Seasonal Characteristics and Interannual Variability of Monthly Scale Low-Frequency Oscillation in a Low-Order Global Spectral Model

Analysis is done of five-year low-pass filtered data by a five-layer low-order global spectral model, indicating that although any non-seasonal external forcing is not considered in the model atmosphere,monthly-scale anomaly takes place which is of remarkable seasonality and interannual variability.Analysis also shows that for the same seasonal external forcing the model atmosphere can exhibit two climatic states,similar in the departure pattern but opposite in sign, indicating that the anomaly is but the manifestation of the adverse states, which supports the theory of multi-equilibria proposed by Charney and Devore(1979) once again.Finally, the source for the low-frequency oscillation of the global atmosphere is found to be the convective heat source / sink inside the tropical atmosphere as discussed before in our study.Therefore, the key approach to the exploration of atmospheric steady low-frequency oscillation and the associated climatic effect lies in the examination of the distribution of convective heat sources / sinks and the variation in the tropical atmosphere.

Seasonal and interannual variabilities of mean velocity of Kuroshio based on satellite data

Combining sea level anomalies with the mean dynamic topography derived from the geoid of the EGM08 global gravity field model and the CLS01 mean sea surface height, this study examined the characteristics of global geostrophic surface currents and the seasonal and interannual variabilities of the mean velocity of the Kuroshio （the Kuroshio source and Kuroshio extension）. The patterns of global geostrophic surface currents we derived and the actual ocean circulation are basically the same. The mean velocity of the Kuroshio source is high in winter and low in fall, and its seasonal variability accounts for 18% of its total change. The mean velocity of the Kuroshio extension is high in summer and low in winter, and its seasonal variability accounts for 25% of its total change. The interannual variabilities of the mean velocity of the Kuroshio source and Kuroshio extension are significant. The mean velocity of the Kuroshio source and ENSO index are inversely correlated. However, the relationship between the mean velocity of the Kuroshio extension and the ENSO index is not clear. Overall, the velocity of the Kuroshio increases when La Nina occurs and decreases when E1 Nino occurs.

Subthermocline anticyclonic gyre east of Mindanao and its relationship with the Mindanao Undercurrent

The quasi-permanent anticyclonic gyre （ACG） east of Mindanao is a dominant feature of the subthermocline circulation in the southem Philippine Sea, and it is believed closely associated with the continuous northward alongshore flow of the Mindanao Undercurrent （MUC）. In this study, the structure and variability of this ACG were investigated using the 1950-2012 output of the Oceanic General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator （OFES）, which can reproduce well the structure of the climatological intermediate-layer circulation and satellite-observed sea level variations in the southern Philippine Sea. Between 26.8-27.3 ao, the ACG covers a large area from the Mindanao coast to 131 ~E and from 3~N to 10~N. Its anticyclonic flow structure is unrelated to the surface Halmahera Eddy. The eddy-resolving simulation of the OFES revealed that the ACG consists of two components. The southern ACG （SACG） is centered at -6~N, while the northern ACG （NACG） is centered at -10~N. Seasonal and interannual variations of the ACG are linked to the variations of the northward MUC transport along the Mindanao coast, and the role of the SACG is more important than the NACG. Stronger （weaker） ACGs lead to greater （smaller） MUC transport. On the interannual timescale, the SACG shows a spectrum peak at 4-8 years, while the NACG has enhanced power within the 3-5-year band. A lead-lag correlation analysis indicates that interannual variations of the ACGs and the MUC transport are partly associated with the E1 Nifio-Southern Oscillation. Possible causes for the ACG variability are discussed.