IMPACTS OF SURFACE SENSIBLE HEAT FLUXES IN THE KEY AREAS OF THE TIBETAN PLATEAU ON INTERANNUAL VARIATION OF THE SCS SUMMER MONSOON INTENSITY

The impacts of the variations of surface heat fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and surrounding areas on the interannual variation of the South China Sea (SCS) summer monsoon intensity is analyzed using the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis monthly sensible heat flux data from 1949 to 2000 and monthly mean wind and temperature field data from 1958 to 1997.The results show that there is a distinct interdecadal trend in sensible heat over the key areas of the TP and the SCS summer monsoon intensity as well as South Asia high intensity (SAHI),the transition occurs in late 1970s.The SCS summer monsoon intensity has a significant positive correlation with the variation of surface sensible heat fluxes over the northwestern part of the TP,while it has negative correlation with the surface sensible heat fluxes in the south of the TP.During the strong SCS summer monsoon year,the vertical ascending motion in the northwestern TP is strengthened,but in the southern TP it is weakened,and the position of the South Asian high is northward,while in the weak summer monsoon year,it is in the contrary.The SAHI is closely related to variation of surface heat fluxes over the TP and surrounding areas,and there exists a negative relationship between the SCS summer monsoon intensity and SAHI.

Connections between Surface Sensible Heat Net Flux and Regional Summer Precipitation over China

Using the observed monthly precipitation and NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) reanalysis surface ?ux data from 1951–2000, the connections between the seasonal SSHNF (Surface Sensible Heat Net Flux) over the Asian continent and the regional summer precipitation of China were examined. The patterns of collective and individual correlations were identi?ed. The results indicate that the response of the regional summer precipitation of China to the seasonal SSHNF over the study area varies according to region and season. The interannual variability of summer precipitation anomalies over Xinjiang, the northernmost Northeast China, and the North China Plain are most sensitive to the anomaly of the seasonal SSHNF. There are signi?cant collective correlations between the interannual anomalies of the seasonal SSHNF and summer precipitation over these regions. In contrast, the Southeast Tibetan Plateau, Huaihe River Valley, and surrounding areas exhibit the least signi?cant correlation. Signi?cant individual correlations exist between the summer precipitation over the southernmost Northeast China, East Inner Mongolia, South of the Yangtze River and South China and the seasonal SSHNF in certain seasons over the following areas: near Lake Baikal and Lake Balkhash, near Da Hinggan Mountains and Xiao Hinggan Mountains, as well as the Tibetan Plateau.

CHARACTERISTICS OF 10-DAY MEAN SURFACE SENSIBLE HEAT FLUX VARIATIONS IN THE SCS MONSOON REGION AND POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS WITH THE SCS SUMMER MONSOON ONSET

The time and space variations of the ten-day mean surface sensible heat flux have been analyzed in this paper based on the data of NCEP/NCAR from January of 1979 to December of 1995 in the South China Sea(SCS)monsoon region.It is found that large variations of the surface sensible heat flux standard deviations exist in the northwestern Indochina Peninsula and the Indian Peninsula regions,and their locations and strength change significantly during the onset period of SCS monsoon.The negative deviations appear evidently earlier in the Indocbina Peninsula than in the Indian Peninsula but the deviation strength in the Indian Peninsula is stronger than that in the Indochina Peninsula.The appearance of the zonal negative mean deviations in the southern part of the Indochina Peninsula corresponds to the date of the SCS summer monsoon onset,while the occurrence of the deviation decrease corresponds to the date of the South Asian monsoon onset. The sensible heat flux increases dekad by dekad before the onset of the summer monsoon in the Indian Peninsula and the Indochina Peninsula and decreases after the monsoon onset.Therefore, the surface sensible heat flux changes in the Indochina and the Indian Peninsula regions maybe have some connections with the SCS monsoon onset and the Indian monsoon onset,and the Indochina Peninsula maybe becomes the sensitive or key region to the SCS monsoon onset and the land maybe plays an important role in triggering summer monsoon onset.

DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF ANOMALOUS SURFACE SENSIBLE HEAT FLUX IN THE TIBETAN PLATEAU AND ITS VICINITY ON THE EAST ASIAN WINTER MONSOON

Based on NCEP/NCAR reanalysis monthly data,the relation between the surface sensible heat flux,(SHTFL) in the Tibetan Plateau and its vicinity and the East Asian winter monsoon is revealed as follows:on the inter-annual and longer time scales,the difference between SHTFL anomalies in the east and southern slope of the Tibetan Plateau last spring has influence on the East Asian winter monsoon,that is,SHTFL anomaly in the east of the Tibetan Plateau was positive and that in the southern slope was negative last spring,then the East Asian winter monsoon would become more vigorous,and vice versa.Both the most significant period of the difference between SHTFL anomalies in the east and southern slope of the Tibetan Plateau and that of the East Asian winter monsoon index are 2 to 4-year time scales.On the 2 to 4-year time scales,the heterogeneous spatial distribution of SHTFL anomalies in the east and southern slope of the Tibetan Plateau last spring has effect on the East Asian winter monsoon,after SHTFL anomaly in the east of the Tibetan Plateau was positive and that in the southern slope was negative last spring,then the East Asian winter monsoon would be more powerful,and vice versa.The lag influence of the difference of SHTFL anomalies in the east and southern slope of the Tibetan Plateau on the East Asian winter monsoon brings into effect mainly on 2 to 4-year time scales.In the end an reasonable explanation for their relationship has been discussed.

Observation-based Estimation of Aerosol-induced Reduction of Planetary Boundary Layer Height

Radiative aerosols are known to influence the surface energy budget and hence the evolution of the planetary boundary layer. In this study, we develop a method to estimate the aerosol-induced reduction in the planetary boundary layer height （PBLH） based on two years of ground-based measurements at a site, the Station for Observing Regional Processes of the Earth System （SORPES）, at Nanjing University, China, and radiosonde data from the meteorological station of Nanjing. The observations show that increased aerosol loads lead to a mean decrease of 67.1 W m-2 for downward shortwave radiation （DSR） and a mean increase of 19.2 W m-2 for downward longwave radiation （DLR）, as well as a mean decrease of 9.6 W m-2 for the surface sensible heat flux （SHF） in the daytime. The relative variations of DSR, DLR and SHF are shown as a function of the increment of column mass concentration of particulate matter （PM2.5）. High aerosol loading can significantly increase the atmospheric stability in the planetary boundary layer during both daytime and nighttime. Based on the statistical relationship between SHF and PM2.5 column mass concentrations, the SHF under clean atmospheric conditions （same as the background days） is derived. In this case, the derived SHF, together with observed SHF, are then used to estimate changes in the PBLH related to aerosols. Our results suggest that the PBLH decreases more rapidly with increasing aerosol loading at high aerosol loading. When the daytime mean column mass concentration of PM2.5 reaches 200 mg m-2, the decrease in the PBLH at 1600 LST （local standard time） is about 450 m.

A Diagnostic Analysis on the Effect of the Residual Layer in Convective Boundary Layer Development near Mongolia Using 20th Century Reanalysis Data

Although the residual layer has already been noted in the classical diurnal cycle of the atmospheric boundary layer, its effect on the development of the convective boundary layer has not been well studied. In this study, based on 3-hourly 20th century reanalysis data, the residual layer is considered as a common layer capping the convective boundary layer. It is identified dally by investigating the development of the convective boundary layer. The region of interest is bounded by （30^-60~N, 80^-120~E）, where a residual layer deeper than 2000 m has been reported using radiosondes. The lapse rate and wind shear within the residual layer are compared with the surface sensible heat flux by investigating their climatological means, interannual variations and daily variations. The lapse rate of the residual layer and the convective boundary layer depth correspond well in their seasonal variations and climatological mean patterns. On the interannual scale, the correlation coefficient between their regional averaged （40°-50°N, 90°-110°E） variations is higher than that between the surface sensible heat flux and convective boundary layer depth. On the daily scale, the correlation between the lapse rate and the convective boundary layer depth in most months is still statistically significant during 1970-2012. Therefore, we suggest that the existence of a deep neutral residual layer is crucial to the formation of a deep convective boundary layer near the Mongolian regions.