The 2020/21 Extremely Cold Winter in China Influenced by the Synergistic Effect of La Niña and Warm Arctic

In the first half of winter 2020/21,China has experienced an extremely cold period across both northern and southern regions,with record-breaking low temperatures set in many stations of China.Meanwhile,a moderate La Niña event which exceeded both oceanic and atmospheric thresholds began in August 2020 and in a few months developed into its mature phase,just prior to the 2020/21 winter.In this report,the mid−high-latitude large-scale atmospheric circulation anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere,which were forced by the negative phase of Arctic Oscillation,a strengthened Siberian High,an intensified Ural High and a deepened East Asian Trough,are considered to be the direct reason for the frequent cold surges in winter 2020/21.At the same time,the synergistic effect of the warm Arctic and the cold tropical Pacific(La Niña)provided an indispensable background,at a hemispheric scale,to intensify the atmospheric circulation anomalies in middle-to-high latitudes.In the end,a most recent La Niña prediction is provided and the on-coming evolution of climate is discussed for the remaining part of the 2020/21 winter for the purpose of future decision-making and early warning.

Study on the extremely cold winter of 1670 over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

The snow-cover days over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River （MLRYR） in the winter of 1670 were extracted from Chinese historical documents. By these records, the winter temperature anomalies （compared to the mean of 1961-1990） recorded at seven meteorological stations and the regional mean winter temperature were estimated. The results show that： （1） There was an average of about 30 snow-cover days over the MLRYR region in 1670, ranging from 11-20 days in Shanghai and eastern Zhejiang to 5140 days in eastern Hunan Province. The snow-cover days averaged about 40 days in Anqing and Nan- cheng, and ranged from 30 to 40 days in Quzhou, Jingdezhen, and Nanchang; and （2） the regional mean winter temperature in 1670 was estimated to be approximately 4.0 ℃ lower than that of 1961-1990. The maximum negative anomaly of 5.6℃ occurred in Nanchang and the minimum anomaly of-2.8 ℃ was detected in Quzhou. Both of these were lower than that of the coldest winter during the instrumental observation period of 1951-2010. This research could not only provide a method to es- timate historical climate extremes, but also provide a background to understand the recent instrumentally climate extremes.

Research on Passive Design Optimization about an Experimental Rural Residence in Hot Summer and Cold Winter Region of China

In China, rural residential environment under the poor construction measures has not been satisfactory due to the backward infrastructure of countryside and the lacking of professional planning, which will result in considerable amount of energy consumption in the future. The economy of rural residences in the hot summer and cold winter region of China is relative developed, but the indoor thermal environmental quality is not so good. In this paper, the design strategies directed by passive design ideas for a small experimental rural residential building located in Hangzhou city was introduced and researched in response to hot summer and cold winter climate. Through modeling solution undertaken by Ecotect software, the building performance was simulated and analyzed for the optimization of design factors, such as shape, roof angle, insulation system, shading devices, as well as day-lighting system. Based on the above study, a set of appropriate energy-saving technologies were provided for improving the new rural residences construction in Hangzhou, which should also be recommended to other projects constructed in the same climate region.

Research on the Development of Green Building Technology in Hot Summer and Cold Winter Area under the Background of Carbon Neutrality:A Case Study of Zhuzhou City

Carbon sequestration and emission reduction in the construction industry plays an important role in China’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality.Research in Zhuzhou city scored 42 since the assessment of the green building project situation as the research object,in hot summer and cold winter areas of analysis and evaluation on the development of green building technology,and then sums up the carbon neutral background the priority areas and tasks for the development of green building techniques,optimization of the construction industry into a new era under the background of green development to provide the reference.

Can Eurasia Experience a Cold Winter under a Third-Year La Nina in 2022/23?

The Northern Hemisphere(NH)often experiences frequent cold air outbreaks and heavy snowfalls during La Nina winters.In 2022,a third-year La Nina event has exceeded both the oceanic and atmospheric thresholds since spring and is predicted to reach its mature phase in December 2022.Under such a significant global climate signal,whether the Eurasian Continent will experience a tough cold winter should not be assumed,despite the direct influence of mid-to high-latitude,large-scale atmospheric circulations upon frequent Eurasian cold extremes,whose teleconnection physically operates by favoring Arctic air invasions into Eurasia as a consequence of the reduction of the meridional background temperature gradient in the NH.In the 2022/23 winter,as indicated by the seasonal predictions from various climate models and statistical approaches developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics,abnormal warming will very likely cover most parts of Europe under the control of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the anomalous anticyclone near the Ural Mountains,despite the cooling effects of La Nina.At the same time,the possibility of frequent cold conditions in mid-latitude Asia is also recognized for this upcoming winter,in accordance with the tendency for cold air invasions to be triggered by the synergistic effect of a warm Arctic and a cold tropical Pacific on the hemispheric scale.However,how the future climate will evolve in the 2022/23 winter is still subject to some uncertainty,mostly in terms of unpredictable internal atmospheric variability.Consequently,the status of the mid-to high-latitude atmospheric circulation should be timely updated by medium-term numerical weather forecasts and sub-seasonal-to-seasonal prediction for the necessary date information and early warnings.

Suitability and Construction of Self-Insulation Walls in the Hot Summer and Cold Winter Zone of Southern Shaanxi

In this paper, the suitability and construction technology of self-insulation walls were studied under the specific climatic conditions and regional resources of Hanzhong and Ankang in the hot summer and cold winter zone of Southern Shaanxi. Through the calculation of heat transfer coefficient and thermal inertia index, combined with the specifications of the shale hollow brick and aerated concrete block of Hanzhong and Ankang in southern Shaanxi, the thermal performance and suitable thickness of the external wall using self-insulation materials that meet the Design Standard for Energy Efficiency of Residential Buildings(DBJ61-65-2011) in Shaanxi Province were obtained. The results showed that the self-insulation wall had technical suitability in the hot summer and cold winter zone. The research results provide not only a theoretical basis for the external wall insulation design of urban residential buildings in the hot summer and cold winter zone of southern Shaanxi, but also a reference for designers to carry out energy-saving design of external walls of residential buildings in other similar climate zones.

The Theoretically Studies and Field Testing of Self-Insulation Exterior Wall in the Hot Summer and Cold Winter Zone

The energy efficiency design of the exterior wall in the buildings of the hot summer and cold winter zone of China should consider the heat prevention in summer and the heat insulation in winter. The self-insulation of the exterior?wall is a more feasible design to satisfy the energy efficiency of buildings in the?zone. However, the systematic research is urgently needed for the self-insulation of the exterior wall in the hot summer and cold winter zone of China. The paper tested the thermal performance of the common non-clay materials such as shale sintered hollow brick, sand autoclaved aerated concrete block, etc. by means of indoor experiments. The energy efficiency effect of the common materials was verified using dynamic calculation soft PKPM and several constitutions of exterior wall with different main bricks and insulation materials on the heat bridge were simulated, too. Besides, the tests of the thermal performance of exterior wall in real constructions were carried out to testify the practical effect of the recommended constitutions of exterior wall with different main bricks and insulation materials on the heat bridge. The conclusions are: the physical and thermal properties of the six non-clay wall material are better than the clay porous brick;the thermal performance of the non-clay brick can be improved obviously through the rational arrangement of the holes;shale sintered hollow brick after increasing the holes and rationalizing the hole arrangement and sand autoclaved aerated concrete block are recommended for buildings in the hot summer and cold winter area of China. The dynamic calculation results show that the thermal performances?of the non-clay materials are all satisfied with the energy efficiency;The heat transfer coefficient of the exterior wall with composition?③,?in which?the main wall was sand autoclaved aerated concrete block and the material on the heat bridge was sand autoclaved aerated concrete plate, is the smallest among the three recommended compositions.

A Cold Winter and A Warming Earth

A bone-chilling winter throughout the Northern Hemisphere does not refute global warming As Arctic winds blow over North America, Europe and East Asia, I many parts of north China have

Dynamics of Essential Metal Elements Contents in Winter Oilseed Rape during Cold Acclimation

[Objective]The paper was to investigate the dynamics of essential metal elements（Ca,Mg,Fe,Mn,Zn and Cu）contents in winter oilseed rape（Brassica napus L.）during cold acclimation,and to reveal the effects and mechanisms of essential elements in cold resistance of oilseed rape.[Method]Three varieties with different cold resistance including Zhongshuang No.11（ZS,freezing sensitive variety）,Ganyouza No.1（GY）and Jinyuyou No.1（JYY,freezing tolerant varieties）were used in the study,and the changes of necessary metal elements in these oilseed rapes during cold acclimation were studied.[Result]The concentration of metal elements in oilseed rape had significant changes during cold acclimation,and the difference between varieties was significant.In plant roots,the concentrations of Ca,Mg,Fe,Mn,Zn and Cu were significantly increased,this might because that low temperature made the transpiration decreased,thus blocking the upward transport of elements.In plant shoots,the concentrations of Ca,Mg and Zn were significantly decreased,while the concentrations of Fe and Mn were significantly increased;the change extent of various elements in ZS variety was the largest.[Conclusion]Maintaining the stability of Ca,Mg and Zn concentrations and increasing Fe,Mn and Cu concentrations in plant shoots might be benefit for increasing the cold tolerance of winter oilseed rape.

Development of window opening models for residential building in hot summer and cold winter climate zone of China

This study monitors the open/closed states of the windows in 16 residential apartments in representative cities of the hot summer and cold winter zone of China,along with outdoor air temperature,outdoor relative humidity and outdoor PM2.5 concentration in 2017,to investigate the window opening/closing behavior.Three window opening models are developed.All the models are validated by modeling a typical residential apartment to compare the predicted indoor CO_(2)concentration with monitored data.It is found that the window opening probability is negatively correlated to both outdoor PM2.5 concentration and outdoor relative humidity,and the probability of window opening reaches the peak value when the outdoor air temperature is 23.7℃.In terms of season,the shortest window opening duration occurs in winter due to the cold outdoor air temperature and high outdoor PM2.5 concentration.Finally,by comparing the correlation between the measured date and simulation results of indoor CO_(2)concentration,this study provides an appropriate window opening model for reference.

Characteristics of Atmospheric Circulation Associated with Cold Surge Occurrences in East Asia:A Case Study During 2005/06 Winter

The characteristics of the upper-level circulation and thermodynamical properties for the period when two distinct cold surges broke out over East Asia during the 2005/06 winter are investigated. From early December 2005 to early January 2006, exceptionally cold weather lasted for approximately one month due to two successive cold surges that took place on 2 December 2005 and 2 January 2006, respectively. This study reveals that both involve the upper-tropospheric circulation, which induces the amplification and expansion of the surface Siberian high toward East Asia, but arose from different causes： the former is caused by the upper-level blocking originated from the North Pacific and the latter is caused by the upper-level wave train across the Eurasian Continent. In particular, it is suggested that the lower-tropospheric anomalous wind caused by upper-level circulation anomalies and a steep meridional temperature gradient amplified by phase-locked annual cycle combined to induce very strong cold advection in East Asia, which resulted in exceptionally cold weather that lasted for several weeks. The present results emphasize that the characteristics of the upper-tropospheric circulation can be considered as important precursors to cold surge occurrences in East Asia.

Effects of Nitrogen Management on the Yield of Winter Wheat in Cold Area of Northeastern China

A plot experiment including four treatments, CK （N 105 kg ha-1 as urea, including a basal N application of 35 kg ha-I and a topdressing N 70 kg ha-1 at turned green stage） and optimized N management （OPT1, OPT2 and OPT3, applied two-thirds, one-third and two-fifths N at jointing stage, respectively, total N 60 kg ha-l）, was conducted to evaluate the effects of nitrogen management on growth and N uptake of winter wheat （Triticum aestivum）, Dongnong 1, which is the first highly cold tolerant winter wheat in China. Index of population quality, N uptake and yield were determined. The ear-bearing tiller rate was increased by above 12%, and the leaf area index, biomass and N uptake were significantly decreased （P〈O.05） at jointing stage. OPT treatments increased the grain to leaf area ratio at heading stage, the dry matter weight and N uptake after heading by 14.3-27.9%, 11.6-28.7% and 118.1-161.8 %, respectively. The yield of the OPT treatments was increased by 14.2-37.5% compared with CK, and there was a significant difference （P〈0.05） between CK and OPT1 treatments. Harvest index and N partial factor productivity （PFP, kg grain yield per kg N applied） was clearly enhanced from 0.4 and 35.6 kg, respectively for CK to an average of 0.48 （P〈0.05） and 77.6 kg （P〈0.05） in the OPT treatments. These results indicated that the optimized N management increased the harvest index, yield and N use efficiency by decreasing the N application rate and postponing N application time, improved wheat population quality, controlled excessive growth in the vegetative stages and increased dry matter and N accumulation rates after heading.

The 2020 Summer Floods and 2020/21 Winter Extreme Cold Surges in China and the 2020 Typhoon Season in the Western North Pacific

China experienced significant flooding in the summer of 2020 and multiple extreme cold surges during the winter of 2020/21.Additionally,the 2020 typhoon season had below average activity with especially quiet activity during the first half of the season in the western North Pacific(WNP).Sea surface temperature changes in the Pacific,Indian,and Atlantic Oceans all contributed to the heavy rainfall in China,but the Atlantic and Indian Oceans seem to have played dominant roles.Enhancement and movement of the Siberian High caused a wavier pattern in the jet stream that allowed cold polar air to reach southward,inducing cold surges in China.Large vertical wind shear and low humidity in the WNP were responsible for fewer typhoons in the first half of the typhoon season.Although it is known that global warming can increase the frequency of extreme weather and climate events,its influences on individual events still need to be quantified.Additionally,the extreme cold surge during 16–18 February 2021 in the United States shares similar mechanisms with the winter 2020/21 extreme cold surges in China.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE WINTER EXTREME PRECIPITATION EVENTS ON THE BACKGROUND OF CLIMATE WARMING IN SOUTHERN CHINA

Based on daily precipitation and monthly temperature data in southern China, the winter extreme precipitation changes in southern China have been investigated by using the Mann-Kendall test and the return values of Generalized Pareto Distribution. The results show that a winter climate catastrophe in southern China occurred around i99I, and the intensity of winter extreme precipitation was strengthened after climate wanning. The anomalous circulation characteristics before and after the climate wanning was further analyzed by using the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data. It is found that the tropical winter monsoon over East Asia is negatively correlated with the precipitation in southeastern China. After climate warming the meridionality of the circulations in middle and high latitudes increases, which is favorable for the southward movement of the cold air from the north. In addition, the increase of the temperature over southern China may lead to the decrease of the differential heating between the continent and the ocean. Consequently, the tropical winter monsoon over East Asia is weakened, which is favorable for the transport of the warm and humid air to southeastem China and the formation of the anomalous convergence of the moisture flux, resulting in large precipitation over southeastern China. As a result, the interaction between the anomalous circulations in the middle and high latitudes and lower latitudes after the climate warming plays a major role in the increase of the winter precipitation intensity over southeastem China.

The role of diminishing Arctic sea ice in increased winter snowfall over northern high-latitude continents in a warming environment

Large parts of North America, Europe, Siberia, and East Asia have experienced cold snaps and heavy snowfalls for the past few winters, which have been linked to rapid decline of Arctic sea ice. Although the role of reduction in Arctic sea ice in recent cold and snowy winters is still a matter of debate, there is considerable interest in determining whether such an emerging climate feedback will persist into the future in a warming environment. Here we show that increased winter snowfall would be a robust feature throughout the 21st century in the northeastern Europe, central and northern Asia and northern North America as projected by current-day climate model simulations under the medium mitigation scenario. We argue that the increased winter snowfall in these regions during the 21st century is due primarily to the diminishing autumn Arctic sea ice （largely externally forced）. Variability of the winter Arctic Oscillation （dominant mode of natural variability in the Northern Hemisphere）, in contrast, has little contribution to the increased winter snowfall. This is evident in not only the multi-model ensemble mean, but also each individual model （not model-dependent）. Our findings reinforce suggestions that a strong sea ice-snowfall feedback might have emerged, and would be enhanced in coming decades, increasing the chance of heavy snowfall events in northern high-latitude continents.

A Numerical Study on the Winter Monsoon and Cold Surge over East Asia

By using the improved regional climate model （RegCM_NCC）, a numerical study has been undertaken for the East Asia region over a period of 5 years （1998-2002） in an effort to evaluate the model＇s ability to reproduce the winter monsoon conditions that were observed. The results showed that the model can successfully simulate the basic characteristics of the winter monsoon circulations, including the location and intensity of the cold-surface, high-pressure system, as well as the wind patterns and the intensity of the winter monsoon. The simulated occurrence frequency and regions of the cold surge were consistent with the observations. The simulated rainfall distribution over China was consistent with the observations collected in South China. The features of the simulated moisture transport were also in good agreement with the observations that were derived from the NCEP reanalysis data, indicating that moisture transport coming from the Bay of Bengal trough plays a crucial role in supplying moisture needed for precipitation in South China. In addition, the moisture transport coming from the near-equatorial west-Pacific was also important. These two branches of moisture transport converged in South China, as a prerequisite for occurrence of the precipitation that was observed there. Heat budgets have shown that the development of a heat sink over the East Asian continent was remarkable and its thermal contrast relative to the neighboring seas was the important forcing factor for the winter monsoon activity. The simulation also indicated that the significant differences in circulation patterns and rainfalls during the winters of 1997/98 and 1998/99 were affected by cold and warm ENSO events, respectively. The above analysis demonstrated the model＇s ability to simulate the East Asian winter monsoon.

Impacts of Nighttime Warming on the Soil Nematode Community in a Winter Wheat Field of Yangtze Delta Plain, China

Changes in the soil nematode community induced by global warming may have a considerable influence on agro-ecosystem functioning. However, the impacts of predicted warming on nematode community in farmland （e.g., winter wheat field） have not been well documented. Therefore, a field experiment with free air temperature increase （FATI） was conducted to investigate the responses of the soil nematode community to nighttime warming in a winter wheat field of Yangtze Delta Plain, China, during 2007 to 2009. Nighttime warming （NW） by 1.8~C at 5-cm soil depth had no significant impact on the total nematode abundance compared to un-warmed control （CK）. However, NW significantly affected the nematode community structure. Warming favored the bacterivores and fungivores, such as Acrobeles, Monhystera, Rhabditis, and Rhabdontolaimus in bacterivores, and Filenchus in fungivores, while the plant-parasites were hindered, such as Helicotylenchus and Psilenchus. Interestingly, the carnivores/ omnivores remained almost unchanged. Hence, the abundances ofbacterivores and fungivores were significantly higher under NW than those under CK. Similarly, the abundances of plant-parasites were significantly lower under NW than under CK. Furthermore, Wasilewska index of the nematode community was significantly higher under NW than those under CK, indicating beneficial effect to the plant in the soil. Our results suggest that nighttime warming may improve soil fertility and decrease soil- borne diseases in winter wheat field through affecting the soil nematode community. It is also indicated that nighttime warming may promote the sustainability of the nematode community by altering genera-specific habitat suitability for soil biota.

Anatomical Structure Comparison Between Leaves of Two Winter Wheat Cultivars with Different Cold/Freezing Tolerance Under Low Temperature Stress

Winter wheat （Triticum aestivum） cultivars Dongnongdongmai 1 with strong cold/freezing tolerance and Jimai 22 with weak cold/freezing tolerance were used for investigating the difference of microstructure and ultrastructure between leaves of two cultivars under low temperature stress （5℃ and -15 ℃） using optical and electron microscope. The results showed that there was no obvious difference between leaves of Dongnongdongmai 1 and Jimai 22 in microstructure. However, the difference between those leaves was distinct in ultrastructure. The grana lamella and stroma lamella were stacked regularly and arranged parallelly along the long axis of chloroplasts in cv. Dongnongdongmai 1, while the arrangement directions of thylakoids in Jimai 22＇s leaves were so irregular as to form various angles with the long axis of chloroplasts. At -15℃, the mitochondrias were swelled to be round and the structure of cristaes became blurry in both cultivars＇ leaves, while some cristaes of Jimai 22 disappeared. These results would provide theoretical evidence for selecting cold/freezing tolerant winter wheat germplasm resources

2002:The extra-strong warm winter event in North Asia and its accompanying anomalous atmospheric circulation

Features of an extra-strong warm winter event in North Asia in 2002 and its accompanying anomalous atmospheric circulation were studied through diagnosis on the atmospheric reanalysis data set. Results show that the winter of 2002 is of the warmest in the recent 54 years in North Asia, which was caused by both decadal scale and interannual scale variability. The interannual variability is proved to be as the main cause for the event, and it is related to the global scale atmospheric circulation anomalies, with the strongest of them in the Eastern Hemisphere and in the middle and high latitude region of the Southern Hemisphere.

Maintenance and development of the Ural high and its contribution to severe cold wave activities in winter 2020/21

Two successive severe cold waves invaded eastern China from the end of 2020 to early 2021,leading to an extensive,severe,and persistent drop in temperature.The paper investigates the features and formation mechanisms of the two cold waves.The main results are as follows:(1)An anticlockwise turning of the transverse trough was observed in both cold waves.However,a broad ridge was maintained over the Ural area from mid-December 2020 till mid-January 2021.No breakdown or discontinuous westward shift of the blocking high was observed,which is different from typical cold waves in eastern Asia.(2)The maintenance and strengthening of northerly winds in front of the Ural high led to an increase in baroclinicity in-situ.In the downstream region,the gradient of the geopotential height contour in the south of the transverse trough rapidly increased and the advection of cold temperature consistently enhanced and advanced southwards.This in turn caused the intensification and southward expansion of the Siberian high.(3)Energy propagation of the quasi-stationary wave was a reason for the development and persistence of the Ural blocking.Prior to the occurrence of the two cold waves,the energy of the low-frequency stationary wave originating from near 0°E(or even to the west)propagated eastwards,which helped the Ural ridge intensify and maintain.Meanwhile,it also contributed to the development of the trough downstream of the ridge and resulted in the anticlockwise turning of the transverse trough,providing a favorable condition for the southward outbreak of cold air.