New Evidences on the Climatic Causes of the Formation of the Spring Persistent Rains over Southeastern China

The spring persistent rains（SPR）over southeastern China（SEC）are a unique synoptic and climatic phenomenon in East Asia.A former study has found that the southwesterly flow which lies on the southeastern flank of the Tibetan Plateau（TP）is one of the deflected westerly flows of the TP,and it is suggested to be the direct climatic cause of SPR.This study found that the southwesterly flow is also highly correlated with the sensible heating of the southeastern TP in interannual variability,in addition to having a high correlation in seasonal variability.These facts suggest that the thermal forcing of the TP is another important climatic cause of SPR.Numerical sensitivity experiments further prove that the mechanical and thermal forcings of the TP are the climatic causes of the formation of the SPR.On the other hand,the Nanling Mountains and Wuyi Mountains（NWM）over southeastern China not only increase the SPR precipitation amount evidently,but also make the SPR rain belt move to the south by blocking the strong southwesterly flow.

Temporal and Spatial Distributions of the Spring Persistent Rains over Southeastern China

The spring persistent rains （SPR） over southeastern China （SEC） is a synoptic and climatic phenomenon that is unique in East Asia. Sufficient evidence proves that it results from the mechanical and thermal effects of the giant Tibetan Plateau （TP）, but its temporal span and spatial distribution are not clear at present. A climatological analysis of the NCEP/NCAR circulation and sensible heat data shows that at the 13th pentad of the solar year （lst pentad of March） there are remarkable increases in the sensible heating over the main and southeastern part of the TP, the southwesterly velocity over the southeastern flank of the TP and SEC, and rainfall over SEC, indicating the onset of the SPR. However, after the 27th pentad of the solar year （3rd pentad of May）, these variables, except for the sensible heating over the main part of the TP, decrease rapidly. The ridge line of the subtropical high in the mid-low troposphere over the South China Sea （SCS） slopes northward to the SCS and the SCS monsoon instead of southward as before breaks out, indicating the end The rain belt center over SEC shifts of the SPR. Hence, it is reasonable to define the SPR temporal span from the 13th to 27th pentad of the solar year. Data analysis and numerical sensitivity experiments show that, although the warm and cold airs converge at about 30°N in the SPR period, the distribution and intensity of the SPR rain belt are obviously influenced by the topography of the Nanling and Wuyi Mountains （NWM）. The mountains can block and lift cold and warm airs, strengthening frontogenesis and rainfall. As a result, the axis of the SPR rain belt is superposed over that of the mountain range. Accordingly, the spatial distribution of the SPR extends over most of the SEC, more specifically, to the south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River （30°N）, and to the east of 110°E.

Numerical Study of the Effect of Anthropogenic Aerosols on Spring Persistent Rain over Eastern China

The eff ect of anthropogenic aerosols on the spring persistent rain （SPR） over eastern China is investigated by using a high-resolution Community Atmosphere Model version 5.1 （CAM5.1）. The results show that the SPR starts later due to anthropogenic aerosols, with a shortened duration and reduced rainfall amount. A reduction in air temperature over the low latitudes in East Asia is linked to anthropogenic aerosols;so is a weakened southwesterly on the north side of the subtropical high. Meanwhile, air temperature increases signifi cantly over the high latitudes. This north-south asymmetrical thermal eff ect acts to reduce the meridional temperature gradient, weakening the upper-level westerly jet over East Asia and the vertical motion over southeastern China. As a result, the SPR is reduced and has a much shorter duration. The indirect eff ect of anthropogenic aerosols also plays an important role in changing the SPR. Cloud droplet number concentration increases due to anthropogenic aerosols acting as cloud condensation nuclei, leading to a reduction in cloud eff ective radius over eastern China and a reduced precipitation effi ciency there.

Temporal Variations of the Spring Persistent Rains and South China Sea Sub-high and Their Correlations to the Circulation and Precipitation of the East Asian Summer Monsoon

National Meteorological Information Center （NMIC） rainfall data and NCEP/NCAR daily circulation reanalysis data are employed to establish the onset-pentad time index of the spring persistent rains （SPR） and the decay-pentad time index of the South China Sea （SCS） sub-high. These indexes are used to study the relationship between the factors in SPR period and their relations to the circulation and precipitation of the East Asian summer monsoon （EASM）. Results show that, the summer rainfall over southeastern China decreases when SPR onset is late. For then EASM strengthens and the cyclonic circulation around the Tibetan Plateau （TP） strengthens, which makes abnormal anti-cyclonic circulation （cyclonic convergent circulation weakens） appear over southeastern China. When the decay of SCS sub-high delays, abnormal flood prevails over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River （MLYR） and to the south. That is mainly caused by EASM weakening while SCS sub-high strengthening, then the abnormal southwesterly over South China and the abnormal northerlies of anti-cyclonic circulation around the TP converge over the Yangtze Valley. The two indexes have high correlations with multivariate ENSO index （MEI） in March, indicating that the climate abnormity in East Asia is related to global climate abnormity tightly. The two time indexes are independent of each other, which is favorable for the prediction of the anomalies of the circulation and precipitation of EASM. From this point of view, we must take the global climate background into account when we analyze and predict the East Asian summer circulation and precipitation.