THE POSITION VARIATION OF THE WEST PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH AND ITS POSSIBLE MECHANISM

Using NCEP/NCAR daily reanalysis data and SCSMEX data, an investigation is carried out of the relationship between the position variation of the west Pacific subtropical high （WPSH） and the apparcnt heating in June 1998 based on the complete vertical vorticlty equation. It is tbund that the non-adiabatic heating plays an important role in the position variation of WPSH. In comparison with climatic mean status, the vertical change of non-adiabatic heating is stronger in the north side of WPSH in June 1998, but weaker in the south side of WPSH. The anomalous non-uniform heating induces anomalous cyclonic vorticity in South China, areas to lhe south of the Yangtze and its mid-lower valleys, but anomalous anticyclonic vorticity in the Indo-China Peninsula and South China Sea areas lead to the more southward position of WPSH than the mean.

COMPARISONS OF THE WEST PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH AND THE SOUTH ASIA HIGH BETWEEN NCEP/NCAR AND ECMWF REANALYSIS DATASETS

Comparisons of the west Pacific subtropical high with the South Asia High are made using the NCEP/NCAR and ECMWF 500 hPa and 100 hPa monthly boreal geopotential height fields for the period 1961-2000. Discrepancies are found for the time prior to 1980. The west Pacific subtropical high in the NCEP/NCAR data is less intense than in ECMWF data before 1980. The range and strength of the west Pacific subtropical high variation described by the NCEP/NCAR data are larger than those depicted by ECMWF data. The same situation appears in the 100-hPa geopotential field. These discoveries suggest that the interdecadal variation of the two systems as shown by the NCEP/NCAR data may not be true. Besides, the South Asia High center in the NCEP/NCAR data is obviously stronger than in the ECMWF data during the periods 1969, 1979-1991 and 1992-1995. Furthermore, the range is larger from 1992 to 1995.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE POSITION VARIATION OF THE WEST PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH AND THE DIABATIC HEATING DURING PERSISTENT INTENSE RAIN EVENTS IN YANGTZE-HUAIHE RIVERS BASIN

By using NCEP/NCAR daily reanalysis data and daily precipitation data of 740 stations in China, relationships between the position variation of the West Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) and the diabatic heating during persistent and intense rains in the Yangtze-Huaihe Rivers basin are studied. The results show that the position variation of WPSH is closely associated with the diabatic heating. There are strong apparent heating sources and moisture sinks in both the basin (to the north of WPSH) and the north of Bay of Bengal (to the west of WPSH) during persistent and intense rain events. In the basin, Q 1z begins to increase 3 days ahead of intense rainfall, maximizes 2 days later and then reduces gradually, but it changes little after precipitation ends, thus preventing the WPSH from moving northward. In the north of Bay of Bengal, 2 days ahead of strong rainfall over the basin, Q 1z starts to increase and peaks 1 day after the rain occurs, leading to the westward extension of WPSH. Afterwards, Q 1z begins declining and the WPSH makes its eastward retreat accordingly. Based on the complete vertical vorticity equation, in mid-troposphere, the vertical variation of heating in the basin is favorable to the increase of cyclonic vorticity north of WPSH, which counteracts the northward movement of WPSH and favors the persistence of rainbands over the basin. The vertical variation of heating in the north of Bay of Bengal is in favor of the increase of anti-cyclonic vorticity to the west of WPSH, which induces the westward extension of WPSH.

A CHARACTERISTIC CORRELATION ANALYSIS BETWEEN THE ASIA SUMMER MONSOON MEMBERS AND THE WEST PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH

In this paper, by using the pentad-mean NCAR/NCEP reanalysis data for the period of 1958-1997, some characteristic indices of describing the activity of Asian summer monsoon system members are defined and calculated. Based on the above works, a time-lag correlation analysis method is introduced for the correlation analysis between the Asian summer monsoon system and the west Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) area index, and some meaningful interaction processes and characteristic phenomena between them are revealed and discussed accordingly. It is shown that there exists some remarkable time-lag correlations in various degree between the Asian summer monsoon system members and the WPSH area index, and they interact and feedback with each other, which consists of the whole Asian summer monsoon system.

A WAVELET PACKET ENERGY DIAGNOSIS OF SOUTH ASIAN SUMMER MONSOON INFLUENCING ON THE WEST PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH

Based on the wavelet packet decomposition/reconstruction method and the NCEP/NCAR daily reanalysis data set, the relation between the south Asian summer monsoon and the west Pacific subtropical high seasonal variation was discussed, and a corresponding summer monsoon frequency-band energy criterion was defined and introduced for diagnosing the west Pacific subtropical high. Besides, some existing characteristics and rules about the west Pacific subtropical high were further argued and proofed, a few new phenomena and correlation between the south Asian summer monsoon and the west Pacific subtropical high were also revealed and presented.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WEST PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH AND ENSO AND ITS INFLUENCE ON RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION OF RAINY SEASON IN FUJIAN

Relationship between the variations of West Pacific subtropical high indices in the summer half of the year and preceding SST in North Pacific was examined based on a data set of 1951 2000. The correlation between the subtropical high indices and preceding SST in the equatorial East Pacific was the strongest among the others, and has great persistency from last autumn to spring. It is indicated that ENSO events appeared about six months earlier than the change of the subtropical high activities, and the subtropical high intensities enhanced (weakened) and western ridge point was westward (eastward) in the year of El Nino (La Nina) events. It was also observed that there were similar interdecadal oscillation and abrupt variations between Nino3 SST, subtropical high intensities and rainfall of rainy season in Fujian. Therefore, experiments were made on rainfall distribution of rainy season in Fujian. The results showed that the distribution was directly affected by the subtropical high activities, pronouncedly caused by ENSO effect.

SEASONAL PERSISTENCE OF THE WEST PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SURFACE HEAT FLUX ANOMALY

This paper investigates the interannual variation of the West Pacific Subtropical High(WPSH) intensity based on the data compiled by the Chinese National Climate Center.Monthly reanalysis data from National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research(NCEP/NCAR) are also used to study the lead-lag relationship between WPSH intensity and surface heat flux anomalies.The three major findings are as follows:First,WPSH intensity presents good seasonal persistence,especially from winter to the ensuing summer.Persistence is more significant after 1977,especially from spring to summer,and from summer to autumn;persistence of anticyclonic anomalies are significantly better than cyclonic anomalies.Second,surface heat flux tends to present opposite anomalous patterns between the strong and weak years of the WPSH intensity,which is especially valid at the latent heat flux over the ocean.Simultaneous correlations between surface heat flux and WPSH intensity in each of the seasons are marked by similar key areas.Finally,surface heat flux from the preceding winter of a strong summer WPSH is quite similar to strong spring WPSH,but the positive anomalies over the northwest Pacific and south of Japan are notably stronger.The situations in the weak years are similar except for those over the northwest Pacific:winter surface heat flux shows negative anomalies for a weak spring WPSH,but positive anomalies for a weak summer WPSH.It is suggested that surface heat flux in the previous winter plays an important role in maintaining the WPSH intensity in the ensuing spring and summer.

ABRUPT CHANGES OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH AND ITS INTERANNUAL VARIATION DURING LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER

The 500-hPa geopotential height data used in this paper are from NCEP/NCAR data set for the period from 1979 to 1996 (from March to July). Using pentad average, we define the intensity, westernmost ridge point and mean latitude of the subtropical high ridge. Then the wavelet transform and EOF analysis are performed. It is found that there mainly exist three interseasonal abrupt change processes, which correspond to the onset time of the South China Sea Summer Monsoon (SCSSM), the beginning and the end of the Mei-yu respectively. The interannual variation of the subtropical high in late spring and early summer presents quasi-4-year and 8-year periods.

Characteristics of the Correlation between Regional Water Vapor Transport along with the Convective Action and Variation of the Pacific Subtropical High in 1998

This paper explores the impact of the convective action over the low-latitude region, the water vapor transport around the West Pacific subtropical high (WPSH), and its convective action on the seasonal northward jump and southward withdrawal of the WPSH in summer by using the daily data set of NCEP and TBB for 1998. The research shows that in summer, the WPSH moves northward when the convection over the low-latitude tropical region intensifies and the subsidence region of the meridional vertically vertical circulation in meridional direction circulation over the region of 110?150癊 moves northward. Furthermore, as revealed by diagnostic analysis, the subtropical high moves northward after the obvious weakening of the longitudinal water vapor transport over the region around the subtropical high, but withdraws southward a pentad after the reduction of the latitudinal water vapor transport over the tropical West Pacific region. The research results show that the northward jump and southward withdrawal of the WPSH are closely related to the release of the convective latent heat at low latitudes and the water vapor transport at boundaries around WPSH and its convective action. The numerical simulation further validates the above-mentioned correlation between the variation of the action of the subtropical high and the preceding water vapor transport along with the convection characteristics.