Spatial and Temporal Variations of Asian Winter Atmospheric Kinetic Energy and Their Linkage with Winter Precipitation and Temperature in China

The spatial and temporal variations of Asian winter atmospheric kinetic energy, the abnormality of atmospheric circulation caused by these variations, and their linkage with precipitation and temperature in China are studied,based on the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and precipitation and temperature data in China from 1968 to 2008. The results reveal that the main anomalous center of atmospheric kinetic energy in winter lies in the region of East Asia Westerly Jet. The kinetic energy in aforementioned anomalous centers shows remarkably interannual and interdecadal variations. In winter, the reducing (increasing) of the atmospheric kinetic energy in the region from the central-eastern part of China to the northwestern Pacific is closely related with the weakening (intensification) of East Asian Westerly Jet, and finally causes more (less) precipitation in eastern China and higher (lower) temperature in northeastern China. The increasing (reducing) of the atmospheric kinetic energy in the southwestern side of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is closely related with the intensification (weakening) of South Asian Westerly Jet, and finally causes more (less) precipitation in southeastern China and lower (higher) temperature in Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan Province. In winter, the variation of the Asian atmospheric kinetic energy mainly causes the variation of Asian Westerly Jet, which in turn may cause the anomalous winter climate in China.