Time-lagged Effects of the Spring Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau on Summer Precipitation in Northeast China during 1961–2020:Role of Soil Moisture

The spring atmospheric heat source(AHS)over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has been suggested to affect the Asian summer monsoon and summer precipitation over South China.However,its influence on the summer precipitation in Northeast China(NEC)remains unknown.The connection between spring TP AHS and subsequent summer precipitation over NEC from 1961 to 2020 is analyzed in this study.Results illustrate that stronger spring TP AHS can enhance subsequent summer NEC precipitation,and higher soil moisture in the Yellow River Valley-North China region(YRVNC)acts as a bridge.During spring,the strong TP AHS could strengthen the transportation of water vapor to East China and lead to excessive rainfall in the YRVNC.Thus,soil moisture increases,which regulates local thermal conditions by decreasing local surface skin temperature and sensible heat.Owing to the memory of soil moisture,the lower spring sensible heat over the YRVNC can last until mid-summer,decrease the land–sea thermal contrast,and weaken the southerly winds over the East Asia–western Pacific region and convective activities over the South China Sea and tropical western Pacific.This modulates the East Asia–Pacific teleconnection pattern,which leads to a cyclonic anomaly and excessive summer precipitation over NEC.

Assessment of CMIP6 model performance for temperature and precipitation in Xinjiang,China

In this study,the authors evaluate the skill of 42 climate models from phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP6)in reproducing the climatological temperature and precipitation in Xinjiang during the period 1995–2014.The results indicate that the models can reliably capture the geographical distributions of the two variables.The regionally averaged bias of temperature is 0.1℃ for the annual mean,-1.6℃ in spring,0.5℃ in summer,-0.2℃ in autumn,and 1.3℃ in winter.Regionally averaged annual and seasonal precipitation in Xinjiang is generally overestimated by the CMIP6 models.The simulated annual precipitation is 89%more than the observation over Xinjiang,with a regionally averaged bias of 256%in spring,-3%in summer,84%in autumn,and 258%in winter.Quantitative analysis indicates that most models overestimate the spatial variability of both climatological temperature and precipitation.The models show smaller discrepancies in simulating the temperature than the precipitation in Xinjiang.In comparison,both the median and arithmetic mean of the 42 models have similar skills to those of 29 selected good models,and outperform most individual models.

Enhanced seasonality of surface air temperature over China during the mid-Holocene

利用PMIP4多模式试验数据,作者量化了中全新世(距今约6000年)中国温度季节性变化.结果表明:相对于工业革命前期,所有16个模式一致模拟显示中全新世我国温度季节性(即夏季与冬季温差)增强,平均增幅9%;这与该时期轨道强迫引起的地表能量通量的季节对比变化密切相关,其中净短波辐射起主导作用,净长波辐射作用次之,感热和潜热为负贡献;与模拟不同,重建结果存在不确定性。

Differences between CMIP6 and CMIP5 Models in Simulating Climate over China and the East Asian Monsoon

We compare the ability of coupled global climate models from the phases 5 and 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP5 and CMIP6,respectively)in simulating the temperature and precipitation climatology and interannual variability over China for the period 1961–2005 and the climatological East Asian monsoon for the period 1979–2005.All 92 models are able to simulate the geographical distribution of the above variables reasonably well.Compared with earlier CMIP5 models,current CMIP6 models have nationally weaker cold biases,a similar nationwide overestimation of precipitation and a weaker underestimation of the southeast–northwest precipitation gradient,a comparable overestimation of the spatial variability of the interannual variability,and a similar underestimation of the strength of winter monsoon over northern Asia.Pairwise comparison indicates that models have improved from CMIP5 to CMIP6 for climatological temperature and precipitation and winter monsoon but display little improvement for the interannual temperature and precipitation variability and summer monsoon.The ability of models relates to their horizontal resolutions in certain aspects.Both the multi-model arithmetic mean and median display similar skills and outperform most of the individual models in all considered aspects.

Influence of Major Stratospheric Sudden Warming on the Unprecedented Cold Wave in East Asia in January 2021

An unprecedented cold wave intruded into East Asia in early January 2021 and led to record-breaking or historical extreme low temperatures over vast regions.This study shows that a major stratospheric sudden warming(SSW)event at the beginning of January 2021 exerted an important influence on this cold wave.The major SSW event occurred on 2 January 2021 and subsequently led to the displacement of the stratospheric polar vortex to the East Asian side.Moreover,the SSW event induced the stratospheric warming signal to propagate downward to the mid-to-lower troposphere,which not only enhanced the blocking in the Urals-Siberia region and the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation,but also shifted the tropospheric polar vortex off the pole.The displaced tropospheric polar vortex,Ural blocking,and another downstream blocking ridge over western North America formed a distinct inverted omega-shaped circulation pattern(IOCP)in the East Asia-North Pacific sector.This IOCP was the most direct and impactful atmospheric pattern causing the cold wave in East Asia.The IOCP triggered a meridional cell with an upward branch in East Asia and a downward branch in Siberia.The meridional cell intensified the Siberian high and low-level northerly winds,which also favored the invasion of the cold wave into East Asia.Hence,the SSW event and tropospheric circulations such as the IOCP,negative phase of Arctic Oscillation,Ural blocking,enhanced Siberian high,and eastward propagation of Rossby wave eventually induced the outbreak of an unprecedented cold wave in East Asia in early January 2021.

Influence of October Eurasian Snow on Winter Temperature over Northeast China

This paper addresses the interannual variation of winter air temperature over Northeast China and its connection to preceding Eurasian snow cover. The results show that there is a significant negative correlation between October Eurasian snow cover and following-winter air temperature over Northeast China. The snow cover located in eastern Siberia and to the northeast of Lake Baikal plays an important role in the winter air temperature anomaly. More （less） eastern Siberia snow in October can cause an atmospheric circulation anomaly pattern in which the atmospheric pressure is higher （lower） than normal in the polar region and lower （higher） in the northern mid-high latitudes. Due to the persistence of the eastern Siberia snow from October to the following winter, the winter atmospheric anomaly is favorable （unfavorable） to the widespread movement of cold air masses from the polar region toward the northern mid-high latitudes and, hence, lower （higher） temperature over Northeast China. Simultaneously, when the October snow cover is more （less）, the SST in the northwestern Pacific is continuously lower （higher） as a whole; then, the Aleutian low and the East Asia trough are reinforced （weakened）, favoring the lower （higher） temperature over Northeast China.

Climate Change of 4℃ Global Warming above Pre-industrial Levels

Using a set of numerical experiments from 39 CMIP5 climate models, we project the emergence time for 4？C global warming with respect to pre-industrial levels and associated climate changes under the RCP8.5 greenhouse gas concentration scenario. Results show that, according to the 39 models, the median year in which 4？C global warming will occur is 2084.Based on the median results of models that project a 4？C global warming by 2100, land areas will generally exhibit stronger warming than the oceans annually and seasonally, and the strongest enhancement occurs in the Arctic, with the exception of the summer season. Change signals for temperature go outside its natural internal variabilities globally, and the signal-tonoise ratio averages 9.6 for the annual mean and ranges from 6.3 to 7.2 for the seasonal mean over the globe, with the greatest values appearing at low latitudes because of low noise. Decreased precipitation generally occurs in the subtropics, whilst increased precipitation mainly appears at high latitudes. The precipitation changes in most of the high latitudes are greater than the background variability, and the global mean signal-to-noise ratio is 0.5 and ranges from 0.2 to 0.4 for the annual and seasonal means, respectively. Attention should be paid to limiting global warming to 1.5？C, in which case temperature and precipitation will experience a far more moderate change than the natural internal variability. Large inter-model disagreement appears at high latitudes for temperature changes and at mid and low latitudes for precipitation changes. Overall, the intermodel consistency is better for temperature than for precipitation.

Interannual Climate Variability Change during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age in PMIP3 Last Millennium Simulations

In this study, we analyzed numerical experiments undertaken by 10 climate models participating in PMIP3（Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project Phase 3） to examine the changes in interannual temperature variability and coefficient of variation（CV） of interannual precipitation in the warm period of the Medieval Climate Anomaly（MCA） and the cold period of the Little Ice Age（LIA）. With respect to the past millennium period, the MCA temperature variability decreases by 2.0% on average over the globe, and most of the decreases occur in low latitudes. In the LIA, temperature variability increases by a global average of 0.6%, which occurs primarily in the high latitudes of Eurasia and the western Pacific. For the CV of interannual precipitation, regional-scale changes are more significant than changes at the global scale, with a pattern of increased（decreased） CV in the midlatitudes of Eurasia and the northwestern Pacific in the MCA（LIA）. The CV change ranges from-7.0% to 4.3%（from -6.3% to 5.4%）, with a global average of -0.5%（-0.07%） in the MCA（LIA）.Also, the variability changes are considerably larger in December–January–February with respect to both temperature and precipitation.

Strengthened African Summer Monsoon in the Mid-Piacenzian

Using model results from the first phase of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project （PlioMIP） and four experiments with CAM4, the intensified African summer monsoon （ASM） in the mid-Piacenzian and corresponding mechanisms are analyzed. The results from PlioMIP show that the ASM intensified and summer precipitation increased in North Africa during the mid-Piacenzian, which can be explained by the increased net energy in the atmospheric column above North Africa. Further experiments with CAM4 indicated that the combined changes in the mid-Piacenzian of atmospheric CO2 concentration and SST, as well as the vegetation change, could have substantially increased the net energy in the atmospheric column over North Africa and further intensified the ASM. The experiments also demonstrated that topography change had a weak effect. Overall, the combined changes of atmospheric CO2 concentration and SST were the most important factor that brought about the intensified ASM in the mid-Piacenzian.

大气CO_(2)和古地理共同控制新生代印太暖池的演化

The Indo-Pacific warm pool(IPWP) is crucial for regional and global climates. However, the development of the IPWP and its effect on the regional climate during the Cenozoic remain unclear. Here, using a compilation of sea surface temperature(SST) records(mainly since the middle Miocene) and multimodel paleoclimate simulations, our results indicated that the extent, intensity and warmest temperature position of the IPWP changed markedly during the Cenozoic. Specifically, its extent decreased, its intensity weakened, and its warmest temperature position shifted from the Indian to western Pacific Ocean over time. The atmospheric CO_(2) dominated its extent and intensity, while paleogeography, by restricting the distribution of the Indian Ocean and the width of the tropical seaways, controlled the shift in its warmest temperature position. In particular, the eastward shift to the western Pacific Ocean from the middle to late Miocene inferred from compiled SST records likely resulted from the constriction of tropical seaways. Furthermore, by changing the atmospheric thermal structure and atmospheric circulation,the reduced extent and intensity of the IPWP decreased the annual precipitation in the western Indian Ocean, eastern Asia and Australia, while the shift in the warmest temperature position from the Indian to western Pacific Ocean promoted aridification in Australia. Qualitative model-data agreements are obtained for both the IPWP SST and regional climate. From the perspective of past warm climates with high concentrations of atmospheric CO_(2), the expansion and strengthening of the IPWP will occur in a warmer future and favor excessive precipitation in eastern Asia and Australia.

上新世数值模拟揭示气候周期空间差异的机理

上新世(5.33~2.58 Ma)是距今最近的大气CO_(2)浓度超过400 ppmv的暖期,是理解未来气候变化的地质历史相似型.地质记录显示,上新世气候主要响应地球倾角和岁差变化,比如深海氧同位素和高纬陆相记录表现出强的倾角周期(41 ka),低纬和地中海地区的粉尘和花粉记录以岁差周期(21 ka)为主.然而,这些气候周期空间差异的机制尚不清楚.我们使用全球海气耦合模式HadCM3,开展了轨道参数极值实验.结果表明:(1)倾角变化主要对高纬温度影响显著(>5℃),很好地解释了高纬记录和受高纬冰量调节的深海氧同位素记录的41 ka周期;(2)岁差变化主要影响低纬降水(>2 mm d-1),很好地解释了低纬和地中海地区与季风活动相关的21 ka气候周期.

全球山脉隆升影响副热带干旱气候的模拟

现代全球山脉主要形成于新生代,对全球气候格局起重要作用.本文利用全球海气耦合模式CESM,设计并开展了3组不同地形隆升情景的数值试验,集中研究了全球地形对干旱的影响.在全球无地形试验中,各大陆副热带干旱区总体呈现东西对称的纬向型带状分布.随着全球地形隆升,一方面,亚洲东南部和中部、北美东南部和南美中部由干旱区变为湿润区,而欧亚内陆、东非沿岸则由湿润区退化为干旱区;青藏高原隆升的作用主要局限在欧亚大陆和非洲东部有限区域.另一方面,欧亚和非洲地形的存在缓解了北非西部沿岸及其北部的干旱化,但在一定程度上加剧了北非中部、北美西部和南美西部的干旱环境;而青藏高原隆升加剧了其西部包括中东、北非大部和东非的干旱化.干燥度指数分析表明,地形隆升主要通过改变降水影响干旱,潜在蒸散发的作用其次,二者对干燥度指数的贡献在空间分布格局上定性一致,但定量上有所差别.潜在蒸散发的影响因子中,地形隆升主要通过改变相对湿度和近地面气温影响干燥度,近地面风速的作用其次.上述模拟结果在一定程度上与地质时期重建证据和以往大气模式结果定性一致,表明其科学合理性及其古气候意义,从而有助于加深理解全球地形的气候效应.

Future extreme climate changes linked to global warming intensity

Based on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5) daily dataset, we investigate changes of the terrestrial extreme climates given that the global mean temperature increases persistently under the Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5(RCP8.5) scenario. Compared to preindustrial conditions, more statistically significant extreme temperatures, precipitations, and dry spells are expected in the 21 st century. Cold extremes decrease and warm extremes increase in a warmer world, and cold extremes tend to be more sensitive to global warming than the warm ones. When the global mean temperature increases, cold nights, cold days, and warm nights all display nonlinear relationships with it,such as the weakening of the link projected after 3 °C global warming, while the other indices generally exhibit differently, with linear relationships. Additionally, the relative changes in the indices related to extreme precipitation show significantly consistent linear changes with the global warming magnitude.Compared with the precipitation extremes, changes in temperature extremes are more strongly related to the global mean temperature changes. For the projection of the extreme precipitation changes, models show higher uncertainty than that in extreme temperature changes, and the uncertainty for the precipitation extremes becomes more remarkable when the global warming exceeds 5 °C.

A multi-model analysis of glacier equilibrium line altitudes in western China during the last glacial maximum

Based on numerical experiments undertaken with nine climate models, the glacier equilibrium line altitudes(ELAs)in western China during the last glacial maximum(LGM) are investigated to deepen our understanding of the surface environment on the Tibetan Plateau. Relative to the preindustrial period, the summer surface air temperatures decrease by 4–8°C while the annual precipitation decreases by an average of 25% across the Tibetan Plateau during the LGM. Under the joint effects of reductions in summer temperature and annual precipitation, the LGM ELAs in western China are lowered by magnitudes that vary with regions. The ELAs in the southern margin and northwestern Tibetan Plateau decline by approximately 1100 m;the central hinterland, by 650–800 m;and the eastern part, by 550–800 m, with a downward trend from southwest to northeast. The reduction in ELAs is no more than 650 m in the Tian Shan Mountains within China and approximately 500–600 m in the Qilian Mountains and Altai Mountains. The high-resolution models to reproduce the low values of no more than 500 m in ELA reductions in the central Tibetan Plateau, which are consistent with the proxy records from glacier remains. The accumulation zones of the Tibetan Plateau glaciers are mainly located in the marginal mountains during the LGM and have areas 2–5 times larger than those of the modern glaciers but still do not reach the central part.

Evaluation of East Asian Summer Climate Prediction from the CESM Large-Ensemble Initialized Decadal Prediction Project

Based on surface air temperature and precipitation observation data and NCEP/NCAR atmospheric reanalysis data,this study evaluates the prediction of East Asian summer climate during 1959–2016 undertaken by the CESM(Community Earth System Model)large-ensemble initialized decadal prediction(CESM-DPLE)project.The results demonstrate that CESM-DPLE can reasonably capture the basic features of the East Asian summer climate and associated main atmospheric circulation patterns.In general,the prediction skill is quite high for surface air temperature,but less so for precipitation,on the interannual timescale.CESM-DPLE reproduces the anomalies of mid-and highlatitude atmospheric circulation and the East Asian monsoon and climate reasonably well,all of which are attributed to the teleconnection wave train driven by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO).A transition into the warm phase of the AMO after the late 1990s decreased the geopotential height and enhanced the strength of the monsoon in East Asia via the teleconnection wave train during summer,leading to excessive precipitation and warming over East Asia.Altogether,CESM-DPLE is capable of predicting the summer temperature in East Asia on the interannual timescale,as well as the interdecadal variations of East Asian summer climate associated with the transition of AMO phases in the late 1990s,albeit with certain inadequacies remaining.The CESM-DPLE project provides an important resource for investigating and predicting the East Asian climate on the interannual and decadal timescales.

Synergistic Impacts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on Interdecadal Variations of Summer Rainfall in Northeast Asia

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the synergistic impacts of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation(AMO)and Pacific decadal oscillation(PDO)on the interdecadal variations of summer rainfall in Northeast Asia.Following the construction of four probable scenarios under various combinations of the AMO and PDO phases,it is found that when the AMO and PDO are out of phase,both of them induce a strong or weak East Asian summer monsoon and a low or high pressure system over Northeast Asia through atmospheric teleconnection,which results in significant wet or dry conditions over the whole of Northeast Asia through the effects of superimposition.In contrast,when the AMO and PDO are in-phase,they induce moderate and regional wet or dry conditions in Northeast Asia,and only a slightly strong or weak East Asian summer monsoon through the effects of cancellation.During the mid-1960 s-1990 s,a period of drought first began in Northeast Asia under a negative AMO and negative PDO in the mid-1960 s,which then increased in severity under a negative AMO and positive PDO in the 1980 s,before finally coming to an end under a positive AMO and negative PDO in the late 1990 s.The interdecadal predictability of summer rainfall in Northeast Asia may reside in the interdecadal behavior of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

How skillful was the projected temperature over China during 2002–2018?

Climate change has attracted significant attention due to its increasing impacts on various aspects of the world,and future climate projections are of vital importance for associated adaptation and mitigation,particularly at the regional scale.However,the skill level of the model projections over China in the past more than ten years remains unknown.In this study,we retrospectively investigate the skill of climate models within the Third(TAR),Fourth(AR4),and Fifth(AR5)Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)for the near-term projections of near-surface(2 m)air temperature changes in China.Those models are revealed to be skillful in projecting the subsequent climatology and trend of the temperature changes in China during 2002-2018 from several to ten years ahead,with higher scores for the climatology than for the trend.The model projections display cold biases against observations in most of China,while the nationally averaged trend is overestimated by TAR models during 2002-2018 but underestimated by AR4 models during 2008-2018.For all emission scenarios,there is no obvious difference between the equal-and unequal-weighted averages based on the arithmetic averaging and reliability ensemble averaging method respectively,however the uncertainty range of projection is narrowed after weighting.The near-term temperature projections differ slightly among various emission scenarios for the climatology but are largely different for the trend.