This paper reveals that the summer North Atlantic Oscillation (SNAO) is closely related to the extreme hot event (EHE) variability in China during the period of 1979 2009, with a positive-phase (negative-phase) SNAO corresponding to less (more) EHEs in northern China. The summer circulation anomalies associated with the SNAO give further confirmation of the above relationship. In a positive-phase (negative-phase) SNAO year, there is an anomalous cyclone (anticyclone) over central East Asia, which can increase (decrease) the total cloud cover over this region. Such changes of the total cloud cover can then decrease (increase) the solar radiation reaching the surface, which is consequently unfavorable (favorable) to the formation of EHEs over northern China.
Based on daily precipitation data, the spatial-temporal features of heavy rainfall events (HREs) during 1960-2009 are investigated. The results indicate that the HREs experienced strong decadal variability in the past 50 years, and the decadal features varied across regions. More HRE days are observed in the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s over Northeast China (NEC); in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s over North China (NC); in the early 1960s, 1980s, and 2000s over the Huaihe River basin (HR); in the 1970s-1990s over the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley (YR); and in the 1970s and 1990s over South China (SC). These decadal changes of HRE days in eastern China are closely associated with the decadal variations of water content and stratification stability of the local atmosphere. The intensity of HREs in each sub-region is also characterized by strong decadal variability. The HRE intensity and frequency co-vary on the long-term trend, and show consistent variability over NEC, NC, and YR, but inconsistent variability over SC and HR. Further analysis of the relationships between the annual rainfall and HRE frequency as well as intensity indicates that the HRE frequency is the major contributor to the total rainfall variability in eastern China, while the HRE intensity shows only relative weak contribution.
Here we propose a new concept,the Pan-Asian monsoon,and use empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis and linear regression approach to define it and to analyze the monsoon-related rainfall variability.The Pan-Asian monsoon is referred to as the monsoon occurred over the great region (60°E-140°E,10°S-35°N),consisting of the Indian monsoon,Southeast Asian monsoon,East Asian monsoon,and Western North Pacific monsoon.The Pan-Asian monsoon region is the principal region of the summer rainfall over the Asian-Pacific monsoon region and is also water vapor channel connecting several Asian-Pacific sub-monsoon systems.The first EOF mode of the Pan-Asian monsoon precipitation (PAMP_F) shows a meridional tripole pattern with more (less) rainfall zonal belt over the Bay of Bengal (BOB),the Indo-China Peninsula,South China,the South China Sea (SCS),Philippines and the Philippine Sea,and less (more) rainfall on both sides.The first rainfall mode is associated with the weakened Somali cross-equatorial flows,enhanced southerly over the eastern coast of Australia,and strengthened westerly over the tropical Pacific.The first EOF rainfall mode shows a close relationship with the simultaneous El Nio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific South America (PSA).The preceding spring and simultaneous summer Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) in the western Hemisphere (AAO in Pacific) has a connection with the first summer rainfall mode of the Pan-Asian monsoon.Because the main influence factors are over the Pacific,the first rainfall mode is named as the Pacific mode.The second mode of the Pan-Asian monsoon precipitation (PAMP_S) shows a dipole pattern from northeast to southwest,which is associated with the weakened Somali cross-equatorial flows,enhanced easterlies over the Maritime Continent,and weak easterly over the tropical Pacific.The second rainfall model has a close relationship with the atmospheric convection activity and the sea surface temperature variability over the Maritime Continent and South Indian Ocean.Because the in
Using the output data of 20 coupled climate models used in IPCC AR4 and observational data from NCEP, the capability of the models to simulate the boreal winter climatology of the East Asian sea level pressure, 850-hPa wind, and surface air temperature; the decadal variations of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) intensity and EAWM-related circulation, and the interdecadal variations of EAWM-related circulation are systematically evaluated. The results indicate that 16 models can weakly simulate the declining trend of the EAWM in the 1980s. More than half of the models produce relatively reasonable decadal variations of the EAWM-related circulation and the interdecadal differences of EAWM-related circulation between the boreal winters of 1960-1985 and 1986-1998, including the weakened Siberian high, Aleutian low, and East Asian trough, the enhanced Arctic oscillation and North Pacific oscillation, and a deepened polar vortex. It is found that the performance of the multi-selected-model ensemble in reproducing the spatial distribution of the variations is encouraging, although the variational amplitudes are generally smaller than the observations. In addition, it is found that BCCR-BCM2.0, CGCM3.1-T63, CNRM-CM3, CSIRO-MK3.0, GISS-ER, INM-CM3.0, and MRI-CGCM2.3.2 perform well in every aspect.
In this study,physical mechanism of the impacts of the tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature(SST)on decadal change of the summer North Atlantic Oscillation(SNAO)was explored using an atmospheric general circulation model(AGCM)developed at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics(ICTP).The simulation results indicate that the decadal warming of the SST over the tropical Atlantic after the late 1970s could have significantly enhanced the convection over the region.This enhanced convection would have strengthened the local meridional circulation over the Eastern Atlantic-North Africa-Western Europe region,exciting a meridional teleconnection.This teleconnection might have brought the signal of the tropical Atlantic SST to the Extratropics,consequently activating the variability of the eastern part of the SNAO southern center,which led to an eastward shift of the SNAO southern center around the late 1970s.Such physical processes are highly consistent with the previous observations.
