A 38-Year Climatology of Explosive Cyclones over the Northern Hemisphere

Explosive cyclones(ECs)over two basins in the Northern Hemisphere(20°-90°N)from January 1979 to December2016 are investigated using ERA-Interim and Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature(OISST)data.The classical definition of an EC is modified considering not only the rapid drop of the central sea level pressure of the cyclone,but also the strong wind speed at the height of 10 m in which maximum wind speeds greater than 17.2 m s^-1are included.According to the locations of the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific,the whole Northern Hemisphere is divided into the"A region"(20°-90°N,90°W-90°E)and"P region"(20°-90°N,90°E-90°W).Over both the A and P regions,the climatological features of ECs,such as their spatial distribution,intensity,seasonal variation,interannual variation,and moving tracks,are documented.

Attribution of Persistent Precipitation in the Yangtze–Huaihe River Basin during February 2019

In February 2019,a month-long persistent precipitation event occurred in the Yangtze–Huaihe River basin.The geopotential height field that affected the duration of this frontal rainfall was divided into a high-latitude part and a lowlatitude part for analysis.In the high-latitude part,a two-wave structure led to quasi-stationary circulation,and the change of both the blocking high pressure and Arctic Oscillation phase caused cold air to invade South China continuously and changed the frontal position.In mid-to-low latitudes,the persistent precipitation showed quasi-biweekly oscillation characteristics.The so-called“subtropical high–precipitation–anticyclone”(SHPA)feedback mechanism blocked the circulation systems in the mid-to-low latitudes and provided a continuous supply of water vapor for precipitation.As for the effect of sea surface temperature,the western North Pacific anomalous anticyclone stimulated by El Niño strengthened the intensity of the southerly wind and provided support for the redevelopment of the anticyclone system in the SHPA feedback mechanism.The sea surface temperature anomaly in the South China Sea provided sensible heating for precipitation,and convergent rising airflow was conducive to the occurrence of precipitation.Additionally,the SHPA mechanism provides a reliable basis for the prediction of persistent precipitation in winter in the mid-to-low latitudes.

Changes of auditory evoked magnetic fields in patients after acute cerebral infarction using magnetoencephalography

Auditory evoked magnetic fields were recorded from 15 patients with acute cerebral infarction and 11 healthy volunteers using magnetoencephalography.The auditory stimuli of 2 kHz pure tone were binaurally presented with an interstimulus interval of 1 second.The intensity of stimuli was 90 dB and the stimulus duration was 8 ms.The results showed that the M100 was the prominent response, peaking approximately 100 ms after stimulus onset in all subjects.It originated from the area close to Heschl’s gyrus.In the patient group,the peak latency of M100 responses was significantly prolonged,and the mean strength of equivalent current dipole was significantly smaller in the affected hemisphere.The three-dimensional inter-hemispheric difference of the M100 positions was increased in the patient group.Our experimental findings suggested that impairment of cerebral function in patients with acute ischemic stroke can be detected using magnetoencephalography with the higher spatial resolution and temporal resolution.Magnetoencephalography could provide objective and sensitive indices to estimate auditory cortex function in patients with acute cerebral infarction.

Possible Influence of Arctic Oscillation on Winter Visibility over Eastern China

NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the Arctic Oscillation (AO) index and the atmospheric visibility (Vis) data at 134 sites in eastern China (ECN) are used to investigate the possible influence of AO on the wintertime weather and Vis over ECN. A higher relative humidity (RH, compared with the normal year) is identified over ECN in the winters with a positive phase of AO, and the wind anomaly is generally inshore in the coast areas of China. All these processes are consistent with Vis degradation over ECN. On the contrary, in the winters with a negative phase of AO, a lower RH can be identified over ECN, and the wind anomaly is generally offshore, which is favorable for Vis improvement.

Impact of the Barents Sea SST in Autumn on the Winter Climate in Northeast China

We studied effects of sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the Barents Sea in autumn on the atmospheric circulation in northeast China in winter, using the NCEP reanalysis data and sea surface temperature (SST) data of the Hadley Center. The results show that the ocean thermal conditions in the Barents Sea in autumn can be used as an important reference factor for predicting the cold air activity in China. When the sea surface temperature anomaly of the Barents Sea elevated in the autumn, the sea-level pressure anomaly elevated in eastern China on December, northeast China and southeastern Russia on January and February. In the years when the SSTA of the Barents Sea elevated in the autumn, the abnormal high-pressure ridge developed over Europe, and the geopotential height in western China appeared negative anomaly at 500 hPa. At 1000 hPa, the Mongolia high-pressure increased and the northerly airflow strengthened the cold high-latitude air broke out to the south, which was easy to affect northeast and north of China. In negative SSTA years, the high-pressure ridge was west to the north Atlantic, and the geopotential height in central and northern Siberia appeared negative anomaly at 500 hPa;the Mongolia high-pressure was weakened at 1000 hPa.