Characteristics and Mechanisms of Persistent Wet–Cold Events with Different Cold-air Paths in South China

We investigate the characteristics and mechanisms of persistent wet–cold events(PWCEs)with different types of coldair paths.Results show that the cumulative single-station frequency of the PWCEs in the western part of South China is higher than that in the eastern part.The pattern of single-station frequency of the PWCEs are“Yangtze River(YR)uniform”and“east–west inverse”.The YR uniform pattern is the dominant mode,so we focus on this pattern.The cold-air paths for PWCEs of the YR uniform pattern are divided into three types—namely,the west,northwest and north types—among which the west type accounts for the largest proportion.The differences in atmospheric circulation of the PWCEs under the three types of paths are obvious.The thermal inversion layer in the lower troposphere is favorable for precipitation during the PWCEs.The positive water vapor budget for the three types of PWCEs mainly appears at the southern boundary.

Influence of Arctic Sea-ice Concentration on Extended-range Forecasting of Cold Events in East Asia

Utilizing the Community Atmosphere Model,version 4,the influence of Arctic sea-ice concentration(SIC)on the extended-range prediction of three simulated cold events(CEs)in East Asia is investigated.Numerical results show that the Arctic SIC is crucial for the extended-range prediction of CEs in East Asia.The conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation approach is adopted to identify the optimal Arctic SIC perturbations with the largest influence on CE prediction on the extended-range time scale.It shows that the optimal SIC perturbations are more inclined to weaken the CEs and cause large prediction errors in the fourth pentad,as compared with random SIC perturbations under the same constraint.Further diagnosis reveals that the optimal SIC perturbations first modulate the local temperature through the diabatic process,and then influence the remote temperature by horizontal advection and vertical convection terms.Consequently,the optimal SIC perturbations trigger a warming center in East Asia through the propagation of Rossby wave trains,leading to the largest prediction uncertainty of the CEs in the fourth pentad.These results may provide scientific support for targeted observation of Arctic SIC to improve the extended-range CE prediction skill.

Cold events of Holocene indicated by primary elements distribution of the high-resolution sand dunes in the Salawusu River Valley

The components of the primary elements in the dune sands for the MGS1 subsection of the Milanggouwan section in the Salawusu River valley, compared with those of modern dune sands, show that they were caused by East Asian winter monsoon in the Mu Us desert during Holocene. The examined ages for the 11 layers of dune sands, based on the average sedimentary rate, are： 0 to 960, 1350-2240, 2470 to 3530, 4000 to 4180, 4290 to 4350, 4380 to 4760, 5040 to 5920, 6570 to 8270, 9020 to 9700, 9880 to 10160 and 10580 to 11080 a BP, respectively. The climatic events indicated by these dune sands are consistent with those records in the Huguangyan volcanic lake, Zoige peat bog, Hulu cave and Dunde ice core, particularly with the climatic fluctuations of the North Atlantic since 11 000 a BP. Among them, patterns from B0 to B8 correspond to the peak values of 0MD, 2D, 4D, 6D＋8D＋10D, 12D, 14D, 16D, 18D and 20D respectively. It might be caused by the North Atlantic ice age induced by the heat circulation, which strengthened the polar high pressure and Siberian-Mongolian high pressure and further led to the dominance of the winter monsoon over China＇s desert area.

Seasonal Cumulative Effect of Ural Blocking Episodes on the Frequent Cold events in China during the Early Winter of 2020/21

Starting in mid-November,China was hit by several cold events during the early winter of 2020/21.The lowest temperature observed at Beijing station on 7 January reached−19.6°C.In this paper,we show that the outbreak of the record-breaking extreme cold event can be attributed to a huge merging Ural blocking(UB)ridge over the Eurasian region.The sea-ice cover in the Kara and East Siberia Seas(KESS)in autumn was at its lowest value since 1979,which could have served as a precursor signal.Further analysis shows that several successive UB episodes occurred from 1 September 2020 to 10 January 2021.The persistent UB that occurred in late September/early October 2020 may have made an important contribution to the October historical minimum of sea ice in the KESS region.Our results also show that,after each UB episode in winter,significant upward propagation of wave activity occurred around 60°E,which resulted in weakening the stratospheric vortex.Meanwhile,each UB episode also caused a significant reduction in sea-ice extent in KESS and a significant weakening of the westerly jet in mid-high-latitude Eurasia.Results suggest that the Arctic vortex,which is supposed to enhance seasonally,became weaker and more unstable than the climatic mean under the seasonal cumulative effects of UB episodes,KESS warming,and long-lasting negative-phase North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO-).Those seasonal cumulative effects,combined with the impact of La Niña winter,led to the frequent occurrence of extreme cold events.

The Nature and Predictability of the East Asian Extreme Cold Events of 2020/21

Three extreme cold events invaded China during the early winter period between December 2020 to mid-January 2021 and caused drastic temperature drops,setting new low-temperature records at many stations during 6−8 January 2021.These cold events occurred under background conditions of low Arctic sea ice extent and a La Niña event.This is somewhat expected since the coupled effect of large Arctic sea ice loss in autumn and sea surface temperature cooling in the tropical Pacific usually favors cold event occurrences in Eurasia.Further diagnosis reveals that the first cold event is related to the southward movement of the polar vortex and the second one is related to a continent-wide ridge,while both the southward polar vortex and the Asian blocking are crucial for the third event.Here,we evaluate the forecast skill for these three events utilizing the operational forecasts from the ECMWF model.We find that the third event had the highest predictability since it achieves the best skill in forecasting the East Asian cooling among the three events.Therefore,the predictability of these cold events,as well as their relationships with the atmospheric initial conditions,Arctic sea ice,and La Niña deserve further investigation.

The Predictability of Ocean Environments that Contributed to the 2020/21 Extreme Cold Events in China:2020/21 La Niña and 2020 Arctic Sea Ice Loss

Several consecutive extreme cold events impacted China during the first half of winter 2020/21,breaking the low-temperature records in many cities.How to make accurate climate predictions of extreme cold events is still an urgent issue.The synergistic effect of the warm Arctic and cold tropical Pacific has been demonstrated to intensify the intrusions of cold air from polar regions into middle-high latitudes,further influencing the cold conditions in China.However,climate models failed to predict these two ocean environments at expected lead times.Most seasonal climate forecasts only predicted the 2020/21 La Niña after the signal had already become apparent and significantly underestimated the observed Arctic sea ice loss in autumn 2020 with a 1-2 month advancement.In this work,the corresponding physical factors that may help improve the accuracy of seasonal climate predictions are further explored.For the 2020/21 La Niña prediction,through sensitivity experiments involving different atmospheric-oceanic initial conditions,the predominant southeasterly wind anomalies over the equatorial Pacific in spring of 2020 are diagnosed to play an irreplaceable role in triggering this cold event.A reasonable inclusion of atmospheric surface winds into the initialization will help the model predict La Niña development from the early spring of 2020.For predicting the Arctic sea ice loss in autumn 2020,an anomalously cyclonic circulation from the central Arctic Ocean predicted by the model,which swept abnormally hot air over Siberia into the Arctic Ocean,is recognized as an important contributor to successfully predicting the minimum Arctic sea ice extent.

An Isentropic Mass Circulation View on the Extreme Cold Events in the 2020/21 Winter

Three extreme cold events successively occurred across East Asia and North America in the 2020/21 winter.This study investigates the underlying mechanisms of these record-breaking persistent cold events from the isentropic mass circulation(IMC)perspective.Results show that the midlatitude cold surface temperature anomalies always co-occurred with the high-latitude warm anomalies,and this was closely related to the strengthening of the low-level equatorward cold air branch of the IMC,particularly along the climatological cold air routes over East Asia and North America.Specifically,the two cold surges over East Asia in early winter were results of intensification of cold air transport there,influenced by the Arctic sea ice loss in autumn.The weakened cold air transport over North America associated with warmer northeastern Pacific sea surface temperatures(SSTs)explained the concurrent anomalous warmth there.This enhanced a wavenumber-1 pattern and upward wave propagation,inducing a simultaneous and long-lasting stronger poleward warm air branch(WB)of the IMC in the stratosphere and hence a displacement-type Stratospheric Sudden Warming(SSW)event on 4 January.The WB-induced increase in the air mass transported into the polar stratosphere was followed by intensification of the equatorward cold branch,hence promoting the occurrence of two extreme cold events respectively over East Asia in the beginning of January and over North America in February.Results do not yield a robust direct linkage from La Niña to the SSW event,IMC changes,and cold events,though the extratropical warm SSTs are found to contribute to the February cold surge in North America.

Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of Winter Cold Events in China from 1960 to 2020

Under the background of global warming, extreme cold events occur frequently. It is important to enhance the understanding of cold air patterns for forecasting cold air and reducing cold air-induced meteorological disasters. The study used the daily minimum temperatures from the National Climate Centre to classify the cold events affecting China into five different grades and the characteristics of different intensity cold events in China during the winter from 1960 to 2020 were analyzed. The results showed that there is little difference in the distribution of the frequency of general cold events from north to south, with duration longer in the north than in the south and an increase in frequency in the north in the last 60 years. The frequency of strong cold events is more in the north of China than in the south of China, and the duration is longer in the south than in the north China, with the frequency decreasing in most parts of the country. In addition to latitude, cold events frequency is closely linked to topography, with basins surrounded by high mountains being difficult to be affected by cold events, especially extreme cold events. In terms of month distribution, December was subject to the highest frequency of cold events and the longest duration of a single cold events process.

Precursory Signals of Extensive and Persistent Extreme Cold Events in China

The distinct precursory signals of countrywide extensive and persistent extreme cold events (CECs) were investigated and contrasted with those of countrywide cold wave events (CCWs). It is shown that most CECs were accompanied by a CCW in the initial stages. From the comparison between the CECs and the CCWs that were independent of any CEC, it is found that a south- west-northeast-oriented tilted ridge at 500 hPa was present around the Europe-Barents Sea regions approximately 10 days prior to the start of the CEC. Consistent with this feature, a high sea level pressure and strong cold air accumulation occurred over a broad extent of northern Eurasia one week prior to the start of the CEC. The tilted ridge and the strong cold air accumulation were the precursory signals that were absent for the CCW, and they provide important clues for the early prediction of whether a CCW event might evolve into a CEC.

Cold event at 5500 a BP recorded in mud sediments on the inner shelf of the East China Sea

A 700-year record (1.0-1.5 a resolution) of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM),based on grain-size analysis and AMS14C dating of Core EC2005 from the inner-shelf mud wedge of the East China Sea (ECS),was compared with the Dongge stalagmite δ18O record during the mid-Holocene.The upper muddy section of Core EC2005 has been formed mainly by suspended sediments derived from the Changjiang (Yangtze) River mouth since 7.3 ka BP.High precipitation and a strengthened EAWM might have played key roles in the high sedimentation rate (1 324-1 986 cm/ka) between 5.9-5.2 ka BP.The EAWM strengthened when the Asian summer monsoon weakened,especially around 5500 a BP,which corresponded to a worldwide cold event.The EAWM during the mid-Holocene shows statistically significant solar periodicities at 62 and 11 a.The 5500 a BP cold event might be resulted from orbital forcing and changes in solar activity.

Distinct influential mechanisms of the warm pool Madden-Julian Oscillation on persistent extreme cold events in Northeast China

本文利用高分辨率气温数据和热带季节内振荡(MJO)实时指数,研究了1979-2015年冬季MJO活动对中国东北持续性极端低温事件(PECE)的影响特征和机理.结果表明:当MJO对流分别位于暖池地区的东印度洋(位相3)和西太平洋(位相5)时,中国东北PECE的发生频率显著增加.利用温度方程诊断分析发现MJO两个位相所导致的冷却过程不同:当MJO处于位相3时,中国东北地区为低压异常,上升运动引起绝热冷却作用;而位相5所形成的气旋性环流为中国东北地区带来西北风冷平流,降温过程更强且持续更长时间.

Interdecadal changes in the frequency of winter extreme cold events in North China during 1989–2021

全球变暖背景下,极端天气气候事件的变化受到关注.本文研究发现, 1989-2021年期间,华北地区极端冷日数在2003和2013年发生了年代际变化.极端冷日数先增加后减少. 2003-2012年,西伯利亚-乌拉尔高压偏强,极地西风急流偏弱,有利于冷空气南下入侵华北地区,华北极端冷日数偏多.而在1989-2002年和2013-2021年,情况相反.虽然三个时段华北极端冷日的强度没有显著差异,但与其相联系的冷空气强度变得更强, 2013-2021年冷空气中心区域往西北扩张到了贝加尔湖以西地区.

Changes in Atmospheric Circulation during the Winter Regional Extreme Cold Events over China since 1960

The number of days with occurrence of winter regional extreme cold events(RECEs) in China was found more during 1960/1961–1985/1986(period 1), less during 1986/1987–2005/2006(period 2), but more again during2006/2007–2017/2018(period 3). So far, the differences in the atmospheric circulation favoring RECEs among these three periods are unclear. In this paper, changes in atmospheric circulation during the RECEs over China are examined by using composite analysis based on the station observed temperature data and NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data in winters of 1960/1961–2017/2018. The results show:(1) the stratospheric polar vortex was more active and tended to split before the outbreak of RECEs in period 3 than that in other two periods. The shift of the stratospheric polar vortex to Eurasia helped the upper Arctic cold air to affect the lower latitudes.(2) The troposphere was characterized by a typical or significant three-wave pattern before the outbreak of RECEs in period 2, in contrast to a weakened three-wave pattern in period 1. Compared to periods 1 and 2, the Okhotsk blocking high was stronger in period 3, contributing to the inverted omega-shaped circulation pattern in East Asia–North Pacific section and a shift of global pattern from three-wave to two-wave. The weakened three-wave or two-wave circulation pattern was manifested by the stronger Ural/Okhotsk blocking high, conducive to the strengthening of the meridional circulation and the occurrence of RECEs in East Asia.(3) The Siberian high was the strongest in period 3, followed by period 1, and it was the weakest in period 2. Before the outbreak of RECEs, the Siberian high in period 3 began to intensify one week earlier than that in periods 1 and 2. Thus, the accumulation time of cold air mass in period 3 was the longest. In summary, the synergism of atmospheric circulation at high and low levels in periods 1 and 3 was more conducive to more and strong RECEs than that in period 2. Moreover, the split of the stratospheric polar vortex may have played an important role on the formation of tropospheric two-wave pattern in period 3. The results obtained herein may provide a better understanding of the mechanisms for occurrences of RECEs in China.

A Statistical Linkage between Extreme Cold Wave Events in Southern China and Sea Ice Extent in the Barents-Kara Seas from 1289 to 2017

Arctic sea ice loss and the associated enhanced warming has been related to midlatitude weather and climate changes through modulate meridional temperature gradients linked to circulation. However, contrasting lines of evidence result in low confidence in the influence of Arctic warming on midlatitude climate. This study examines the additional perspectives that palaeoclimate evidence provides on the decadal relationship between autumn sea ice extent (SIE) in the Barents-Kara (B-K) Seas and extreme cold wave events (ECWEs) in southern China. Reconstruction of the winter Cold Index and SIE in the B-K Seas from 1289 to 2017 shows that a significant anti-phase relationship occurred during most periods of decreasing SIE, indicating that cold winters are more likely in low SIE years due to the “bridge” role of the North Atlantic Oscillation and Siberian High. It is confirmed that the recent increase in ECWEs in southern China is closely related to the sea ice decline in the B-K Seas. However, our results show that the linkage is unstable, especially in high SIE periods, and it is probably modulated by atmospheric internal variability.

Recovery of photosynthesis,sucrose metabolism,and proteolytic enzymes in Kandelia obovata from rare cold events in the northernmost mangrove,China

Introduction:Understanding how mangroves respond to rare cold events has implications for both restoration and conservation under climate change scenarios.This study investigated the responses of photosynthesis and activities of key enzymes involving carbon and nitrogen metabolism at different ages of Kandelia obovata to a rare cold event in the winter of 2010.Methods:This study took place on Ximen Island,Zhejiang Province,China.We measured the physiological recovery of 2-3-,5-6-,9-10-and 54-55-year-old K.obovata trees after freezing injury in February and March in 2011 and 2012,respectively.Results:Chilling injury index and electrolyte leakage of K.obovata increased with increasing tree age in the winter of 2010,and electrolyte leakage in K.obovata at different ages in the winter of 2010 was far higher than that in the winter of 2011.The rare cold events significantly changed the recoveries of the leaf net photosynthetic rate(Pn)and stomatal conductance(Gs);ratios of chlorophyll a/chlorophyll b(Chl a/Chl b);contents of total soluble sugar(TSS),sucrose,free amino acid(FAA),and soluble protein;and activities of sucrose phosphate synthase(SPS),endopeptidase,and carboxypeptidase in K.obovata at different ages.These effects were mainly due to changes in the physiological mechanism in the 2-year-old trees.A clear decrease in Pn of the 2-year-old trees was observed in February 2011,as exemplified by reductions in ratios of Chl a/Chl b and chlorophyll/carotenoid(Chl/Car),as well as inhibition of the levels of TSS and FAA(osmotic substances).During recovery in 2011 and 2012,the activities of SPS and sucrose synthase(SS)were responsible for sucrose synthesis after the rare cold events in 2011,but only SPS activity was one of the main factors contributing to the metabolism of stachyose to sucrose without cold damage in 2012.Carboxypeptidase played a more important role than endopeptidase during protein hydrolysis after the rare cold events.Conclusions:The results suggest that the recovery of photosynthetic capacity in K.obovata was changed after a rare cold event,which is associated with pigment components and activities of SS,SPS,and carboxypeptidase,especially the seedlings.

A Possible Mechanism for Winter Sea Ice Decline over the Bering Sea and Its Relationship with Cold Events over North America

In this study,the mechanism for the sea ice decline over the Bering Sea and its relationship with cold events over North America are investigated based on the daily ERA-Interim data during the winter(December-February)of1979-2016.The results show that the sea ice decline over western(eastern)Bering Sea is mainly contributed by(1)the strengthened southerly(southeasterly)wind near the surface,which possibly pushes the sea ice to move northward,and(2)the intensified downward infrared radiation(IR),which is closely related to the local increasing surface air temperature(SAT)and the intensified moisture convergence mostly induced by the anomalous southeasterly wind associated with an anticyclonic anomaly over the Alaska Bay.During the sea ice decline over the Bering Sea,a cold SAT anomaly is simultaneously found over North America.It is proved that the occurrence of such a cold event is driven by the atmospheric internal variation,but not the forcing of sea ice decline over the Bering Sea.This study deepens our understanding of sea ice decline and its relationship with contemporary cold events in winter.

Characteristics and Changes of Cold Surge Events over China during 1960-2007

This paper demonstrates regional characteristics, a long-term decreasing trend, and decadal variations in the frequency of cold surge events based on daily mean temperature and daily minimum temperature data in China's Mainland from 1960 to 2008. During these 48 years four high frequency centers of cold surge events were located in Xinjiang, central North China, northeast China, and southeast China. A main frequency peak of cold surge events occurs in autumn for the four regions and another peak is detected in spring over northeast China and southeast China. The regional pattern of cold surge frequencies is in accordance with the perturbation kinetic energy distribution in October December, January, and February April. The long-term decreasing trend ( 0.2 times/decade) of cold surge frequencies in northeast China and decadal variations in China are related to the variations of the temperature difference between southern and northern China in the winter monsoon season; these variations are due to the significant rising of winter temperatures in high latitudes.

冷泉碳酸盐工厂的提出及古气候意义

【意义】碳酸盐工厂的提出及其分类研究对于推动碳酸盐岩沉积学发展具有重要意义,但现行分类方案不足以囊括所有碳酸盐沉积类型,因此亟须从机理和过程层面对碳酸盐工厂类型予以梳理、扩充。【进展】传统碳酸盐工厂的碳源主要为大气—海洋中的无机碳库,而一些特殊海相和陆相碳酸盐工厂的碳则主要源于外源碳库,因而两者具有本质上的区别。后者往往对于追溯深时水体环境和气候事件具有重大意义。【结论与展望】以冷泉碳酸盐岩为例,正式提出“冷泉碳酸盐工厂”概念,综述了其沉积特征、生物组成及生物地球化学过程,并举例阐述其古气候意义。基于外源碳库的碳酸盐工厂类型理应得到重视。

北疆冬季持续性极端低温事件延伸期的环流异常特征

本文利用1951~2019年国家气象信息中心逐日站点数据和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,分析了冬季北疆(新疆北部)持续性极端低温事件(PECE)频次的时空分布特征,并探讨了平流层与对流层在事件发生发展过程中的作用。分析表明:年代际尺度上,北疆PECE在20世纪60年代发生频次最多,此后逐渐减少,表明北疆区域发生该事件的概率在降低。空间分布上,无论是极端低温频次还是冷空气强度,极值中心皆在额尔齐斯河流域一线。北疆PECE发展过程中,平流层和对流层环流皆发生了阶段性的调整。延伸期阶段,距事件爆发前25日时,平流层I区(30°E~120°E)极涡首先开始了由强到弱的转变(欧亚弱极涡型)。行星波向下游频散,东南支波列携带能量影响北疆。至事件爆发前20日,对流层极涡也表现出强度减弱,冷空气分裂南下。此后进入短期阶段,来自北冰洋的冷空气在乌拉尔山高压脊前堆积,使得高压脊加强维持至事件爆发前3日,西伯利亚高压携带冷空气向东南方向扩展,随后对流层大型横槽斜脊引导冷空气南下,地面西伯利亚高压发展强盛向南爆发,3日后冷空气影响北疆地区。

2021年1月与2024年1月我国东部极端寒潮发生原因及机制探讨

伴随全球变暖和有卫星观测记录以来北极秋季海冰密集度的下降,近几年,东亚地区极端降温事件频繁发生。基于北极涛动指数、北极海冰密集度及温度、位势高度和风场等大气环流数据,研究2021年1月和2024年1月我国极端寒潮的时空变化特征及其原因机制。2021年1月1日至9日,2024年1月17日至24日,我国东部地区(115°00′~120°00′E,20°00′~37°30′N)均出现极端寒潮,最低温异常分别达到-9.028℃和-7.574℃,降温中心分别集中在蒙古高原南部和秦岭北部。2021年1月我国东部地区平均气温降至-3.8℃,达到21世纪以来的次低温纪录。本文基于美国国家环境预报中心(National Centers for Environmental Prediction,NCEP)的再分析资料,得出西风带的异常减弱致使西风带对高纬度冷空气的阻拦作用减弱。2021年、2024年寒潮爆发时位于西伯利亚、太平洋西北部的高压中心和华北地区低压中心均出现显著增强,导致位于西伯利亚的冷空气的南移,致使我国东部地区出现寒潮现象。2024年1月极端寒潮现象显示于气温经验正交分解(Empirical Orthogonal Function,EOF)的第一模态(29.33%),而EOF分解的第二模态(14.92%)显示2021年出现降温现象。回归分析表明北极涛动指数和北极海冰的下降与1月我国东部地区气温之间存在较强的关系,北极涛动负相位及北极海冰的减少也是促使北极冷空气南下的重要因素。异常强劲的北风、减弱的西风急流及对应高压中心的移动共同作用导致了极地寒流入侵我国大陆地区,是造成2021年1月和2024年1月我国大陆地区极端天气事件的主要原因之一。