Diagnostic Study of Apparent Heat Sources and Moisture Sinks in the South China Sea and its Adjacent Areas during the Onset of 1998 SCS Monsoon

The apparent heat sources (?Q1 ?) and moisture sinks (?Q2 ?) are calculated based on the reanalyzed data of the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX) from May 1 to August 31, 1998. It is found that the formation and distribution of the atmospheric heat sources are important for the monsoon onset. The earlier onset of the SCS monsoon is the result of enduring atmospheric heating in the Indo–China Peninsula and South China areas. The atmospheric heating firstly appears in the Indo–China Peninsula area and the sensible heat is the major one. The 30–50 day periodic oscillation of atmospheric heat sources between the SCS area and the western Pacific warm pool has a reverse phase distribution before the middle of July and the low frequency oscillation of heat sources in SCS area has an obvious longitudinal propagation. The 30–50 day low frequency oscillation has vital modificatory effects on the summer monsoon evolution during 1998. Key words Apparent heat sources - Apparent moisture sinks - The South China Sea monsoon - Diagnostic Study Sponsored by the National Key Project of Fundamental Research “ SCSMEX” and the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education: “ Study of the Air-sea Interaction in the SCS Monsoon Region”.

Anomalous Atmospheric Circulation, Heat Sources and Moisture Sinks in Relation to Great Precipitation Anomalies in the Yangtze River Valley

Using the summer (June to August) monthly mean data of the National Centers for Environmental Predictions (NCEP) - National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis from 1980 to 1997, atmospheric heat sources and moisture sinks are calculated. Anomalous circulation and the vertically integrated heat source with the vertical integrated moisture sink and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) flux are examined based upon monthly composites for 16 great wet-spells and 8 great dry-spells over the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The wind anomaly exhibits prominent differences between the great wet-spell and the great dry-spell over the Yangtze River Valley. For the great wet-spell, the anomalous southerly from the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea and the anomalous northerly over North China enhanced low-level convergence toward a narrow latitudinal belt area (the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River). The southerly anomaly is connected with an anticyclonic anomalous circulation system centered at 22 degreesN, 140 degreesE and the northerly anomaly is associated with a cyclonic anomalous circulation system centered at the Japan Sea. In the upper level, the anomalous northwesterly between an anticyclonic anomalous system with the center at 23 degreesN, 105 degreesE and a cyclonic anomalous system with the center at Korea diverged over the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River. On the contrary, for the great dry-spell, the anomalous northerly over South China and the anomalous southerly over North China diverged from the Yangtze River Valley in the low level. The former formed in the western part of a cyclonic anomalous system centered at 23 degreesN, 135 degreesE. The latter was located in the western ridge of an anticyclonic anomalous system in the northwestern Pacific. The upper troposphere showed easterly anomaly that converged over the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River. A cyclonic anomalous system in South China and an anticyclonic system centered in the Japan Sea enhanced the easterly. Large atmospheric heat source anomalies of opposite signs existed over the western Pacific - the South China Sea, with negative in the great wet-spell and positive in the great dry-spell. The analysis of heat source also revealed positive anomalous heat sources during the great wet-spell and negative anomalous heat sources during the great dry-spell over the Yangtze River valley. The changes of the moisture sink and OLR were correspondingly altered, implying the change of heat source anomaly is due to the latent heat releasing of convective activity. Over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau- the Bay of Bengal, the analysis of heat source shows positive anomalous heat sources during the great wet-spell and negative anomalous heat sources during the great dry-spell because of latent heating change. The change of divergent wind coexisted with the change of heat source. In the great wet-spell, southerly divergent wind anomaly in the low level and northerly divergent wind anomaly in high-level are seen over South China. These divergent wind anomalies are helpful to the low-level convergence anomaly and high-level divergence anomaly over the Yangtze River valley. The low-level northerly divergent wind anomaly and high-level southerly divergent wind anomaly over South China reduced the low-level convergence and high-level divergence over the Yangtze River valley during the great dry-spell.

INTERANNUAL AND INTERDECADAL VARIATIONS OF LARGE-SCALE MOISTURE SINKS OVER GUANGDONG

The interannual and interdecadal variations of moisture sinks over Guangdong are discussed with the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and observed precipitation data from 1958 to 2004. The results indicate that climatically, the amount of precipitation is larger than that of evaporation in spring and summer. Precipitation and evaporation almost balance each other in autumn and the amount of evaporation is larger than that of precipitation in winter. The interannual signal dominates the variations of moisture sinks in all seasons in Guangdong with a period of three-year oscillation in autumn and winter. Remarkable interdecadal signal characterized by a period of three-decade oscillation can be identified for winter and spring from seasonally averaged moisture sink data and from annually moisture data, with variance percentage larger than 40%. This result indicates that Guangdong is at a transitional stage from positive anomalies to negative anomalies. The moisture sink anomalies in winter and following spring over Guangdong are usually in-phase. Besides, there exist periodic oscillations with periods of 10 to 15 years in summer and autumn. The positive (negative) anomalies of moisture sinks over Guangdong are due to the intensified (weakened) moisture from the tropical areas being transported to the Southern China, accompanied by an intensified (weakened) moisture convergence.

Synoptic Climate Settings and Moisture Supply for the Extreme Heavy Snowfall in Northern China during 6–8 November 2021

A record-breaking extreme heavy snowfall(EHS)event hit northern China during 6–8 November 2021,with two maximum snowfall centers in North China(NC)and Northeast China(NEC),which inflicted severe socioeconomic impacts.This paper compares the differences in the synoptic processes and moisture supply associated with the EHS event in NC and NEC,as well as the atmospheric circulation anomalies before the event,to provide a reference for better prediction and forecasting of EHS in northern China.Synoptic analyses show that a positively tilted,inverted 500-hPa trough channeled cold-air outbreaks into NC,while dynamic updrafts along the front below the trough promoted moisture convergence over this region.In NEC,the dynamic updraft south of the frontogenesis region firstly triggered a low-level Yellow–Bohai Sea cyclone,which then converged with the 500-hPa trough to ultimately form an NEC cold vortex.Calculation of the vorticity tendency indicates that absolute vorticity advection was a better indicator than absolute vorticity divergence for the movement of the trough/ridge at the synoptic scale.Moreover,NOAA’s HYSPLIT(Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory)model results reveal that the moisture for the EHS over NC mainly originated from the mid-to-low levels over the Asian–African region and the Eurasian mid-to-high latitudes,accounting for 32%and 31%,respectively.In contrast,the source of water vapor for the EHS over NEC was mainly the Eurasian mid-to-high latitudes and East Asia,with contributions of 38%and 28%,respectively.The findings of this study shed some fresh light on the distinctive contributions of different moisture sources to local precipitation.Further analyses of the atmospheric circulation anomalies in October reveal that a phase shift in the Arctic Oscillation related to the weakening of the polar vortex could have served as a useful indicator for the cold-air outbreaks in this EHS event.

Synoptic-Scale Analysis on Development and Maintenance of the 19–21 July 2021 Extreme Heavy Rainfall in Henan,Central China

In this paper,synoptic-scale analyses of frontogenesis,moisture budget,and tropospheric diabatic heating are performed to reveal the development and maintenance mechanisms for the extreme heavy rainfall in Henan Province of central China from 19 to 21 July 2021,based on station observations and the ECMWF Reanalysis version 5(ERA5)data.The results demonstrate that owing to the blocking effect of local topography,low-level wind convergence in Henan appeared underneath high-level divergence,conducive to development and maintenance of a midtropospheric low-pressure system saddled by the Asian continental high and the western Pacific subtropical high(WPSH),during the extreme heavy rainfall.In the lower troposphere,frontogenesis occurred in the θ_(se) intensive region,as a result of the divergence and horizontal deformation(which play equally important roles),generating frontal secondary circulation with strong vertical motion favorable to heavy rainfall.Moisture budget analysis reveals that 1)with the continuous strengthening of the easterly wind from the north side of Typhoon In-Fa(2106),strong wind shear and orographic uplift led to abnormally strong convergence of water vapor flux in the boundary layer in Henan;2)there occurred extremely strong net inflow of moisture in the boundary layer from the east.Horizontally,both the apparent heat source and the moisture sink coincided with the area of heavy rainfall;vertically,however,Q_(1)exhibited a single peak with the heating center in the middle and upper troposphere,while large Q_(2)values evenly resided over 850–400 hPa;and Q_(1)(Q_(2))was dominated by vertical(horizontal)transport of potential temperature(moisture).These indicate that the latent heat release from condensation of initial heavy rainfall provided a positive feedback,leading to increasingly heavy precipitation.All these synoptic settings sustained the extreme rainfall process.

NATURE OF PRECIPITATION AND ACTIVITY OF CUMULUS CONVECTION DURING THE 1991 MEIYU SEASON OF CHANGJIANG-HUAIHE RIVER BASIN

Seasonal variability regarding the nature of precipitation and the activity of cumulus convection during the 1991 Meiyu season of Changjiang-Huaihe River Basin(Jianghuai)has been investigated by calculating apparent heat source/apparent moisture sink and analyzing TBB(cloud-top blackbody radiation temperature)data.It is found that three periods of strong ascending motion during the Meiyu season lead to three episodes of heavy rain,and the latent heat due to the precipitation is of the sole heat source of the atmosphere.The nature of precipitation shows distinct seasonal variability,from frontal precipitation of the first episode to the extremely strong convective precipitation of the third episode.TBB field of East Asia may well reflect not only the intensity of convection and rainfall,but also the movement of rain belt and convection belt.In the whole Meiyu season.convection belt mainly stays in Jianghuai.but may shift within the domain of East Asia.Its locating in Jianghuai or not determines the maintenance or break of Meiyu.In the third episode,the narrow convection belt over Jianghuai is mainly caused by southwest monsoon which takes moist and convective atmosphere from tropical ocean.

A Study on the Mesoscale Convective Systems during the Summer Monsoon Onset over the South China Sea in 1998 Part II: Effect of Mesoscale Convective Systems on Large-Scale Fields

The apparent heat sources and apparent moisture sinks, and large-scale wind,temperature as well as the surface pressure fields during the summer monsoon onset over the northernSouth China Sea (SCS) in 1998 were diagnosed. The results suggested that there was a kind ofpositive feedback mechanism between large-scale circulations and mesoscale convective systems(MCSs). Before the monsoon onset, the large-scale background provided favorable synoptic and dynamicconditions for the summer monsoon onset and the formation of mesoscale convective activities,whereas after the summer monsoon onset, occurrence of the persistent and extensive mesoscaleconvective activities produced obvious feedback effect on large-scale circulations. Because of therelease of latent heating produced by enhanced convective activities, the intense atmosphericheating appeared over the northern SCS, which resulted in: (1) the meridional temperature gradientover the SCS reversed from upper-level to low-level and then the large-scale circulations werechanged seasonally; (2) correspondingly, the surface pressure over the northern SCS deepenedcontinually and formed a broad monsoon trough and the obvious pressure-fall areas, thus making thesubtropical high move out of the SCS eventually; (3) with the development of the low pressurecirculations in the middle and low troposphere, the MCSs further enhanced and extended southward,which was conducive to the SCS monsoon onset and maintenance over the middle and southern SCS; and(4) the deepening of monsoon trough facilitated the monsoon flow and moisture transport on itssouthern side, thus the monsoon onset reaching peak period.