Impacts of synoptic circulation on surface ozone pollution in a coastal eco-city in Southeastern China during 2014-2019

The coastal eco-city of Fuzhou in Southeastern China has experienced severe ozone(O_(3))episodes at times in recent years.In this study,three typical synoptic circulations types(CTs)that influenced more than 80%of O_(3) polluted days in Fuzhou during 2014-2019 were identified using a subjective approach.The characteristics of meteorological conditions linked to photochemical formation and transport of O_(3) under the three CTs were summarized.Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions was applied to simulate O_(3) episodes and to quantify O_(3) sources from different regions in Fuzhou.When Fuzhou was located to the west of a high-pressure system(classified as“East-ridge”),more warm southwesterly currents flowed to Fuzhou,and the effects of cross-regional transport from Guangdong province and high local production promoted the occurrence of O_(3) episodes.Under a uniform pressure field with a low-pressure system occurring to the east of Fuzhou(defined as“East-low”),stagnant weather conditions caused the strongest local production of O_(3) in the atmospheric boundary layer.Controlled by high-pressure systems over the mainland(categorized as“Inland-high”),northerly airflows enhanced the contribution of cross-regional transport to O_(3) in Fuzhou.The abnormal increases of the“East-ridge”and“Inland-high”were closely related to O_(3) pollution in Fuzhou in April and May 2018,resulting in the annual maximum number of O_(3) polluted days during recent years.Furthermore,the rising number of autumn O_(3) episodes in 2017-2019 was mainly related to the“Inland-high”,indicating the aggravation of cross-regional transport and highlighting the necessity of enhanced regional collaboration and efforts in combating O_(3) pollution.

The comparison of statistical features and synoptic circulations between the eastward-propagating and quasi-stationary MCSs during the warm season around the second-step terrain along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River

Mesoscale convective systems(MCSs) around the second-step terrain(106°–113°E, 28°–35°N), along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, were detected, tracked and classified using a black body temperature(TBB) dataset during May to August 2000–2016(except 2005). The MCSs were divided into eastward-propagating(EP) and quasi-stationary(QS) types, to compare their spatial and temporal distributions and convective intensities, and to identify the favorable synoptic conditions for the formation and evolution of EP MCSs. The results showed that both MCS types occurred most often in July. The EP MCSs were mainly initiated over the eastern regions of the study area, while the QS type mainly originated in the western regions of the study area. Both MCS types mainly formed in the afternoon, but a second peak occurred in the early morning for QS MCSs. The EP MCSs had a larger cloud area at their mature stage and a lower cloud brightness temperature, indicating more intense convection. Additionally, the longer lifetime and further eastward propagation of the EP MCSs meant that they had a great influence on the precipitation over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Synoptic circulation analysis demonstrated that the combination of the mid-level low trough east of the Tibetan Plateau(TP), and the western pacific subtropical high(WPSH), favored the formation and eastward propagation of EP MCSs. The positive vertical relative vorticity and stronger vertical wind shear provided dynamic conditions favorable for convective organization and development. Furthermore, a stronger low level jet imported warm and moist air to the eastern edge of, and the regions east of, the second-step terrain. The substantial convergence of water vapor promoted the development and long-lived maintenance of the EP MCSs.

Simulations of the Motion of Tropical Cyclone-like Vortices in the Presence of Synoptic and Mesoscale Circulations

Initial mesoscale vortex effects on the tropical cyclone （TC） motion in a system where three components coexist （i.e., an environmental vortex （EV）, a TC, and mesoscale vortices） were examined using a barotropic vorticity equation model with initial fields where mesoscale vortices were generated stochastically. Results of these simulations indicate that the deflection of the TC track derived from the initial mesoscale vortices was clearly smaller than that from the beta effect in 60% of the cases. However, they may have a more significant impact on the TC track under the following circumstances. First, the interaction between an adjacent mesoscale vortex and the TC causes the emergence of a complicated structure with two centers in the TC inner region. This configuration may last for 8 h, and the two centers undergo a cyclonic rotation to make the change in direction of the TC motion. Second, two mesoscale vortices located in the EV circulation may merge, and the merged vortex shifts into the EV inner region, intensifying both the EV and steering flow for the TC, increasing speed of the TC.

EFFECT OF PLANETARY AND SYNOPTIC SCALE WAVES IN MAINTAINING MERIDIONAL CIRCULATIONS AT MID AND LOW LATITUDES

Following Wu and Chen(1989), in terms of the elliptical differential equation with mean meridional stream function, an equation similar in form to that developed by Kuo (1956) and by use of time average statistics of atmospheric circulation in wavenumber domains at the same intervals of time, a study is made of the con- tribution of the internal forcing of the atmosphere in two space scales to mean meridional circulation. Re- sults show that planetary waves have considerable influence on the intensity of the upper center of the bi- Hadley cell, and, in contrast, synoptic-scale waves exert vital effect on the Ferrel cell, and that in the Northern Hamisphere(NH)such internal forcings by planetary- and synoptic-scale waves are comparable on mean merid- ional circulations whereas the latter contribute far more than the former in the Southern Hemisphere (SH). Further, in the northern winter (summer)the contribution of heat (angular momentum) transport of planetary waves allows the descending (ascending) branch to occur as far as around 40°N, some kind of effect that makes quite important contribution to the winter (summer) monsoon circulation in eastern Asia.

Extreme precipitation events in East China and associated moisture transport pathways

Interannual variation of summer precipitation in East China, and frequency of rainstorms during the monsoon season from 1961 to 2010, are analyzed in this study. It is found that the two variables show opposite trends on a decadal time scale: frequency of rainstorms increases significantly after the 1990 s, while summer precipitation in East China decreases during the same period. Analysis of the spatial distribution of summer rainstorm frequency from 1961 to 2010 indicates that it decreases from the southeast to the northwest at the east edge of the large-scale topography associated with the plateaus. Spatial distribution of rainstorms with daily rainfall greater than 50 mm is characterized by a "high in the southeast and low in the northwest" pattern, similar to the staircase distribution of the topography. However, the spatial distribution of variation in both summer precipitation and frequency of extreme rainstorms under global warming differs significantly from the three-step staircase topography. It is shown that moisture characteristics of summer precipitation and extreme rainstorms during the monsoon season in East China, including moisture transport pathways, moist flow pattern, and spatial structure of the merging area of moist flows, differ significantly. Areas of frequent rainstorms include the Yangtze River Valley and South China. Column-integrated moisture transport and its spatial structure could be summarized as a "merging" of three branches of intense moist flows from low and middle latitude oceans, and "convergence" of column-integrated moisture fluxes. The merging area for moist flow associated with rainstorms in the high frequency region is located slightly to the south of the monsoonal precipitation or non-rainstorm precipitation, with significantly strong moisture convergence. In addition, the summer moist flow pattern in East China has a great influence on the frequency of extreme rainstorms. Moisture flux vectors in the region of frequent rainstorms correspond to vortical flow pattern. A comparison of moisture flux vectors associated with non-rainstorms and rainstorms indicates that the moist vortex associated with rainstorms is smaller in size and located to the south of the precipitation maximum, while the moist vortex associated with non-rainstorms is larger and located to the north. It is shown that column-integrated moist transport vortices and the structure of moist flux convergence have significant impacts on the north-south oscillation of frequent rainstorm areas in East China, which is synchronized with the maximum vorticity of moisture transport and the minimum of convergence on the decadal time scale. Synthesis of moisture transport pathways and related circulation impacts leads to a conceptual model of moisture flow associated with rainstorms.