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2016 Vol. 33, No. 12

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Current Climate Data Rescue Activities in Australia
Linden ASHCROFT, Rob ALLAN, Howard BRIDGMAN, Joëlle GERGIS, Christa PUDMENZKY, Ken THORNTON
2016, 33(12): 1323-1324. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-6189-5
Abstract:
The International Radiation Symposium 2016
Nicholas EDKINS, Werner SCHMUTZ, Luca EGLI, Roger DAVIES, Teruo AOKI, Greg McFARQUHAR
2016, 33(12): 1325-1328. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-6180-1
Abstract:
Simulation by CMIP5 Models of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Its Climate Impacts
Zhe HAN, Feifei LUO, Shuanglin LI, Yongqi GAO, Tore FUREVIK, Lea SVENDSEN
2016, 33(12): 1329-1342. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-5270-4
Abstract:
This study focuses on the climatic impacts of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) as a mode of internal variability. Given the difficulties involved in excluding the effects of external forcing from internal variation, i.e., owing to the short record length of instrumental observations and historical simulations, we assess and compare the AMO and its related climatic impacts both in observations and in the "Pre-industrial" experiments of models participating in CMIP5. First, we evaluate the skill of the 25 CMIP5 models' "Historical" simulations in simulating the observational AMO, and find there is generally a considerable range of skill among them in this regard. Six of the models with higher skill relative to the other models are selected to investigate the AMO-related climate impacts, and it is found that their "Pre-industrial" simulations capture the essential features of the AMO. A positive AMO favors warmer surface temperature around the North Atlantic, and the Atlantic ITCZ shifts northward leading to more rainfall in the Sahel and less rainfall in Brazil. Furthermore, the results confirm the existence of a teleconnection between the AMO and East Asian surface temperature, as well as the late withdrawal of the Indian summer monsoon, during positive AMO phases. These connections could be mainly caused by internal climate variability. Opposite patterns are true for the negative phase of the AMO.
The Upstream "Strong Signals" of the Water Vapor Transport over the Tibetan Plateau during a Heavy Rainfall Event in the Yangtze River Basin
Yang ZHAO, Xiangde XU, Bin CHEN, Yinjun Wang
2016, 33(12): 1343-1350. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-6118-7
Abstract:
A heavy rainfall event that occurred over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) during July 11-13 2000 is explored in this study. The potential/stream function is used to analyze the upstream "strong signals" of the water vapor transport in the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The studied time period covers from 2000 LST 5 July to 2000 LST 15 July (temporal resolution: 6 hours). By analyzing the three-dimensional structure of the water vapor flux, vorticity and divergence prior to and during the heavy rainfall event, the upstream "strong signals" related to this heavy rainfall event are revealed. A strong correlation exists between the heavy rainfall event in the YRB and the convective clouds over the TP. The "convergence zone" of the water vapor transport is also identified, based on correlation analysis of the water vapor flux two days and one day prior to, and on the day of, the heavy rainfall. And this "convergence zone" coincides with the migration of the maximum rainfall over the YRB. This specific coupled structure actually plays a key role in generating heavy rainfall over the YRB. The eastward movement of the coupled system with a divergence/convergence center of the potential function at the upper/lower level resembles the spatiotemporal evolution of the heavy rainfall event over the YRB. These upstream "strong signals" are clearly traced in this study through analyzing the three-dimensional structure of the potential/stream function of upstream water vapor transport.
Anomalous Western Pacific Subtropical High during Late Summer in Weak La Niña Years: Contrast between 1981 and 2013
Feng XUE, Fangxing FAN
2016, 33(12): 1351-1360. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-5281-1
Abstract:
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.
Modulation of Tropical Cyclogenesis in the Western North Pacific by the Quasi-Biweekly Oscillation
Haikun ZHAO, Chunzai WANG, Ryuji YOSHIDA
2016, 33(12): 1361-1375. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-5267-z
Abstract:
The quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) is the second most dominant intraseasonal mode over the western North Pacific (WNP) during boreal summer. In this study, the modulation of WNP tropical cyclogenesis (TCG) by the QBWO and its association with large-scale patterns are investigated. A strong modulation of WNP TCG events by the QBWO is found. More TCG events occur during the QBWO's convectively active phase. Based on the genesis potential index (GPI), we further evaluate the role of environmental factors in affecting WNP TCG. The positive GPI anomalies associated with the QBWO correspond well with TCG counts and locations. A large positive GPI anomaly is spatially correlated with WNP TCG events during a life cycle of the QBWO. The low-level relative vorticity and mid-level relative humidity appear to be two dominant contributors to the QBWO-composited GPI anomalies during the QBWO's active phase, followed by the nonlinear and potential intensity terms. These positive contributions to the GPI anomalies are partly offset by the negative contribution from the vertical wind shear. During the QBWO's inactive phase, the mid-level relative humidity appears to be the largest contributor, while weak contributions are also made by the nonlinear and low-level relative vorticity terms. Meanwhile, these positive contributions are partly cancelled out by the negative contribution from the potential intensity. The contributions of these environmental factors to the GPI anomalies associated with the QBWO are similar in all five flow patterns——the monsoon shear line, monsoon confluence region, monsoon gyre, easterly wave, and Rossby wave energy dispersion associated with a preexisting TC. Further analyses show that the QBWO strongly modulates the synoptic-scale wave trains (SSWs) over the WNP, with larger amplitude SSWs during the QBWO's active phase. This implies a possible enhanced (weakened) relationship between TCG and SSWs during the active (inactive) phase. This study improves our understanding of the modulation of WNP TCG by the QBWO and thus helps with efforts to improve the intraseasonal prediction of WNP TCG.
Characterizing the Urban Temperature Trend Using Seasonal Unit Root Analysis: Hong Kong from 1970 to 2015
Wai-Ming TO, Tat-Wai YU
2016, 33(12): 1376-1385. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-6113-z
Abstract:
This paper explores urban temperature in Hong Kong using long-term time series. In particular, the characterization of the urban temperature trend was investigated using the seasonal unit root analysis of monthly mean air temperature data over the period January 1970 to December 2013. The seasonal unit root test makes it possible to determine the stochastic trend of monthly temperatures using an autoregressive model. The test results showed that mean air temperature has increased by 0.169°C (10 yr)-1 over the past four decades. The model of monthly temperature obtained from the seasonal unit root analysis was able to explain 95.9% of the variance in the measured monthly data —— much higher than the variance explained by the ordinary least-squares model using annual mean air temperature data and other studies alike. The model accurately predicted monthly mean air temperatures between January 2014 and December 2015 with a root-mean-square percentage error of 4.2%. The correlation between the predicted and the measured monthly mean air temperatures was 0.989. By analyzing the monthly air temperatures recorded at an urban site and a rural site, it was found that the urban heat island effect led to the urban site being on average 0.865°C warmer than the rural site over the past two decades. Besides, the results of correlation analysis showed that the increase in annual mean air temperature was significantly associated with the increase in population, gross domestic product, urban land use, and energy use, with the R2 values ranging from 0.37 to 0.43.
Role of the Oceanic Channel in the Relationships between the Basin/Dipole Mode of SST Anomalies in the Tropical Indian Ocean and ENSO Transition
Xia ZHAO, Dongliang YUAN, Guang YANG, Hui ZHOU, Jing WANG
2016, 33(12): 1386-1400. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-6048-4
Abstract:
The relationships between the tropical Indian Ocean basin (IOB)/dipole (IOD) mode of SST anomalies (SSTAs) and ENSO phase transition during the following year are examined and compared in observations for the period 1958-2008. Both partial correlation analysis and composite analysis show that both the positive (negative) phase of the IOB and IOD (independent of each other) in the tropical Indian Ocean are possible contributors to the El Niño (La Niña) decay and phase transition to La Niña (El Niño) about one year later. However, the influence on ENSO transition induced by the IOB is stronger than that by the IOD. The SSTAs in the equatorial central-eastern Pacific in the coming year originate from subsurface temperature anomalies in the equatorial eastern Indian and western Pacific Ocean, induced by the IOB and IOD through eastward and upward propagation to meet the surface. During this process, however the contribution of the oceanic channel process between the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans is totally different for the IOB and IOD. For the IOD, the influence of the Indonesian Throughflow transport anomalies could propagate to the eastern Pacific to induce the ENSO transition. For the IOB, the impact of the oceanic channel stays and disappears in the western Pacific without propagation to the eastern Pacific.
Characteristics of the Asian-Pacific Oscillation in Boreal Summer Simulated by BCC_CSM with Different Horizontal Resolutions
Yazhou ZHANG, Zhijie LIAO, Yaocun ZHANG, Feng NIE
2016, 33(12): 1401-1412. doi: 10.1007/s00376-016-5266-0
Abstract:
The summer Asian-Pacific Oscillation (APO) is a major teleconnection pattern that reflects the zonal thermal contrast between East Asia and the North Pacific in the upper troposphere. The performance of Beijing Climate Center Climate System Models (BCC_CSMs) with different horizontal resolutions, i.e., BCC_CSM1.1 and BCC_CSM1.1(m), in reproducing APO interannual variability, APO-related precipitation anomalies, and associated atmospheric circulation anomalies, is evaluated. The results show that BCC_CSM1.1(m) can successfully capture the interannual variability of the summer APO index. It is also more capable in reproducing the APO's spatial pattern, compared to BCC_CSM1.1, due to its higher horizontal resolution. Associated with a positive APO index, the northward-shifted and intensified South Asian high, strengthened extratropical westerly jet, and tropical easterly jet in the upper troposphere, as well as the southwesterly monsoonal flow over North Africa and the Indian Ocean in the lower troposphere, are realistically represented by BCC_CSM1.1(m), leading to an improvement in reproducing the increased precipitation over tropical North Africa, South Asia, and East Asia, as well as the decreased precipitation over subtropical North Africa, Japan, and North America. In contrast, these features are less consistent with observations when simulated by BCC_CSM1.1. Regression analysis further indicates that surface temperature anomalies over the North Pacific and the southern and western flanks of the Tibetan Plateau are reasonably reproduced by BCC_CSM1.1(m), which contributes to the substantial improvement in the simulation of the characteristics of summer APO compared to that of BCC_CSM1.1.