Quasi-40-Day Oscillation and Its Teleconnection Structure together with the Possible Dependence on Conversion of Barotropic Unstable Energy of Temporal Mean Flow

A study is made of the distribution of the diagnostic quantity vector E and the teleconnection structure of 30-50 (quasi-40) day oscillation, together with the dependence on the conversion of barotropic unstable energy of mean flow in terms of ECWMF daily 500 hPa grid data in winter, indicating that the energy transportation is closely associated with the westerly jet position, with zonal (meridional) propagation in the strong (weak) wind region, that considerable conversion of barotropic energy occurs at the jet exit region where low-frequency oscillation gains energy from the mean flow, leading to maximum kinetic energy for the oscillation observed there, which is marked by evident barotropy in striking contrast to the baroclinicity at low latitudes and that the teleconnection core is related to the center of action in the atmosphere and bound up with the pattern of the west wind.

Two Modes of the Silk Road Pattern and Their Interannual Variability Simulated by LASG/IAP AGCM SAMIL2.0

In this study, two modes of the Silk Road pattern were investigated using NCEP2 reanalysis data and the simulation produced by Spectral Atmospheric Circulation Model of IAP LASG, Version 2 （SAMIL2.0） that was forced by SST observation data. The horizontal distribution of both modes were reasonably reproduced by the simulation, with a pattern correlation coefficient of 0.63 for the first mode and 0.62 for the second mode. The wave train was maintained by barotropic energy conversion （denoted as CK） and baroclinic energy conversion （denoted as CP） from the mean flow. The distribution of CK was dominated by its meridional component （CKy） in both modes. When integrated spatially, CKx was more efficient than its zonal component （CKx） in the first mode but less in the second mode. The distribution and efficiency of CK were not captured well by SAMIL2.0. However, the model performed reasonably well at reproducing the distribution and efficiency of CP in both modes. Because CP is more efficient than CK, the spatial patterns of the Silk Road pattern were well reproduced. Interestingly, the temporal phase of the second mode was well captured by a single-member simulation. However, further analysis of other ensemble runs demonstrated that the successful reproduction of the temporal phase was a result of internal variability rather than a signal of SST forcing. The analysis shows that the observed temporal variations of both CP and CK were poorly reproduced, leading to the low accuracy of the temporal phase of the Silk Road pattern in the simulation.

The decadally modulating eddy field in the upstream Kuroshio Extension and its related mechanisms

Both the level of the high-frequency eddy kinetic energy（HF-EKE） and the energy-containing scale in the upstream Kuroshio Extension（KE） undergo a well-defined decadal modulation, which correlates well with the decadal KE path variability. The HF-EKE level and the energy-containing scales will increase with unstable KE path and decrease with stable KE path. Also the mesoscale eddies are a little meridionally elongated in the stable state, while they are much zonally elongated in the unstable state. The local baroclinic instability and the barotropic instability associated with the decadal modulation of HF-EKE have been investigated. The results show that the baroclinic instability is stronger in the stable state than that in the unstable state, with a shorter characteristic temporal scale and a larger characteristic spatial scale. Meanwhile, the regional-averaged barotropic conversion rate is larger in the unstable state than that in the stable state. The results also demonstrate that the baroclinic instability is not the dominant mechanism influencing the decadal modulation of the mesoscale eddy field, while the barotropic instability makes a positive contribution to the decadal modulation.

INFLUENCE OF THE INTERANNUAL VARIATION OF CROSSEQUATORIAL FLOW ON TROPICAL CYCLOGENESIS OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC

The influence of the interannual variation of cross-equatorial flow(CEF) on tropical cyclogenesis over the western North Pacific(WNP) is examined in this paper by using the tropical cyclone(TC) best track data from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center and the JRA-25 reanalysis dataset. The results showed that the number of TCs forming to the east of 140°E over the southeastern part of the western North Pacific(WNP) is in highly positive correlation with the variation of the CEF near 125° E and 150° E, i.e., the number of tropical cyclogeneses increases when the cross-equatorial flows are strong. Composite analyses showed that during the years of strong CEF, the variations of OLR, vertical wind shear between 200-850 h Pa, 850 h Pa relative vorticity and 200 h Pa divergence are favorable for tropical cyclogenesis to the east of 140°E over the tropical WNP, and vice versa. Moreover, it is also discussed from the view of barotropic energy conversion that during the years of strong CEF, an eastward-extended monsoon trough leads to the rapid growth of eddy kinetic energy over the eastern part of WNP, which is favorable for tropical cyclogenesis;but during the years of weak CEF, the monsoon trough is located westward in the western part of the WNP, consistent with the growth area of eddy kinetic energy. As a result, there are fewer TC geneses over the eastern part of WNP.Besides, the abrupt strengthening of a close-by CEF 2-4 days before tropical cyclogenesis may be the one of its triggers.

FEATURES OF VARIATION IN TOTAL,BAROTROPIC AND BAROCLINIC KINETIC ENERGY WITH THE MECHANISM EXPLORED AROUND THE 1998 SCS SUMMER MONSOON ONSET

This paper concerns atmospheric kinetic energy variation related to the onset of summer monsoon in May,1998 over the SCS (South China Sea).Results show that around the onset, noticeable conversion occurs in atmospheric total,barotropic and baroclinic kinetic energy (KE) at 300-1000 hPa;three days before the onset,total and barotropic KE are already growing markedly and baroclinic KE increases simultaneously with the onset:the monsoon's onset is associated closely to the meridional propagation of barotropic and baroclinic KE in the SCS region and study of equations of barotropie/baroclinic KE indicates that the net production term is the dominant factor for the change of the two forms of KE,the term of fluxes plays a part in weakening the energies and the conversion term is responsible for transforming barotropic into baroclinic KE.

The Henan extreme rainfall in July 2021: Modulation of the northward-shift monsoon trough on the synoptic-scale wave train

The synoptic-scale wave train is a dominant pattern of the synoptic variability over the tropical western Pacific and usually affects the extreme weather over South China and Southeast Asia.Whether it could extend its influence and contribute to the Henan extreme rainfall in July 2021 still needs to be unraveled.We found that during the Henan extreme rainfall days a positively synoptic-scale vorticity disturbance dominated Henan province,China,which was embedded in the synoptic-scale wave train that originated from the western North Pacific.Moreover,the propagating pathway of this synoptic-scale wave train located northward and was likely modulated by the latitudinal location change of the monsoon trough over the western North Pacific.A northernmost displacement of the monsoon trough in July 2021(∼23.2°N)would facilitate the synoptic-scale wave train to propagate farther northwestward via shifting the related barotropic conversion northward.Therefore,the synoptic-scale wave train from the tropics could reach Henan,provide the necessary lifting forcing,and supply abundant water vapor associated with the anomalous southerly for the occurrence of Henan extreme rainfall event.The results implicate that the pre-existing synoptic-scale wave train regulated by the location of the monsoon trough may be a potential precursor for heavy rainfalls in northern Central China.

Increasing Trend of Summertime Synoptic Wave Train Activity over the Western North Pacific since 1950

The change of summertime synoptic-scale wave train(SWT) activity over the western North Pacific(WNP) since1950 was investigated based on the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data. It is found that the intensity of SWT has a rising trend, while its structure and phase propagation characteristics remain unchanged. Environmental factors responsible for the rising trend are investigated. By separating the whole period into three warming phases(P1: 1950–1958, P2:1978–1986, and P3: 2006–2014), we found that even though the vertical velocity shows a rising trend, the background low-level vorticity over the monsoon trough region increases from P1 to P2 but decreases from P2 to P3, and so is the low-level barotropic energy conversion(CK). Thus, just the environmental dynamic factor could not explain the continuous rising SWT trend. On the other hand, thermodynamic factor, such as the sea surface temperature(SST), moisture, and atmospheric instability, shows a clear step-by-step increasing trend. A non-dimensional synoptic activity index(SAI) that combines the dynamic and thermodynamic factors is then proposed. This index well captures the observed long-term trend of the SWT intensity.

The extreme Northeast China cold vortex activities in the late spring of 2021 and possible causes involved

Record-breaking numbers of Northeast China cold vortex(NCCV)occurred during the late spring(April-May)of 2021,which provided favorable background for more severe convection weather(such as hailstorm and tornado)happened and struck Jiangsu and Hubei provinces,China,causing heavy casualties and property losses.To better understand the possible causes of extremely abnormal NCCV activities,the external forcing and dynamical analysis was conducted.The results show that the extreme NCCV activity is regulated by the preceding sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies in the tropical Pacific,the snow conditions over the Tibetan Plateau,and the wave-mean flow interaction over the Eurasian continent.During the preceding autumn and winter in 2020,a moderate La Niña event occurred over the tropical Pacific,which triggered the Pacific-North America teleconnection pattern(PNA)like wave train and further dispersed the Rossby wave energy downstream along the mid-latitude westerly jet,forming a zonal wave train over the Eurasian continent.Moreover,the second minimum snow depth was recorded over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau during the boreal winter of 2020/2021,which induced a concurrent local anomalous anticyclone and a cyclone over northeast Asia in the following spring.Finally,the anomalous circulation is capable of achieving energy from the mean state through barotropic energy conversion and strengthening the downstream wave train accordingly.This study highlights the joint impacts of external forcings and internal atmospheric processes on the NCCV activity.