An Introduction to the Integrated Climate Model of the Center for Monsoon System Research and Its Simulated Influence of El Ni?no on East Asian–Western North Pacific Climate

This study introduces a new global climate model--the Integrated Climate Model （ICM）--developed for the seasonal prediction of East Asian-western North Pacific （EA-WNP） climate by the Center for Monsoon System Research at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics （CMSR, IAP）, Chinese Academy of Sciences. ICM integrates ECHAM5 and NEMO2.3 as its atmospheric and oceanic components, respectively, using OASIS3 as the coupler. The simulation skill of ICM is evaluated here, including the simulated climatology, interannual variation, and the influence of E1 Nifio as one of the most important factors on EA-WNP climate. ICM successfully reproduces the distribution of sea surface temperature （SST） and precipitation without climate shift, the seasonal cycle of equatorial Pacific SST, and the precipitation and circulation of East Asian summer monsoon. The most prominent biases of ICM are the excessive cold tongue and unrealistic westward phase propagation of equatorial Pacific SST. The main interannual variation of the tropical Pacific SST and EA-WNP climate E1 Nifio and the East Asia-Pacific Pattern--are also well simulated in ICM, with realistic spatial pattern and period. The simulated E1 Nifio has significant impact on EA-WNP climate, as in other models. The assessment shows ICM should be a reliable model for the seasonal prediction of EA-WNP climate.

Sensitivity of East Asian Climate to the Progressive Uplift and Expansion of the Tibetan Plateau Under the Mid-Pliocene Boundary Conditions

A global atmospheric general circulation model has been used to perform eleven idealized numerical experiments, i.e., TP10, TP10, .., TP100, corresponding to different percentages of the Tibetan Plateau altitude. The aim is to explore the sensitivity of East Asian climate to the uplift and expansion of the Tibetan Plateau under the reconstructed boundary conditions for the mid-Pliocene about 3 Ma ago. When the plateau is progressively uplifted, global annual surface temperature is gradually declined and statistically significant cooling signals emerge only in the Northern Hemisphere, especially over and around the Tibetan Plateau, with larger magnitudes over land than over the oceans. On the contrary, annual surface temperature rises notably over Central Asia and most parts of Africa, as well as over northeasternmost Eurasia in the experiments TP60 to TP100. Meanwhile, the plateau uplift also leads to annual precipitation augmentation over the Tibetan Plateau but a reduction in northern Asia, the Indian Peninsula, much of Central Asia, parts of western Asia and the southern portions of northeastern Europe. Additionally, it is found that an East Asian summer monsoon system similar to that of the present initially exists in the TP60 and is gradually intensified with the continued plateau uplift. At 850 hPa the plateau uplift induces an anomalous cyclonic circulation around the Tibetan Plateau in summertime and two anomalous westerly currents respectively located to the south and north of the Tibetan Plateau in wintertime. In the mid-troposphere, similarto-modern spatial pattern of summertime western North Pacific subtropical high is only exhibited in the experiments TP60 to TP100, and the East Asian trough is steadily deepened in response to the progressive uplift and expansion of the Tibetan Plateau.

A Possible Role of Solar Radiation and Ocean in the Mid-Holocene East Asian Monsoon Climate

An atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) and an oceanic general circulation model (OGCM) are asynchronously coupled to simulate the climate of the mid-Holocene period. The role of the solar radiation and ocean in the mid-Holocene East Asian monsoon climate is analyzed and some mechanisms are revealed. At the forcing of changed solar radiation induced by the changed orbital parameters and the changed SST simulated by the OGCM, compared with when there is orbital forcing alone, there is more precipitation and the monsoon is stronger in the summer of East Asia, and the winter temperature increases over China. These agree better with the reconstructed data. It is revealed that the change of solar radiation can displace northward the ITCZ and the East Asia subtropical jet, which bring more precipitation over the south of Tibet and North and Northeast China. By analyzing the summer meridional latent heat transport, it is found that the influence of solar radiation change is mainly to increase the convergence of atmosphere toward the land, and the influence of SST change is mainly to transport more moisture to the sea surface atmosphere. Their synergistic effect on East Asian precipitation is much stronger than the sum of their respective effects.

Modulation of the Arctic Oscillation and the East Asian Winter Climate Relationships by the 11-year Solar Cycle

The modulation of the relationship between the Arctic Oscillation （AO） and the East Asian winter climate by the 11-year solar cycle was investigated. During winters with high solar activity （HS）, robust warming appeared in northern Asia in a positive AO phase. This result corresponded to an enhanced anticyclonic flow at 850 hPa over northeastern Asia and a weakened East Asian trough （EAT） at 500 hPa. However, during winters with low solar activity （LS）, both the surface warming and the intensities of the anticyclonic flow and the EAT were much less in the presence of a positive AO phase. The possible atmospheric processes for this 11-year solar-cycle modulation may be attributed to the indirect influence that solar activity induces in the structural changes of AO. During HS winters, the sea level pressure oscillation associated with the AO became stronger, with the significant influence of AO extending to East Asia. In the meantime, the AO-related zonal-mean zonal winds tended to extend more into the stratosphere during HS winters, which implies a stronger coupling to the stratosphere. These trends may have led to an enhanced AO phase difference; thus the associated East Asian climate anomalies became larger and more significant. The situation tended to reverse during LS winters. Further analyses revealed that the relationship between the winter AO and surface-climate anomalies in the following spring is also modulated by the 11-year solar cycle, with significant signals appearing only during HS phases. Solar-cycle variation should be taken into consideration when the AO is used to predict winter and spring climate anomalies over East Asia.

Air–Sea Coupling Enhances the East Asian Winter Climate Response to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

A simple air-sea coupled model, the atmospheric general circulation model （AGCM） of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction coupled to a mixed-layer slab ocean model, is employed to investigate the impact of air-sea coupling on the signals of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation （AMO）. A regional coupling strategy is applied, in which coupling is switched off in the extratropical North Atlantic Ocean but switched on in the open oceans elsewhere. The coupled model is forced with warm-phase AMO SST anomalies, and the modeled responses are compared with those from parallel uncoupled AGCM experiments with the same SST forcing. The results suggest that the regionally coupled responses not only resemble the AGCM simulation, but also have a stronger intensity. In comparison, the coupled responses bear greater similarity to the observational composite anomaly. Thus, air-sea coupling enhances the responses of the East Asian winter climate to the AMO. To determine the mechanism responsible for the coupling amplification, an additional set of AGCM experiments, forced with the AMO-induced tropical SST anomalies, is conducted. The SST anomalies are extracted from the simulated AMO-induced SST response in the regionally coupled model. The results suggest that the SST anomalies contribute to the coupling amplification. Thus, tropical air-sea coupling feedback tends to enhance the responses of the East Asian winter climate to the AMO.

Key regions where land surface processes shape the East Asian climate

Land-atmosphere interaction,as one of the key processes affecting the atmosphere and climate over East Asia,has drawn increasing attention during the past few decades.However,the current level of understanding regarding the mechanisms through which land surface processes impact the East Asian climate needs to be improved.Based on existing studies,six key regions where land surface processes affect the East Asian climate are proposed in this study,which can provide a valuable reference for future research into land-atmosphere interaction in East Asia.

Relationships between the Oxygen Isotopes in East Asian Stalagmites and Large-Scale Atmospheric and Oceanic Modes

The stalagmite δ18O record is known to be associated with the climate, but the specifics of the relationship remain unclear. It may not represent variation in air temperature or precipitation, but instead reflect integral changes of monsoon circulation, especially water vapor sources(the so-called "circulation effect"). Since large-scale atmospheric-oceanic modes such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO), and North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO) exert significant effects on Asian monsoon, in this paper the authors investigate the relationships of the East Asian stalagmite δ18O record with these modes. The last three centuries form the focus of our study, for which the authors use reconstructed as well as instrumental data. Considering the impacts of human activity, our analysis is conducted with respect to two periods—the pre- and post-industrial periods. The results show significant lead-lag connections: a positive correlation peaks when the PDO leads East Asian stalagmite δ18O by 3 years, which is persistent over the past 300 years; while the relationships of the AMO and NAO with the East Asian stalagmite δ18O record show significant differences in the post-industrial relative to the pre-industrial period. This implies that the East Asian stalagmite δ18O record may primarily reflect the PDO signal.

Unprecedented East Asian warming in spring 2018 linked to the North Atlantic tripole SST mode

An unusually warm East Asia in spring 2018,when exceptionally high surface air temperatures were recorded in large areas of Asia,such as northern China,southern China,and Japan,was investigated based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis.The East Asian warming anomalies were primarily attributed to a tripole mode of North Atlantic SST anomalies,which could have triggered anomalous Rossby wave trains over the North Atlantic and Eurasia through modulating the North Atlantic baroclinic instability.Atlantic-forced Rossby waves tend to propagate eastward and induce anomalously high pressure and anticyclonic activity over East Asia,leading to a northward displacement of the Pacific subtropical high.As a result,descending motion,reduced precipitation,and increased surface solar radiation due to less cloud cover appear over East Asia,accompanied by remarkably warm advection from the ocean to southern China,northern China,and Japan.The transportation of anomalously warm advection and the feedbacks between soil moisture and surface temperature were both favorable for the recordbreaking warmth in East Asia during spring 2018.The seasonal‘memory’of the North Atlantic tripole SST mode from the previous winter to the following spring may provide useful implications for the seasonal prediction of East Asian weather and climate.

A Regional Air-Sea Coupled Model and Its Application over East Asia in the Summer of 2000

A regional air-sea coupled model, comprising the Regional Integrated Environment Model System （RIEMS） and the Princeton Ocean Model （POM） was developed to simulate summer climate features over East Asia in 2000. The sensitivity of the model＇s behavior to the coupling time interval （CTI）, the causes of the sea surface temperature （SST） biases, and the role of air-sea interaction in the simulation of precipitation over China are investigated. Results show that the coupled model can basically produce the spatial pattern of SST, precipitation, and surface air temperature （SAT） with five different CTIs respectively. Also, using a CTI of 3, 6 or 12 hours tended to produce more successful simulations than if using 1 and 24 hours. Further analysis indicates that both a higher and lower coupling frequency result in larger model biases in air-sea heat flux exchanges, which might be responsible for the sensitivity of the coupled model＇s behavior to the CTI. Sensitivity experiments indicate that SST biases between the coupled and uncoupled POM occurring over the China coastal waters were due to the mismatch of the surface heat fluxes produced by the RIEMS with those required by the POM. In the coupled run, the air-sea feedbacks reduced the biases in surface heat fluxes, compared with the uncoupled RIEMS, consequently resulted in changes in thermal contrast over land and sea and led to a precipitation increase over South China and a decrease over North China. These results agree well observations in the summer of 2000.

Biomarkers reveal the terrigenous organic matter enrichment in the late Oligocene-early Miocene marine shales in the Ying-Qiong Basin,South China Sea

The increase of total organic carbon content of the late Oligocene-early Miocene terrigenously-dominated marine shales in the shallower depth intervals was reported in the Ying-Qiong Basin,South China Sea.The organic enriched lower Sanya Formation shales(early Miocene)have biomarker characteristics of tropical/subtropical plants,with abundant high molecular weight n-alkanes,angiosperm-derived oleanane,rearranged oleananesⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅱ,tricyclic/tetracyclic terpanes including des-A-oleanane,X,*,Y,Z,Z1 and bicadinanes W,T,T1,R.The biomarker characteristics are suggestive of larger influx of the dominant tropical/subtropical angiosperms in flora under a warming and more humid climate during depositions of the lower Sanya Formation(early Miocene)than the older Lingshui Formation(late Oligocene).The tropical/subtropical angiosperm input was thought as the prime control of terrigenous organic matter enrichment relative to the redox condition,and the coeval sea level changes and seafloor spreading in the South China Sea.Enrichment of the terrigenous organic matter in the early Miocene shales is likely in association with the coeval peak East Asian summer monsoon intensity in the South China Sea.

VALIDATION STUDY ON THE EAST ASIAN CLIMATE SIMULATED BY CCM2

The NCAR community climate model was run for 20 years and the simulated East Asian climate was analyzed and checked against the observation data.It is found that the large-scale features of the East Asia climate were simulated pretty well by the model,though there are still some discrepancies between the model output and the observation.The simulated geopotential height,wind and temperature fields are very close to the observations.The large scale systems such as subtropical high.Mongolia high,Indian low which have important influence on the East Asia monsoon also simulated pretty well.It is also found that the moisture field is not simulated so well as those fields mentioned above.The simulated precipitation is rather different from the observations.These suggest that some physical processes in the CCM2 need to be improved.

Evolution of the monsoon and dry climate in East Asia during late Cenozoic:A review

Climate in Eastern Asia is composed of monsoon climate in the east,arid and semi-arid climate in the north and west,and the cold and dry climate of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in the southwest.The underlying causes for the evolution of East Asian climate during late Cenozoic have long been investigated and debated,particularly with regards to the role played by the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau uplift and the global cooling.In this paper,we reviewed major research developments in this area,and summarized the important results.Based on a synthesis of data,we propose that the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau uplift alone cannot fully explain the formation of monsoon and arid climates in Eastern Asia during the past 22–25 Ma.Other factors such as the global ice volume and high-latitude temperature changes have also played a vital role.Moreover,atmospheric CO2changes may have modulated the monsoon and dry climate changes by affecting the location of the inter-tropical convergence zone(ITCZ),which controls the monsoon precipitation zone and the track of the East Asian winter monsoon during late Cenozoic.The integration of high-resolution geological record and numerical paleoclimate modeling could make new contributions to understanding the climate evolution and variation in eastern Asia in future studies.It could facilitate the investigation of the regional differences in East Asian environmental changes and the asynchronous nature between the uplift of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and their climatic effects.These would be the keys to understanding underlying driving forces for the evolution of the East Asian climate.

Numerical Study of the Effect of Anthropogenic Aerosols on Spring Persistent Rain over Eastern China

The eff ect of anthropogenic aerosols on the spring persistent rain （SPR） over eastern China is investigated by using a high-resolution Community Atmosphere Model version 5.1 （CAM5.1）. The results show that the SPR starts later due to anthropogenic aerosols, with a shortened duration and reduced rainfall amount. A reduction in air temperature over the low latitudes in East Asia is linked to anthropogenic aerosols;so is a weakened southwesterly on the north side of the subtropical high. Meanwhile, air temperature increases signifi cantly over the high latitudes. This north-south asymmetrical thermal eff ect acts to reduce the meridional temperature gradient, weakening the upper-level westerly jet over East Asia and the vertical motion over southeastern China. As a result, the SPR is reduced and has a much shorter duration. The indirect eff ect of anthropogenic aerosols also plays an important role in changing the SPR. Cloud droplet number concentration increases due to anthropogenic aerosols acting as cloud condensation nuclei, leading to a reduction in cloud eff ective radius over eastern China and a reduced precipitation effi ciency there.

Understanding the cold biases of CMIP5 models over China with weather regimes

Most models in the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP5)underestimate the surface air temperature over China in both winter and summer.Understanding the weather regime in association with the simulated temperature variability is of high interest to get insight into those biases.Based on the weather regime method,we investigated the contributions of large-scale dynamics and non-dynamical processes to temperature biases and inter-model spread.The weather regimes associated with the observational temperature patterns were obtained through a/t-means clustering algorithm applied to daily 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies.Here we identified the clustering number of weather regimes using the classifiability and reproducibility indices which can provide the optimal clustering number to obtain objective clustering.Both indices suggested the weather regimes in East Asia can be classified as four clusters in winter(December—January—February)and three in summer(June—July—August).The results indicated that the first and second weather regimes were related to the cold temperature anomalies in China during winter,and the three weather regimes could not effectively classify the temperature patterns during summer.The ensemble mean of 23 CMIP5 models overestimated the occurrence frequencies of the second weather regime,which corresponds to a weaker high latitude westerly jet over East Asia during winter.The 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies and the inter-model spread over the Tibetan Plateau may be associated with the limited ability of the CMIP5 models in simulating the thermal effects of plateau in summer.We also found that the non-dynamical processes had major contribution to the ensemble-mean biases,and the large-scale dynamics played a minor role.The non-dynamical processes substantially affected the inter-model spread,especially over the Tibetan Plateau and the Sichuan Basin,during both winter and summer.The results suggested that improving the simulation of regional processes may help to improve model performance.The use of multi-model mean is recommended since it performs better than most of individual models.