The seasonal variation of undercurrent and temperature in the equatorial Pacific jointly derived from buoy measurement and assimilation analysis

Based on the TOGA-TAO buoy chain observed data in the equatorial Pacific and the assimilation analysis results from SODA(simple ocean data assimilation analysis), the role of the meridional cells in the subsurface of the tropical Pacific was discussed. It was found that, the seasonal varying direction of EUC(the quatorial Undercurrent)in the Peacific is westwards beginning from the eastern equatorial Pacific in the boreal spring. The meridional cell south of the equator plays important role on this seasonal change of EUC.On the other hand, although the varying direction is westwards, the seasonal variation of temperature in the same region gets its minimum values in the boreal autumn beginning from the eastern equatorial Pacific.The meridional cell north of the equator is most responsible for the seasonal temperature variation in the eastern equatorial Pacific while the meridional cell south of the equator mainly controls the seasonal temperature change in the central Pacific. It is probably true that the asymmetry by the equator is an important factor influencing the seasonal cycle of EUC and temperature in the tropical Pacific.

Influence of the Convection over the South China Sea on the Summer Precipitation of Shandong Province

The pentad average minimum outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data over the northern South China Sea (SCS) are selected as indexes to analyze the intensity of the convection connected with the SCS monsoon onset. Statistic analysis demonstrates that the index can account for the intensity of the SCS monsoon about, at least, 75%. A significant negative correlation (confident level over 90%) between Shandong’s summer rainfall and the index is found only in the period of 24-26 pentads and limited to the area above the deeper water basin of the SCS (10°-20°N, 110°-117.5°E). Thus the minimum OLR over the deeper water basin during 24-26 pentads can be used as a valuable predictor for the long lead forecast of the precipitation. The 500 hPa geopotential height data in the Northern Hemisphere for the period from 1951 to 2000 are used in order to characterize the physical mechanisms involved. The composite anomalies of the 500 hPa level allow for the identification and detection of the teleconnection of the East Asia North America (EAP) pattern that is responsible to some extent for the interannual variability of the precipitation of Shandong Province. Besides, the interannual differences of the intraseasonal variations (ISV) of OLR and their northward transmission probably make a contribution to the position of the subtropical high which is vital for the summer rainfall in the province.

Recent Advances in Study of Oceanic Vortex

In this paper, the recent advances in the study of oceanic vortex are outlined. Firstly, the previous studies on oceanic vortex are reviewed. Secondly, some prominent features of oceanic vortex in the Gulf Stream, the Kuroshio, the South China Sea and the Japan Sea regions are depicted based upon the observations and numerical modeling results. Gene- rally, the lifetime of these oceanic vortices ranges from several weeks to several months, and their horizontal scales vary from tens of kilometers to hundreds of kilometers. Their vertical scales are on the order of thousands of meters. Finally, some theoretical studies, mainly on the splitting of a cyclonic vortex and the merging of anticyclonic vortices, are introduced.