The Influence of Large-Scale Phenomena on La Paz Bay Hydrographic Variability

We analyzed the hydrographic variability of La Paz Bay, the largest coastal water body in the Gulf of California, and its relationship with Pacific large-scale phenomena, including the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Pacific-North America pattern (PNA), and North Pacific pattern (NP). We used several indices related to these phenomena and the hydrographic variability data of La Paz Bay, consisting of the annual sea surface temperature patterns from satellite imagery from 2000 to 2010 and the mixed layer depths measured with?in situ?data from 1994 to 2009. The results indicate the sea surface temperature fluctuated during the study period, with 2007 as the coldest year and 2009 as the warmest. Two periods were identified in the annual thermal cycle of the bay, one period of warmth from June to November, and one of cold from December to May. The sea surface temperature is primarily influenced by the ENSO. The mixed layer depth analysis showed its absence during August-September, while the deepest ones were in November-March. The unusual 100 m mixed layer depth noted during February 2002 and its absence in March 1996 and 2009 were related to uncommon atmospheric conditions in the annual patterns of the ENSO, PNA, and NP. The variability of the mixed layer depth is primarily related to the variability of the NP. We concluded that the hydrographic conditions of La Paz Bay are most influenced by the NP during the cold phase of its annual cycle, and by the ENSO during the warm phase.

The Phenomena of Bifurcation and Catastrophe of Large-Scale Horizontal Motion in the Atmosphere under the Effect of Rossby Parameter

The stability question of large-scale horizontal motion in the atmosphere under the effect of Rossby parameter is discussed in this paper by using the qualitative analysis theory of ordinary differential equations. The following aspects are reviewed: The stability of large-scale horizontal motion in the atmosphere accords with the common inertial stability criterion when the effect of Rossby parameter is not considered (Yang, 1983), and that, on the other hand, the motion will bifurcate two times with the variation of absolute vorticity of basic Zephyr flow at the initial position under the effect of Rossby parameter. Furthermore, in the inertial stable region, if the effect of geostrophic deviation at the initial position is considered, the motion will not only bifurcate but also generate a catastrophe.

Early J_2 basalts in SE China:Incipience of large-scale late Mesozoic magmatism

Magmatism in SE China was dormant during 204―180 Ma, but was reactivated in 180― 170 Ma (early J2), and then became more and more intensive towards the end of early Cretaceous. The small-scale early J2 magmatism is the incipience to long-term and large-scale magmatism in this region. A near east-west (EW) trend volcanic belt was distributed across south Hunan, south Jiangxi and southwest Fujian was formed during early J2 time. Along this belt from the inland toward the coast, the lithology of basalts changes from alkali into tholeiite, and the amount of erupted volcanic rocks and the proportions of rhyolites coexisting with the basalts increase. On the basis of geochemical char- acteristics of these basalts, we infer that the melting degree of source rocks and the extent of frac- tional crystallization and crustal contamination all increased whereas the depth of mantle source de- creased from the inland to the coast, which led to the variations of geological characteristics of the volcanic belt. In early J2, the western spreading Pacific plate began to subduct underneath SE China continental block, reactivating near EW trend deep fault that was originally formed during the Indos- inian event. The stress of the western spreading Pacific plate and the extent of asthenosphere up- welling increased from the inland to the coast, which is consistent with the generation and evolution of early J2 basalts.

Extensive Cold-Precipitation-Freezing Events in Southern China and Their Circulation Characteristics

Concurrence of low temperature,precipitation and freezing weather in an extensive area would cause devastating impacts on local economy and society.We call such a combination of concurrent disastrous weather“extensive coldprecipitation-freezing”events(ECPFEs).In this study,the ECPFEs in southern China(15°−35°N,102°−123°E)are objectively defined by using daily surface observational data for the period 1951−2013.An ECPFE in southern China is defined if the low temperature area,precipitation area and freezing area concurrently exceed their respective thresholds for at least three consecutive days.The identified ECPFEs are shown to be reasonable and reliable,compared with those in previous studies.The circulation anomalies in ECPFEs are characterized by a large-scale tilted ridge and trough pairing over mid-and high-latitude Eurasia,and the intensified subtropical westerlies along the southern foot of the Tibetan Plateau and the anomalous anticyclonic circulation over the subtropical western Pacific.Comparative analysis reveals that the stable cold air from the north and the warm and moist air from the south converge,facilitating a favorable environment for the concurrence of extensive low-temperature,precipitation and freezing weather.

Mean Flow–Storm Track Relationship and Rossby Wave Breaking in Two Types of El-Nino

The features of large-scale circulation, storm tracks and the dynamical relationship between them were examined by investigating Rossby wave breaking （RWB） processes associated with Eastern Pacific （EP） and Central Pacific （CP） E1-Nifio. During EP E1-Nino, the geopotential height anomaly at 500 hPa （Z500） exhibits a Pacific-North America （PNA） pattern. During CP EI-Nifio, the Z500 anomaly shows a north positive-south negative pattern over the North Pacific. The anomalous distributions of baroclinicity and storm track are consistent with those of upper-level zonal wind for both EP and CP EI-Nino, suggesting impacts of mean flow on storm track variability. Anticyclonic wave breaking （AWB） oczurs less frequently in EP EI-Nino years, while cyclonic wave breaking （CWB） occurs more frequently in CP EI-Nino years over the North Pacific sector. Outside the North Pacific, more CWB events occur over North America during EP Ei-NiNo. When AWB events occur less frequently over the North Pacific during EP EI-Nino, Z500 decreases locally and the zonal wind is strengthened （weakened） to the south （north）. This is because AWB events reflect a monopoie high anomaly at the centroid of breaking events. When CWB events occur more frequently over the North Pacific under CP EI-Nino conditions, and over North America under EP EI-Nino condition, Z500 increases （decreases） to the northeast （southwest）, since CWB events are related to a northeast-southwest dipole Z500 anomaly. The anomalous RWB events act to invigorate and reinforce the circulation anomalies over the North Pacific-North America region linked with the two types of EI-Nino.