Livelihood Capital and Livelihood Diversification for Different Farmers in Yuanjiang Dry-Hot River Valley

Under the analytical framework of sustainable livelihoods,we establish the evaluation indicator system for farmers' livelihood capital,to evaluate the current livelihood capital and livelihood diversification for different farmers in the Dai nationality region of Xinping County in the Yuanjiang dry-hot river valley area,and discuss the relationship between livelihood capital and livelihood diversification. Studies have shown that the mode dominated by agriculture,supplemented by non-agricultural activities,combined with breeding,is the commonly used livelihood strategy for farmers in this region. As farmers change from pure agriculture to non-agriculture,their total livelihood capital and nonagricultural livelihood diversification index will increase,while agricultural livelihood diversification index will decrease. In the meantime,their livelihood activities gradually shift from agricultural to non-agricultural ones,which is mainly reflected in the combination of both agricultural and non-agricultural activities. Regression analysis on livelihood capital and livelihood diversification shows that natural and physical capital is the basis of realizing agricultural livelihood diversification. Farmers with rich natural and physical capital will prefer agricultural livelihood strategies. While financial and human capital is the driving force for farmers' transition from pure agriculture to non-agriculture.

The 2022 Extreme Heatwave in Shanghai,Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Valley:Combined Influences of Multiscale Variabilities

In the summer of 2022,China(especially the Yangtze River Valley,YRV)suffered its strongest heatwave(HW)event since 1961.In this study,we examined the influences of multiscale variabilities on the 2022 extreme HW in the lower reaches of the YRV,focusing on the city of Shanghai.We found that about 1/3 of the 2022 HW days in Shanghai can be attributed to the long-term warming trend of global warming.During mid-summer of 2022,an enhanced western Pacific subtropical high(WPSH)and anomalous double blockings over the Ural Mountains and Sea of Okhotsk,respectively,were associated with the persistently anomalous high pressure over the YRV,leading to the extreme HW.The Pacific Decadal Oscillation played a major role in the anomalous blocking pattern associated with the HW at the decadal time scale.Also,the positive phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation may have contributed to regulating the formation of the double-blocking pattern.Anomalous warming of both the warm pool of the western Pacific and tropical North Atlantic at the interannual time scale may also have favored the persistency of the double blocking and the anomalously strong WPSH.At the subseasonal time scale,the anomalously frequent phases 2-5 of the canonical northward propagating variability of boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation associated with the anomalous propagation of a weak Madden-Julian Oscillation suppressed the convection over the YRV and also contributed to the HW.Therefore,the 2022 extreme HW originated from multiscale forcing including both the climate warming trend and air-sea interaction at multiple time scales.

IMPACT OF WATER ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS IN DRY-HOT VALLEY OF JINSHA RIVER ON SOIL DESERTIFICATION

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Industrial Poverty Alleviation Model in Deep Poverty-stricken Villages in the Dry-hot Valley of Jinsha River: A Case Study of Poverty Alleviation in the Green Prickleyash Planting Industry in Laopingzi Village,Luquan County

Industrial poverty alleviation is the core of poverty alleviation in rural areas of China,and it is the fundamental way for the rural poor to achieve stable income and poverty alleviation. Laopingzi Village,Jiaopingdu Town,Luquan County,Kunming County,Yunnan Province,located in the dry-hot valley area of Jinsha River,has become a typical deep poverty-stricken village due to its special natural conditions.In recent years,in the battle to win the fight against poverty,the people of Laopingzi Village have achieved a virtuous cycle of the ecological environment and an access to get rid of poverty and get rich through vigorously developing green prickleyash planting industry. By the end of 2018,the incidence of poverty in Laopingzi Village Committee dropped from 45. 62% in 2014 to 1. 11%,and the green prickleyash planting industry had achieved remarkable results in poverty alleviation. This article summarizes the specific practices of developing the green prickleyash planting industry in the village,analyzes the main results and successful experiences of the mode and discusses the inspiration of the implementation of green prickleyash cultivation on industrial poverty alleviation,so as to provide an effective practical example for the development and poverty alleviation of poverty-stricken areas.

Construction land expansion and influencing factors of typical river valley cities in Northeast China: Taking Jilin City as an example

Jilin City is a typical river valley city in Northeast China.In this paper,the authors studied the spatial and temporal expansion characteristics of the built-up areas in Jilin City from 1990 to 2020 using the analysis of expansion speed and strength,fractal dimension,barycenter coordinate transfer index and sector analysis.The ultimate-goal is to analyze the driving and restrictive factors that affect the spatial expansion of river valley cities.The results indicate that(1)the expansion speed of urban land in Jilin City has been re-latively slow in the past 30 years,while only slightly faster in 2010–2020;(2)in the spatial dimension,Jilin City mainly expanded to the south,then to the west,and extensive expansion has resulted in complex mor-phology with little stability and compactness;(3)the expansion is affected by multiple factors,of which the positive factor is industrial development,while the restrictive factors include natural factors,population loss,etc.This study provides a case for the formulation of land use policies and land space planning in river valley cities.

Poverty Alleviation Mode by Developing Sorghum Planting Industry in Dry-hot Valley Areas of Jinsha River in China:Taking Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County of Yunnan Province as an Example

There are many state-level poverty-stricken counties in the dry-hot valley areas of Jinsha River in China,with a wide range of poverty and extreme degree of poverty.The industry-supporting poverty alleviation ranks first in the"five batches"of China's targeted poverty alleviation strategy.The practice of planting in Luquan County since 2017 shows that the valleys and slopes on the dry-hot valley areas of Jinsha River with an altitude above 1800 m have wide land suitable for sorghum planting,and suitable for introduction and planting.In recent years,the county has adopted the mode of enterprise+government+cooperative+poor household,introduced the Langzhitang wine factory,developed sorghum planting with large-scale,industrialized and specialized features to achieve stable income growth for the poor,and significant results have been achieved.Based on many field surveys,household surveys,and interviews with county and village leaders,this paper analyzes the specific practices and main effects of the county's poverty alleviation model by developing sorghum planting industry,aiming to provide necessary reference for the targeted poverty alleviation and poverty alleviation in similar areas of Yunnan Province and other provinces.

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.

Holocene environmental change and archaeology,Yangtze River Valley,China:Review and prospects

Holocene environmental change and environmental archaeology are important components of an international project studying the human-earth interaction system. This paper reviews the progress of Holocene environmental change and environmental archaeology research in the Yangtze River Valley over the last three decades, that includes the evolution of large freshwater lakes, Holocene transgression and sea-level changes, Holocene climate change and East Asian monsoon variation, relationship between the rise and fall of primitive civilizations and environmental changes, cultural interruptions and palaeo- flood events, as well as relationship between the origin of agriculture and climate change. These research components are underpinned by the dating of lacustrine sediments, stalagmites and peat to establish a chronology of regional environmental and cultural evolution. Interdisciplinary and other environment proxy indicators need to be used in comparative studies of archaeological site formation and natural sedi- mentary environment in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley. Modern tech- nology such as remote sensing, molecular bioarchaeology, and virtual reality, should be integrated with currently used dating, geochemical, sedimentological, and palaeobotanical methods of analysis in envi- ronmental archaeology macro- and micro-studies, so as to provide a greater comprehensive insight into Holocene environmental and cultural interaction and change in the Yangtze River Valley area.

Anomalous Midsummer Rainfall in Yangtze River-Huaihe River Valleys and Its Association with the East Asia Westerly Jet

In this study, the interannual and interdecadal relationship between midsummer Yangtze River-Huaihe River valley （YHRV） rainfall and the position of the East Asia westerly jet （EAWJ） were investigated. The midsummer YHRV rainfall was found to significantly increase after the 1980s. Moreover, the location of the EAWJ was found abnormally south of the climatic mean during 1980–2008 （ID2） compared to 1951–1979 （ID1）. During ID2, associated with the southward movement of the EAWJ, an anomalous upper-level conver-gence occurred over middle-high latitudes （35° –55° N） and divergence occurred over lower latitudes （～30°N） of East Asia. Correspondingly, anomalous descending and ascending motion was observed in middle-high and lower latitudes along 90°–130° E, respectively, favoring more precipitation over YHRV. On an interan-nual time scale, the EAWJ and YHRV rainfall exhibited similar relationships during the two periods. When the EAWJ was centered abnormally southward, rainfall over YHRV tended to increase. However, EAWJ-related circulations were significantly different during the two periods. During ID1, the circulation of the southward-moving EAWJ exhibited alternating positive–negative–positive distributions from low to middle– high latitudes along the East Asian coast; the most significant anomaly appeared west of the Okhotsk Sea. However, during ID2 the EAWJ was more closely correlated with the tropical and subtropical circulations. Significant differences between ID1 and ID2 were also recorded sea surface temperatures （SSTs）. During ID1, the EAWJ was influenced by the extratropical SST over the northern Pacific; however, the EAWJ was more significantly affected by the SST of the tropical western Pacific during ID2.

Phases of Environmental Evolution Indicated by Primary Chemical Elements and Paleontological Records in the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene Series for the Salawusu River Valley,China

Studies of lithology, sedimentary facies and the distribution regularity of SiO2 and Al2O3 contents and Al2O3/SiO2 ratio allow us to divide the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene Series represented by the MUanggouwan section in China＇s Salawnsu River valley into six segments： MGS1, MGS2, MGS3, MGS4, MGS5 and MGS6. The boundary ages for MGS1 （the Dishaogouwan and Dagouwan Formations）, MGS2 （the upper Chengchuan Formation）, MGS3 （the middle Chengchuan Formation）, MGS4 （the lower Chengchuan Formation）, MGS5 （most strata of the Salawusu Formation） and MGS6 （the bottom of the Salawusu Formation and the top of the Lishi Formation） correspond to those of MIS1, MIS2, MIS3, MIS4, MISS and MIS6, respectively, from deep sea sediments or continental glaciers. MGS5 can be subdivided into five subsegments （MGS5a, MGS5b, MGS5c, MGS5d and MGS5e） and the boundary ages of these subsegments correspond to those of MISSa, MISSb, MIS5c, MIS5d and MIS5e, respectively. Based on the paleoenvironment and paleoecology indicated by the primary chemical elements, fossil vertebrates, mollusks and pollen grains, we hypothesize that MGS1, MGS2, MGS3, MGS4, MGS5 and MGS6 and the subsegments of MGS5 match the corresponding stages for oxygen isotopes in the deep sea sediments and continental glaciers, and the substages of MIS5 in terms of climatic characters, further explaining the phenomena that determined the formation of the late Quaternary strata and the paleontology of the Salawusu River valley. These phenomena relate to fluctuations in the global climate （and particularly in the East Asian monsoon） during the glacial and interglacial periods.

Sedimentary cycles of trace elements in Salawusu River Valley since 150 ka BP

The paper makes some analyses on 11 trace elements in the Milanggouwan stratigraphical section in the Salawusu River valley, which is regarded as a prototype geology-palaeoclimate record since 150 ka BP. The results show that the content and variation of trace elements has experienced remarkably regular changes in the pace with coarse and fine sedimentary cycles of palaeo-aeolian sands to its overlying fluvio-lacustrine facies or/and palaeosols. The trace elements with chemical properties of relatively active (V, Sr, Cu, Ni, As) and relatively stable (P, Pb, Rb, Mn, Nb, Zr) are a manifestation of the corresponding 27 changeable cycles between peak and valley values, appearing a multi-fiuctuational process line of relative gathering and migration since then. The low numerical value distribution of these two types of trace elements in the aeolian sand facies represents erosion and accumulation under wind force during the cold-dry climate. Whereas their enrichments in both fluvio-lacustrine facies and palaeosols are related to the valley’s special low-lying physiognomic position between the Ordos Plateau and the Loess Plateau under the warm and humid climate conditions. The above relatively migrated and gathered change of the trace elements is the result of 27 climatic cycles of cold-dry and warm-humid, which is probably caused by repeated alternations of winter monsoon and summer monsoon in the Mu Us Sandy Land influenced by the climate vicissitudes in northern hemisphere during glacial and interglacial periods since 150 ka BP.

Why Was the Strengthening of Rainfall in Summer over the Yangtze River Valley in 2016 Less Pronounced than that in 1998 under Similar Preceding El Nino Events？Role of Midlatitude Circulation in August

It is widely recognized that rainfall over the Yangtze River valley （YRV） strengthens considerably during the decaying summer of E1 Nifio, as demonstrated by the catastrophic flooding suffered in the summer of 1998. Nevertheless, the rainfall over the YRV in the summer of 2016 was much weaker than that in 1998, despite the intensity of the 2016 E1 Nifio having been as strong as that in 1998. A thorough comparison of the YRV summer rainfall anomaly between 2016 and 1998 suggests that the difference was caused by the sub-seasonal variation in the YRV rainfall anomaly between these two years, principally in August. The precipitation anomaly was negative in August 2016--different to the positive anomaly of 1998.

A Simulation Study of a Heavy Rainfall Process over the Yangtze River Valley Using the Two-Way Nesting Approach

In this study, the major features of a heavy rainfall event in the Yangtze River region on 3-7 June 2011 and its event-related large-scale circulation and predictability were studied. Both observational analysis and model simulation were used, the latter being based on the Weather Research and Forecasting （WRF） model forced by NCEP Global Forecast System （GFS） datasets. It was found that, during 3-5 June, the western Pacific subtropical high apparently extended to the west and was much stronger, and the Indian summer monsoon trough was slightly weaker than in normal years. The east-west oriented shear line over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was favorable for the transportation and convergence of water vapor, and the precipitation band was located slightly to the south of the shear line. During 6-7 June, the western Pacific subtropical high retreated eastward, while the trough over the Okhotsk Sea deepened. The low vortex in Northeast China intensified, bringing much more cold air to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the shear line over this area moved slightly southward. The convection band moved southward and became weaker, so the rainfall during 6-7 June weakened and was located slightly to the south of the previous precipitation band. Many of the observed features, including background circulation and the distribution and amount of precipitation, were reproduced reasonably by the WRF, suggesting a feasibility of this model for forecasting extreme weather events in the Yangtze River region.

Synergistic Contribution of Precipitation Anomalies over Northwestern India and the South China Sea to High Temperature over the Yangtze River Valley

This study explores the characteristics of high temperature anomalies over eastern China and associated influencing factors using observations and model outputs.Results show that more long-duration（over 8 days） high temperature events occur over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley（YRV） than over the surrounding regions,and control most of the interannual variation of summer mean temperature in situ.The synergistic effect of summer precipitation over the South China Sea（SCS） region（18°–27°N,115°–124°E） and the northwestern India and Arabian Sea（IAS） region（18°–27°N,60°–80°E） contributes more significantly to the variation of summer YRV temperature,relative to the respective SCS or IAS precipitation anomaly.More precipitation（enhanced condensational heating） over the SCS region strengthens the western Pacific subtropical high（WPSH） and simultaneously weakens the westerly trough over the east coast of Asia,and accordingly results in associated high temperature anomalies over the YRV region through stimulating an East Asia–Pacific（EAP） pattern.More precipitation over the IAS region further adjusts the variations of the WPSH and westerly trough,and eventually reinforces high temperature anomalies over the YRV region.Furthermore,the condensational heating related to more IAS precipitation can adjust upper-tropospheric easterly anomalies over the YRV region by exciting a circumglobal teleconnection,inducing cold horizontal temperature advection and related anomalous descent,which is also conducive to the YRV high temperature anomalies.The reproduction of the above association in the model results indicates that the above results can be explained both statistically and dynamically.

Numerical Simulation of the 1999 Yangtze River Valley Heavy Rainfall Including Sensitivity Experiments with Different SSTA

With the IAP/LASG GOALS model, the heavy rainfall of the summer of 1999 in the Yangtze River valley is simulated with observational sea surface temperature (SST). Comparing the simulations of 1999 with the corresponding ones of 1998 and the sensitivity experiments with different sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) at different ocean regions, the relationships between the floods in the Yangtze River valley and the SSTA in the Pacific and Indian Oceans are studied. The results show that the positive SSTA in the tropical Indian Ocean are a major contributor to the heavy rainfall and may be a very important index to predict the heavy rainfall over the Yangtze River valley in the summer. The simulations also show that the relationships between the SSTA in the tropical eastern Pacific and the heavy rainfall in the Yangtze River valley are very complicated, and the heavy rainfall in the Yangtze River valley can occur in both a decaying and an intensifying El Nino event and also in a La Nina event. However, the different SSTA of different periods in the above three cases play different parts.

Genetic progress in stem lodging resistance of the dominant wheat cultivars adapted to Yellow-Huai River Valleys Winter Wheat Zone in China since 1964

Analysis of genetic progress for lodging-related traits provides important information for further improvement of lodging resistance.Forty winter wheat cultivars widely grown in the Yellow-Huai River Valleys Winter Wheat Zone(YHWZ)of China during the period of 1964–2015 were evaluated for several lodging-related traits in three cropping seasons.Plant height,height at center of gravity,length of the basal second internode,and lodging index decreased significantly in this period,and the average annual genetic gains for these traits were–0.50 cm or–0.62%,–0.27 cm or–0.60%,–0.06 cm or–0.63%,and–0.01 or–0.94%,respectively.Different from other traits,stem strength showed a significant increasing trend with the breeding period,and the annual genetic gains were 0.03 N or 0.05%.Correlation analysis showed that lodging index was positively correlated with plant height,height at center of gravity,and length of the basal second internode,but negatively correlated with stem strength.Meanwhile,significantly positive correlations were observed between plant height,height at center of gravity,and length of the basal first and second internodes.By comparison with the wild types,dwarfing genes had significant effects on all lodging-related traits studied except for length of the basal first internode and stem strength.Principle component analysis demonstrated that plant height and stem strength were the most important factors influencing lodging resistance.Clustering analysis based on the first two principle components further indicated the targets of wheat lodging-resistant breeding have changed from reducing plant height to strengthening stem strength over the breeding periods.This study indicates that the increase of stem strength is vital to improve lodging resistance in this region under the high-yielding condition when plant height is in an optimal range.

Pleniglacial millennium-scale climate variations in northern China based on records from the Salawusu River Valley

Situated in the Salawusu River Valley, southeast of China＇s Mu Us Desert, the MGS2 （Milanggouwan section） portion of the Milanggouwan stratigraphic section records 5.5 sedimentary cycles consisting of alternations between dune sand deposits and fluvial or lacustrine facies. We analyzed the grain-size and CaCO3 distributions in MGS2, and found that Mz （mean particle diameter） and o （standard deviation） displayed clear variations in peaks and valleys within different sedimentary facies. The CaCO3 content averaged 0.4% in the dune sand deposits, 1.43% in the fluvial facies, and 8.82% in the lacustrine facies. Both the grain-size distribution and CaCO3 contents, which equal the indicators for the alternation among the sedimentary facies, suggest the occurrence of 5.5 cycles. These results suggest that the observed cycles mainly resulted from fluctuations between a cold and dry winter monsoon climate and a warm and humid summer monsoon climate, and that the MGS2 portion experienced at least 5.5 fluctuations between these two extremes. This high-frequency climatic fluctuation indicates a strong influence of millennium-scale variations in the strength of the East Asian winter and summer monsoons in our study area during the Pleniglacial.

Sedimentary characteristics of paleo-aeolian dune sands of Salawusu Formation in the Salawusu River Valley

The Salawusu Formation of Milanggouwan section in Salawusu River Valley includes 7 layers of paleo-mobile dune sands, and 4 layers of paleo-fixed and semi-fixed dune sands. Their structures have been observed and their grain size, surface textural features and several main chemical elements have been analyzed. The results showed that： 1） Some of the aeolian structural characteristics of these dune sands are similar to that of the recent dune sands. 2） They are also similar to the recent dune sands in grain size components, and parameters of Mz,σ, Sk and Kg, as well as in several main chemical components. 3） The scattergrams of Mz-σ and SiO2-Al2O3＋TOFE and the probability curves of grain size showed that these paleo-dune sands are different from paleosols and fluvio-lacustrine facies, but are consistency with recent dune sands. 4） Quartz sands have well roundness and surface textural features such as dish-shaped pits, crescent-shaped pits, pockmarked pits, upturned cleavage plates, siliceous precipitates and siliceous crevasses, indicating that they had been carried for a long time by the wind. As the 11 layers of paleo-dune sands possess the aeolian characteristics in structure, grain size, surface textural features and chemical elements, the origin of their formation should be attributed to eolation.

Relationship Between Persistent Heavy Rain Events in the Huaihe River Valley and the Distribution Pattern of Convective Activities in the Tropical Western Pacific Warm Pool

Using daily outgoing long-wave radiation （OLR） data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration （NOAA） and the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCEP/NCAR） reanalysis data of geopotential height fields for 1979-2006, the relationship between persistent heavy rain events （PHREs） in the Huaihe River valley （HRV） and the distribution pattern of convective activity in the tropical western Pacific warm pool （WPWP） is investigated. Based on nine cases of PHREs in the HRV, common characteristics of the West Pacific subtropical high （WPSH） show that the northern edge of the WPSH continues to lie in the HRV and is associated with the persistent ＂north weak south strong＂ distribution pattern of convective activities in the WPWP. Composite analysis of OLR leading the circulation indicates that the response of the WPSH to OLR anomaly patterns lags by about 1-2 days. In order to explain the reason for the effects of the distribution pattern of convective activities in the WPWP on the persistent northern edge of the WPSH in the HRV, four typical persistent heavy and light rain events in the Yangtze River valley （YRV） are contrasted with the PHREs in the HRV. The comparison indicates that when the distribution pattern of the convective activities anomaly behaves in a weak （strong） manner across the whole WPWP, persistent heavy （light） rain tends to occur in the YRV. When the distribution pattern of the convective activities anomaly behaves according to the ＂north weak south strong＂ pattern in the WPWP, persistent heavy rain tends to occur in the HRV. The effects of the ＂north weak south strong＂ distribution pattern of convective activities on PHREs in the HRV are not obvious over the seasonal mean timescale, perhaps due to the non-extreme status of convective activities in the WPWP.

Correlation Analysis of Persistent Heavy Rainfall Events in the Vicinity of the Yangtze River Valley and Global Outgoing Longwave Radiation in the Preceding Month

Based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration （NOAA） daily satellite dataset of global outgoing longwave radiation （OLR） for the period of 1974-2004 and the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis for 1971- 2004, the linkage between persistent heavy rainfall （PHR） events in the vicinity of the Yangtze River valley and global OLR leading up to those events （with 1- to 3O-day lag） was investigated. The results reveal that there is a significant connection between the initiation of PHR events over the study area and anomalous convective activity over the tropical Indian Ocean, maritime continent, and tropical western Pacific Ocean. During the 30-day period prior to the onset of PHR events, the major significantly anomalous convective centers have an apparent dipole structure, always with enhanced convection in the west and suppressed convection in the east. This dipole structure continuously shifts eastward with time during the 30-day lead period. The influence of the anomalous convective activity over the tropical oceans on the initiation of PHR events over the study area is achieved via an interaction between tropical and extratropical latitudes. More specifically, anomalous convective activity weakens the Walker circulation cell over the tropical Indian Ocean first. This is followed by a weakening of the Indian summer monsoon background state and the excitation and dispersion of Rossby wave activity over Eurasia. Finally, a major modulation of the large scale background circulation occurs. As a result, the condition of a phase-lock among major large scale circulation features favoring PHR events is established over the study area.