NUMERICAL EXPERIMENT WITH PROCESSES FOR EFFECT OF AUSTRALIAN COLD AIR ACTIVITY ON EAST-ASIAN SUMMER MONSOON

Based on diagnostic results,a numerical study is made of the processes of Australian cold air activity affecting East Asian summer monsoon by using Kuo-Qian P-σ incorporated coordinate five-layer primitive equation spherical band model.Analysis is done of the response to the Southern Hemisphere circulation with and without cold air activity in Australia of the flow,rainfall and diabatic heating fields in the monsoon area of Asia,especially,East Asia,with special attention to the intensification and northward march of the monsoon due to the activity.It is found that the processes for the effect transmission are very analogous to the meridional propagation of quasi-40-day oscillation,together with the meridional wind disturbance showing south-north travel and the flow/rainfall fields exhibitirg corresponding movement in this direction,only with a 12-day lag.

Possible influence of Arctic Oscillation on dust storm frequency in North China

This study has investigated the influence of Arctic Oscillation （AO） on dust storm frequency in North China in spring seasons during 1961-2007. There is a significant linkage between dust storm frequency and AO; a negative （positive） AO phase is related to an increased （decreased） dust storm frequency in North China. This relationship is closely related to changes in the cold air activity in Mongolia. The cold air activity exerts large impacts on the dust storm frequency; the frequency of cold air activity over Mongolia not only positively correlates with the dust storm frequency in North China, but also shows a long-term decreasing trend that is an important reason for the long-term decreasing of dust storm frequency in North China. The AO has large influence on the frequency of cold air activity over Mongolia; a negative （positive） AO phase is highly related to an increased （decreased） frequency of cold air activity over Mongolia, which results in an increased （decreased） dust storm frequency in North China.

Decadal Variation of the Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode and Its Influence on the East Asian Trough

We analyze the decadal variation of the stratosphere troposphere coupled system around the year 2000 by using the NCEP reanalysis-2 data.Specifically,the relationship between the Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode（NAM） and the tropospheric East Asian trough is investigated in order to find the effective stratospheric signals during cold air outbreaks in China.Statistical analyses and dynamic diagnoses both indicate that after 2000,increased stratospheric polar vortex disturbances occur and the NAM is mainly in negative phase.The tropospheric polar areas are directly affected by the polar vortex,and in the midlatitudes,the Ural blocking high and East Asian trough are more active,which lead to enhanced cold air activities in eastern and northern China.Further investigation reveals that under this circulation pattern,downward propagations of negative NAM index are closely related to the intensity variation of the East Asian trough.When negative NAM anomalies propagate down to the upper troposphere and reach a certain intensity（standardized NAM index less than 1）,they result in apparent reinforcement of the East Asian trough,which reaches its maximum intensity about one week later.The northerly wind behind the trough transports cold air southward and eastward,and the range of influence and the intensity are closely associated with the trough location.Therefore,the NAM index can be used as a measure of the signals from the disturbed stratosphere to give some indication of cold air activities in China.