Relationship between the Late Spring NAO and Summer Extreme Precipitation Frequency in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

The relationship between the late spring North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the summer extreme precipitation frequency (EPF) in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley (MLYRV) is examined using an NECP/NCAR reanalysis dataset and daily precipitation data from 74 stations in the MLYRV. The results show a significant negative correlation between the May NAO index and the EPF over the MLYRV in the subsequent summer. In positive EPF index years, the East Asian westerly jet shifts farther southward, and two blocking high positive anomalies appear over the Sea of Okhotsk and the Ural Mountains. These anomalies are favorable to the cold air from the mid-high latitudes invading the Yangtze River Valley (YRV). The moisture convergence and the ascending motion dominate the MLYRV. The above patterns are reversed in negative EPF index years. A wave train pattern that originates from the North Atlantic extends eastward to the Mediterranean and then moves to the Tibetan Plateau and from there to the YRV, which is an important link in the May NAO and the summer extreme precipitation in the MLYRV. The wave train may be aroused by the tripole pattern of the SST, which can explain why the May NAO affects the summer EPF in the MLYRV.

Sulphide melt evolution in upper mantle to upper crust magmas,Tongling, China

Sulphide inclusions, which represent melts trapped in the minerals of magmatic rocks and xenoliths, provide important clues to the behaviour of immiscible sulphide liquids during the evolution of magmas and the formation of NieCueFe deposits. We describe sulphide inclusions from unique ultramafic clots within mafic xenoliths, from the mafic xenoliths themselves, and from the three silica-rich host plutons in Tongling, China. For the first time, we are able to propose a general framework model for the evolution of sulphide melts during the evolution of mafic to felsic magmas from the upper mantle to the upper crust. The model improves our understanding of the sulphide melt evolution in upper mantle to upper crust magmas, and provides insight into the formation of stratabound skarn-type FeeCu polymetallic deposits associated with felsic magmatism, thus promising to play an important role during prospecting for such deposits.

Extended-Range Forecasts of the Principal 20-30-Day Oscillation of the Circulation over East Asia During the Summer of 2002

Daily 850-hPa meridional wind fields in East Asia from March to September 2002 were used to establish a model of the principal oscillation pattern （POP）. This model was then used to conduct independent extended-range forecasts of the principal temporal and spatial variations in the low-frequency meridional wind field on a time scale of 20-30 days. These variations affect the occurrence of heavy precipitation events in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley （LYRV）. The results of 135 forecast experiments during the summer half year show that the predicted and observed anomalies are strongly correlated at a lead time of 20 days （mean correlation greater than 0.50）. This strong correlation indicates that the model is capable of accurately forecasting the low-frequency variations in meridional wind that corresponded to the 3 heavy precipitation events in the LYRV during the summer of 2002. Further forecast experiments based on data from multiple years with significant 20-30-day oscillations show that these prediction modes are effective tools for forecasting the space-time evolution of the low-frequency circulation. These findings offer potential for improving the accuracy of forecasts of heavy precipitation over the LYRV at lead times of 3-4 weeks.