased and reliable information to the market.     

Climate change mitigation scenarios and policies and measures: the case of Kazakhstan

This article illustrates the main difficulties encountered in the preparation of GHG emission projections and climate change mitigation policies and measures (P&M) for Kazakhstan. Difficulties in representing the system with an economic model have been overcome by representing the energy system with a technical-economic growth model (MARKAL-TIMES) based on the stock of existing plants, transformation processes, and end-use devices. GHG emission scenarios depend mainly on the pace of transition in Kazakhstan from a planned economy to a market economy. Three scenarios are portrayed: an incomplete transition, a fast and successful one, and even more advanced participation in global climate change mitigation, including participation in some emission trading schemes. If the transition to a market economy is completed by 2020, P&M already adopted may reduce emissions of CO₂ from combustion by about 85 MtCO₂ by 2030 – 17% of the emissions in the baseline (WOM) scenario. One-third of these reductions are likely to be obtained from the demand sectors, and two-thirds from the supply sectors. If every tonne of CO₂ not emitted is valued up to US$10 in 2020 and $20 in 2030, additional P&M may further reduce emissions by 110 MtCO₂ by 2030.     

GDP and employment effects of policies to close the 2020 emissions gap

Four policies might close the gap between the global GHG emissions expected for 2020 on the basis of current (2013) policies and the reduced emissions that will be needed if the long-term global temperature increase can be kept below the 2 °C internationally agreed limit. The four policies are (1) specific energy efficiency measures, (2) closure of the least-efficient coal-fired power plants, (3) minimizing methane emissions from upstream oil and gas production, and (4) accelerating the (partial) phase-out of subsidies to fossil-fuel consumption. In this article we test the hypothesis of the International Energy Agency (IEA) that these policies will not result in a loss of gross domestic product (GDP) and we estimate their employment effects using the E3MG global macro-econometric model. Using a set of scenarios we assess each policy individually and then consider the outcomes if all four policies were implemented simultaneously. We find that the policies are insufficient to close the emissions gap, with an overall emission reduction that is 30% less than that found by the IEA. World GDP is 0.5% higher in 2020, with about 6 million net jobs created by 2020 and unemployment reduced.

Policy relevance

The gap between GHG emissions expected under the Copenhagen and Cancun Agreements and that needed for emissions trajectories to have a reasonable chance of reaching the 2 °C target requires additional policies if it is to be closed. This article uses a global simulation model E3MG to analyse a set of policies proposed by the IEA to close the gap and assesses their macroeconomic effects as well as their feasibility in closing the gap. It complements the IEA assessment by estimating the GDP and employment implications separately by the different policies year by year to 2020, by major industries, and by 21 world regions.     

The need for national deep decarbonization pathways for effective climate policy

Constraining global average temperatures to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels will probably require global energy system emissions to be halved by 2050 and complete decarbonization by 2100. In the nationally orientated climate policy framework codified under the Paris Agreement, each nation must decide the scale and method of their emissions reduction contribution while remaining consistent with the global carbon budget. This policy process will require engagement amongst a wide range of stakeholders who have very different visions for the physical implementation of deep decarbonization. The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) has developed a methodology, building on the energy, climate and economics literature, to structure these debates based on the following principles: country-scale analysis to capture specific physical, economic and political circumstances to maximize policy relevance, a long-term perspective to harmonize short-term decisions with the long-term objective and detailed sectoral analysis with transparent representation of emissions drivers through a common accounting framework or ‘dashboard’. These principles are operationalized in the creation of deep decarbonization pathways (DDPs), which involve technically detailed, sector-by-sector maps of each country’s decarbonization transition, backcasting feasible pathways from 2050 end points. This article shows how the sixteen DDPP country teams, covering 74% of global energy system emissions, used this method to collectively restrain emissions to a level consistent with the 2 °C target while maintaining development aspirations and reflecting national circumstances, mainly through efficiency, decarbonization of energy carriers (e.g. electricity, hydrogen, biofuels and synthetic gas) and switching to these carriers. The cross-cutting analysis of country scenarios reveals important enabling conditions for the transformation, pertaining to technology research and development, investment, trade and global and national policies.

Policy relevance

In the nation-focused global climate policy framework codified in the Paris Agreement, the purpose of the DDPP and DDPs is to provide a common method by which global and national governments, business, civil society and researchers in each country can communicate, compare and debate differing concrete visions for deep decarbonization in order to underpin the necessary societal and political consensus to design and implement short-term policy packages that are consistent with long-term global decarbonization.