The Effect of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation on Mixed Layer and Upper Ocean Temperature over the South China Sea

Intraseasonal oscillation of the mixed layer and upper ocean temperature has been found to occur over the South China Sea(SCS)in the summer monsoon season based on the multiple reanalysis and observational data in this study.The method of composite analysis and an upper ocean temperature equation assisted the analysis of physical mechanisms.The results show that the mixed layer depth(MLD)in the SCS has a significant oscillation with a 30-60 d period over the SCS region,which is closely related to boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation(BSISO)activities.The MLD can increase(decrease)during the positive(negative)phase of the BSISO and usually lags behind by approximately one-eighth of the lifecycle(5 days)of the BSISO-related convection.The BSISO may cause periodic anomalies at the air-sea boundary,such as wind stress and heat flux,so it can play a dominant role in modulating the variation in MLD.There also are significant intraseasonal seawater temperature anomalies in both the surface and subsurface layers of the SCS.In addition,during the initial phase of the BSISO,the temperature anomaly signals of the thermocline are obviously opposite to the sea surface temperature(SST),especially in the southern SCS.According to the results from the analysis of the temperature equation,the vertical entrainment term caused by BSISO-related wind stress is stronger than the thermal forcing during the initial stage of convection,and it is more significant in the southern SCS.

The Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation Simulated by Four Chinese AGCMs Participating in the CMIP5 Project

The performances of four Chinese AGCMs participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5） in the simulation of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation （BSISO） are assessed. The authors focus on the major characteristics of BSISO： the intensity, significant period, and propagation. The results show that the four AGCMs can reproduce boreal summer intraseasonal signals of precipitation; however their limitations are also evident. Compared with the Climate Prediction Center Merged Analysis of Precipitation （CMAP） data, the models underestimate the strength of the intraseasonal oscillation （ISO） over the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean （IO） during the boreal summer （May to October）, but overestimate the intraseasonal variability over the western Pacific （WP）. In the model results, the westward propagation dominates, whereas the eastward propagation dominates in the CMAP data. The northward propagation in these models is tilted southwest-northeast, which is also different from the CMAP result. Thus, there is not a northeast-southwest tilted rain belt revolution off the equator during the BSISO＇s eastward journey in the models. The biases of the BSISO are consistent with the summer mean state, especially the vertical shear. Analysis also shows that there is a positive feedback between the intraseasonal precipitation and the summer mean precipitation. The positive feedback processes may amplify the models＇ biases in the BSISO simulation.

Influence of the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation on Extreme Temperature Events in the Northern Hemisphere

The impact of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation （BSISO） on extreme hot and cool events was investig-ated, by analyzing the observed and reanalysis data for the period from 1983 to 2012. It is found that the frequency of the extreme events in middle and high latitudes is significantly modulated by the BSISO convection in the tropics, with a 3-9-day lag. During phases 1 and 2 when the BSISO positive rainfall anomaly is primarily located over a northwest-southeast oriented belt extending from India to Maritime Continent and a negative rainfall anomaly ap- pears in western North Pacific, the frequency of extreme hot events is 40% more than the frequency of non-extreme hot events. Most noticeable increase appears in midlatitude North Pacific （north of 40°N） and higher-latitude polar region. Two physical mechanisms are primarily responsible for the change of the extreme frequency. First, an upper-tropo-spheric Rossby wave train （due to the wave energy propagation） is generated in response to a negative heating anom-aly over tropical western North Pacific in phases 1 and 2. This wave train consists of a strong high pressure anomaly center northeast of Japan, a weak low pressure anomaly center over Alaska, and a strong high pressure anomaly cen-ter over the western coast of United States. Easterly anomalies to the south of the two strong midlatitude high pres-sure centers weaken the climatological subtropical jet along 40°N, which is accompanied by anomalous subsidence and warming in North Pacific north of 40°N. Second, an enhanced monsoonal heating over South Asia and East Asia sets up a transverse monsoonal overturning circulation, with large-scale ascending （descending） anomalies over trop-ical Indian （Pacific） Ocean. Both the processes favor more frequent extreme hot events in higher-latitude Northern Hemisphere. An anomalous atmospheric general circulation model is used to confirm the tropical heating effect.

Mechanism of Regional Subseasonal Precipitation in the Strongest and Weakest East Asian Summer Monsoon Subseasonal Variation Years

Using the National Center for Environment Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis coupled dataset during 1979–2010,we selected four subseasonal indexes from the 16 East Asian Summer Monsoon(EASM)indexes to characterize the subseasonal variability of the entire EASM system.The strongest(1996)and weakest(1998)years of the subseasonal variation were revealed based on these subseasonal EASM indexes.Furthermore,three rainfall concentration areas were defined in East Asia,and these areas were dissected by the atmospheric midlatitude jet stream axis and the position of the Western North Pacific Subtropical High(WNPSH).Then,the subseasonal effects of the WNPSH,the South Asian High(SAH),the Mongolian Cyclone(MC),and the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation(BSISO)on each rainfall concentration area were studied in the strongest and weakest subseasonal variation years of the EASM.During the summer of 1998,the WNPSH and the SAH were stable in the more southern region,which not only blocked the northward progression of the BSISO but also caused the MC to advance southward.Therefore,the summer of 1998 was the weakest subseasonal variability of the EASM,but with significant subseasonal precipitation episodes in the northern and central rainfall areas.However,in 1996,the BSISO repeatedly spread northward in the south rainfall area because of the weak intensities and northern positions of the WNPSH and the SAH,which caused significant subseasonal precipitation episodes.In addition,MC was blocked to the north of approximately 42°N with a weak subseasonal rainfall.

Extremely Active Tropical Cyclone Activities over the Western North Pacific and South China Sea in Summer 2018: Joint Effects of Decaying La Nina and Intraseasonal Oscillation

In summer 2018,a total of 18 tropical cyclones(TCs)formed in the western North Pacific(WNP)and South China Sea(SCS),among which 8 TCs landed in China,ranking respectively the second and the first highest since 1951.Most of these TCs travelled northwest to northward,bringing in heavy rainfall and strong winds in eastern China and Japan.The present study investigates the impacts of decaying La Nina and intraseasonal oscillation(ISO)on the extremely active TCs over the WNP and SCS in summer 2018 by use of correlation and composite analyses.It is found that the La Nina episode from October 2017 to March 2018 led to above-normal sea surface temperature(SST)over central–western Pacific,lower sea level pressure and 500-hPa geopotential height over WNP,and abnormally strong convective activities over the western Pacific in summer 2018.These preceding oceanic thermal conditions and their effects on circulation anomalies are favorable to TC genesis in summer.Detailed examination reveals that the monsoon trough was located further north and east,inducing more TCs in northern and eastern WNP;and the more eastward WNP subtropical high as well as the significant wave train with a"-+-+"height anomaly pattern over the midlatitude Eurasia–North Pacific region facilitated the northwest to northward TC tracks.Further analyses reveal that two successively active periods of Madden–Julian Oscillation(MJO)occurred in summer 2018 and the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation(BSISO)was also active over WNP,propagating northward significantly,corresponding to the more northward TC tracks.The MJO was stagnant over the Maritime Continent to western Pacific,leading to notably enhanced convection in the lower troposphere and divergence in the upper troposphere,conducive to TC occurrences.In a word,the extremely active TC activities over the WNP and SCS in summer 2018 are closely linked with the decaying La Nina,and the MJO and BSISO;their joint effects result in increased TC occurrences and the TC tracks being shifted more northwest to northward than normal.

Decadal changes of the intraseasonal oscillation during 1979–2016

The Intraseasonal Oscillation (ISO) is the cornerstone for 2–8-week subseasonal prediction. Understanding the decadal variation of the ISO is important for improving subseasonal prediction;however, there is still a gap in our knowledge of ISO dynamics. Here, we presented a method, an Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis of 11-year-sliding ISO evolution, to objectively detect decadal variation of the ISO originated from the equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) during 1979–2016. The results show that the properties of ISO have a notable decadal change since 1998 for both boreal summer and boreal winter seasons, mainly in its evolution rather than in its intensity at origin. During the pre-1998 epoch, the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO), was confined to the Indian Ocean;since 1998, however, it propagated northeastward across the Maritime Continent (MC) and the intraseasonal variability over the western North Pacific was significant enhanced. On the other hand, the boreal-winter ISO, usually known as Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) shows minor changes in MC ‘barrier effect’ between the two epochs, and continuously propagates eastward across the MC. The MJO only shows suppressed activity over the central equatorial Pacific in the post-1998 epoch. These decadal changes are related to the eastern Pacific cooling during the ‘global warming hiatus’ period rather than to the four-decade global warming. Results here provide a set of potential precursors for foreseeing ISO propagation under different mean states.

Record-breaking rainfall over the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in August 2021: Sub-seasonal perspective and its predictability

An extremely heavy rainfall cluster was observed over the middle reaches of the Yangtze River(MYR)in August 2021,breaking the historical record since 1981 and causing severe floods.The controlling circulation regime and possible predictability sources of the un-expected rainfall are still unclear,especially from a sub-seasonal perspective.Our results show that the successive heavy rainfall events in August 2021 had significant intraseasonal oscillations for 10-24 d and 30-60 d,and they were synergistically influenced by tropical and extra-tropical circulation regime.Above all,the East Asia-Pacific teleconnection pattern(EAP)turned into a negative phase in late July and maintained throughout August,providing favorable background conditions for the northward transport of tropical water vapor and the southward intrusion of cold air from mid-high latitudes.The 30-60-d oscillation of precipitation was dominated by the first mode of boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation(BSISO1,with 30-60-d period),which strengthened the tropical moisture transport,while the quasi-biweekly oscillation of the western Pacific subtropical high and the anomalous mid-latitude cyclone of EAP intensified the precipitation on the scale of 10-24 d.In addition,the second mode of BSISO(BSISO2,with 10-30-d period)may also intensify the 10-24-d precipitation in late August.The forecast leading time of the S2S models for the persistent heavy rainfall in August 2021 was basically 1-2 weeks,while the EAP and BSISO1 were revealed as the main predictable sources of the abnormal rainfall events.These results highlight the importance of superposition of different intraseasonal oscillations in forming the extreme rainfall event and demonstrate a potential chance to enhance the prediction skill of extreme event if the ensemble members in S2S models could be reasonably selected according to their performances on key predictability sources.