Air mass is inter-hemispherically redistributed, leading to an interesting phenomenon known as the Inter-Hemispheric Oscillation （IHO）. In the present article, the seasonality of the interannual IHO has been examined by employing monthly mean reanalyses from NCEP/NCAR, EAR40, and JRA25 for the period of 1958–2006. It is found that the IHO indices as calculated from different reanalyses are generally consistent with each other. A distinct seesaw structure in all four seasons between the northern and southern hemispheres is observed as the IHO signature in both the surface air pressure anomalies （SAPAs） and the leading EOF component of the anomalous zonal mean quantities. When the SAPAs are positive （negative） in the northern hemisphere, they are negative （positive） in the southern hemisphere. Large values of SAPAs are usually observed in mid- and high-latitude areas in all but the solstice seasons. In boreal summer and winter, relatively stronger perturbations of IHO-related SAPA are found in the Asian monsoon region, which shows a large difference from the status in boreal spring and fall. This suggests that seasonal mean monsoon activity is globally linked via air mass redistribution globally on interannual timescales, showing a very interesting linkage between monsoons and the IHO in the global domain. In all seasons, large values of SAPA always exist over the Antarctic and the surrounding regions, implying a close relation with Antarctic oscillations.
Using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and precipitation records of Chinese stations, we have investigated the relationship of interhemispheric oscillation of air mass (IHO) with global lower-level circulation and monsoon anomalies in boreal summer. Our results show that the summer IHO explains a greater portion of variance in the abnormal distribution of atmospheric mass over 30°S-60°N as well as the Antarctic. The IHO strongly correlates to the variations of sea level pressure (SLP) in these regions. It is shown that IHO has some influences on both atmospheric mass transports and water vapor fluxes over 30°S-60°N in association with three anomalous cyclonic circulations over land areas of the eastern hemisphere, which is in close relation to the changes in summer monsoon intensity in eastern Asia and western Africa. Composites of summer rainfall anomalies in China for high and low IHO-index years indicate that the eastern Asian summer monsoon is more intense, with positive precipitation anomaly centers in northern and northeastern parts of China, as opposed to the negative center over the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLRYR) in stronger IHO years. In weak IHO years, a feeble summer monsoon appears in eastern Asia, leading to positive center of precipitation anomalies displaced into the MLRYR. Furthermore, a teleconnection in wind fields between the western African and eastern Asian monsoon regions was observed in the middle and higher troposphere in the scenario of IHO. The anomalous cyclonic (anticyclonic) circulations along the path of this Africa-East Asia teleconnection were found to be just over the diabatic heating (cooling) centers, suggesting that diabatic forcings are responsible for the formation of this Africa-East Asia teleconnection.
LU ChuHan, GUAN ZhaoYong & CAI JiaXi Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster of Ministry of Education and College of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Using the monthly mean data from NCEP-NCAR reanalysis, through building tropopause pressure index, we investigated the mechanisms of anomalous variations of tropopause pressure over the Tibetan Plateau during summer in Northem Hemisphere. For comparative analysis we selected representative years of 1992 and 1998 to study, and they were respectively the highest and the lowest year oftropopause pressure anomaly over the Tibetan Plateau. The results are summarized as follows： （1） Over the Tibetan Plateau, the variations of tropopause pressure are well correlated respectively with anomalous temperature and geopotential height in both troposphere and stratosphere. Besides, the anomalous tropopause pressure has also close relation with anomalous surface temperature in the Tibetan Plateau. In 1992, the surface temperature was anomalously low, correspondingly, the tropopause pressure over the Tibetan Plateau was anomalously high; but in 1998, the opposite was the case. （2） Over the Tibetan Plateau, the correlation of tropopause pressure and OLR （Outgoing Longwave Radiation） is found to be positive. Furthermore, by further diagnosing the circulation fields between 850 hPa and 200 hPa levels and the whole troposphere vapour field, we found out that the anomalously high tropopause pressure in 1992 corresponded to the anticyclonic divergence of low level wind fields and the cyclonic convergence of high level wind fields, and coupled with divergence of the whole troposphere vapour fields along with the South Asian High weakened at the same time. While in 1998, the case was opposite to that in 1992. These facts indicated that the anomalous convection resulted in the significant difference oftropopause pressure in 1992 and 1998 over the Tibetan Plateau. （3） The vertically integrated heat budget anomalies were responsible for explaining tropopause pressure anomalies in 1992 and 1998 over the Tibetan Plateau.
BaoLin ZhuChuHan LuZhaoYong GuanZhi ChengWenJun Liu
