The Influence of Meridional Variation in North Pacific Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies on the Arctic Stratospheric Polar Vortex

This study examines the dependence of Arctic stratospheric polar vortex(SPV)variations on the meridional positions of the sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies associated with the first leading mode of North Pacific SST.The principal component 1(PC1)of the first leading mode is obtained by empirical orthogonal function decomposition.Reanalysis data,numerical experiments,and CMIP5 model outputs all suggest that the PC1 events(positive-minus-negative PC1 events),located relatively northward(i.e.,North PC1 events),more easily weaken the Arctic SPV compared to the PC1 events located relatively southward(i.e.,South PC1 events).The analysis indicates that the North PC1-related Aleutian low anomaly is located over the northern North Pacific and thus enhances the climatological trough,which strengthens the planetary-scale wave 1 at mid-to-high latitudes and thereby weakens the SPV.The weakened stratospheric circulation further extends into the troposphere and favors negative surface temperature anomalies over Eurasia.By contrast,the South PC1-related Aleutian low anomaly is located relatively southward,and its constructive interference with the climatological trough is less efficient at high latitudes.Thus,the South PC1 events could not induce an evident enhancement of the planetary-scale waves at high latitudes and thereby a weakening of the SPV on average.The Eurasian cooling associated with South PC1 events(positive-minus-negative PC1 events)is also not prominent.The results of this study suggest that the meridional positions of the PC1 events may be useful for predicting the Arctic SPV and Eurasian surface temperature variations.

Interannual Variability of the Winter Stratospheric Polar Vortex in the Northern Hemisphere and Their Relations to QBO and ENSO

We investigated the interannual variations of the winter stratospheric polar vortex in this paper. EOF analysis shows that two modes of variability dominate the stratospheric polar vortex on interannual timescales The leading mode （EOF1） reflects the intensity variation of the polar vortex and is characterized by a geopotential height seesaw between the polar region and the mid-latitudes. The second one （EOF2） exhibits variation in the zonal asymmetric part of the polar vortex, which mainly describes the stationary planetary wave activity. As the strongest interannual variation signal in the atmosphere, the QBO has been shown to influence mainly the strength of the polar vortex. On the other hand, the ENSO cycle, as the strongest interannual variation signal in the ocean, has been shown to be mainly associated with the variation of stationary planetary wave activity in the stratosphere. Possible influences of the stratospheric polar vortex on the tropospheric circulation are also discussed in this paper.

On the Differences and Climate Impacts of Early and Late Stratospheric Polar Vortex Breakup

The stratospheric polar vortex breakup （SPVB） is an important phenomenon closely related to the seasonal transition of stratospheric circulation. In this paper, 62-year NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data were employed to investigate the distinction between early and late SPVB. The results showed that the anomalous circulation signals extending from the stratosphere to the troposphere were reversed before and after early SPVB, while the stratospheric signals were consistent before and after the onset of late SPVB. Arctic Oscillation （AO） evolution during the life cycle of SPVB also demonstrated that the negative AO signal can propagate downward after early SPVB. Such downward AO signals could be identified in both geopotential height and temperature anomalies. After the AO signal reached the lower troposphere, it influenced the Aleutian Low and Siberian High in the troposphere, leading to a weak winter monsoon and large-scale warming at mid latitudes in Asia. Compared to early SPVB, downward propagation was not evident in late SPVB. The high-latitude tropospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere was affected by early SPVB, causing it to enter a summer circulation pattern earlier than in late SPVB years.

The Role of Stationary and Transient Planetary Waves in the Maintenance of Stratospheric Polar Vortex Regimes in Northern Hemisphere Winter

Using 1958-2002 NCEPNCAR reanalysis data, we investigate stationary and transient planetary wave propagation and its role in wave-mean flow interaction which influences the state of the polar vortex （PV） in the stratosphere in Northern Hemisphere （NH） winter. This is done by analyzing the Eliassen-Palm （E-P） flux and its divergence. We find that the stationary and transient waves propagate upward and equatorward in NH winter, with stronger upward propagation of stationary waves from the troposphere to the stratosphere, and stronger equatorward propagation of transient waves from mid-latitudes to the subtropics in the troposphere. Stationary waves exhibit more upward propagation in the polar stratosphere during the weak polar vortex regime （WVR） than during the strong polar vortex regime （SVR）. On the other hand, transient waves have more upward propagation during SVR than during WVR in the subpolar stratosphere, with a domain of low frequency waves. With different paths of upward propagation, both stationary and transient waves contribute to the maintenance of the observed stratospheric PV regimes in NH winter.

Decadal Variation of the Impact of La Nina on the Winter Arctic Stratosphere

The impact of La Ni?a on the winter Arctic stratosphere has thus far been an ambiguous topic of research. Contradictory results have been reported depending on the La Ni?a events considered. This study shows that this is mainly due to the decadal variation of La Ni?a’s impact on the winter Arctic stratosphere since the late 1970 s. Specifically,during the period1951–78,the tropospheric La Ni?a teleconnection exhibits a typical negative Pacific–North America pattern,which strongly inhibits the propagation of the planetary waves from the extratropical troposphere to the stratosphere,and leads to a significantly strengthened stratospheric polar vortex. In contrast,during 1979–2015,the La Ni?a teleconnection shifts eastwards,with an anomalous high concentrated in the northeastern Pacific. The destructive interference of the La Ni?a teleconnection with climatological stationary waves seen in the earlier period reduces greatly,which prevents the drastic reduction of planetary wave activities in the extratropical stratosphere. Correspondingly,the stratospheric response shows a less disturbed stratospheric polar vortex in winter.

Relationship between the Stratospheric Arctic Vortex and Surface Air Temperature in the Midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere

It is known that different relationships exist between the strength and displacement of the stratospheric polar vortex(SPV),and the surface air temperature(SAT)patterns in Eurasia and North America,but the mechanisms behind these relationships remain unclear,especially on an interannual timescale.Based on empirical orthogonal function(EOF)analysis using NCEP reanalysis data over 1958–2018,this study attempts to ascertain the relationship between the SPV intensity and displacement over the Arctic and the SATs in the midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.Our results indicate that a strengthened SPV corresponds to an SAT increase in Eurasia and a decrease in eastern North America and Greenland.When the SPV is shifted towards Eurasia,however,a corresponding SAT increase occurs in both North America and Eurasia,with a larger increase in North America than in Eurasia.Specifically,a strengthened SPV tends to correspond to a positive North Atlantic Oscillation-like circulation in the troposphere with negative geopotential height(GH)anomalies in Greenland and eastern North American continent and positive GH anomalies to the north of 45°N in Eurasia,which corresponds to lower SATs in North America than in Eurasia.However,when the SPV shifted towards Eurasia,it was accompanied by a positive Pacific/North American-like pattern with a deepened Aleutian low,which corresponds to the increasing SATs in North America.These tropospheric circulation changes are related to the response of tropospheric planetary wave activity to the SPV.A strengthened SPV corresponds to the weakening of tropospheric planetary wave-1 waves,which is accompanied by a negative GH in North America but a positive GH in Eurasia.If the SPV shifted towards Eurasia,the tropospheric planetary wave-1(-2)waves strengthened(weakened),and the combined effects of the planetary wave-1 and wave-2 waves would cause positive GH anomalies in both Eurasia and North America.

Extreme Cold Events from East Asia to North America in Winter 2020/21:Comparisons,Causes,and Future Implications

Three striking and impactful extreme cold weather events successively occurred across East Asia and North America during the mid-winter of 2020/21.These events open a new window to detect possible underlying physical processes.The analysis here indicates that the occurrences of the three events resulted from integrated effects of a concurrence of anomalous thermal conditions in three oceans and interactive Arctic-lower latitude atmospheric circulation processes,which were linked and influenced by one major sudden stratospheric warming(SSW).The North Atlantic warm blob initiated an increased poleward transient eddy heat flux,reducing the Barents-Kara seas sea ice over a warmed ocean and disrupting the stratospheric polar vortex(SPV)to induce the major SSW.The Rossby wave trains excited by the North Atlantic warm blob and the tropical Pacific La Nina interacted with the Arctic tropospheric circulation anomalies or the tropospheric polar vortex to provide dynamic settings,steering cold polar air outbreaks.The long memory of the retreated sea ice with the underlying warm ocean and the amplified tropospheric blocking highs from the midlatitudes to the Arctic intermittently fueled the increased transient eddy heat flux to sustain the SSW over a long time period.The displaced or split SPV centers associated with the SSW played crucial roles in substantially intensifying the tropospheric circulation anomalies and moving the jet stream to the far south to cause cold air outbreaks to a rarely observed extreme state.The results have significant implications for increasing prediction skill and improving policy decision making to enhance resilience in“One Health,One Future”.

Projections of the East Asian Winter Monsoon under the IPCC AR5 Scenarios Using a Coupled Model:IAP_FGOALS

Responses of the East Asian winter monsoon （EAWM） in future projections were studied based on two core future projections of CMIP5 in coordinated experiments with the IAP-coupled model FGOALS2-s. The projected changes of EAWM in climatology, seasonality, and interannual variability are reported here; the projections indicated strong warming in winter season. Warming increased with latitude, ranging from 1°C to 3°C in the Representative Concentration Pathways simulation RCP4.5 projection （an experiment that results in additional radiative forcing of 4.5 W m-2 in 2100） and from 4° to 9°C in the RCP8.5 projection （an experiment that results in additional radiative forcing of8.5 W m-2 in 2100）. The northerly wind along the East Asian coastal region became stronger in both scenarios, indicating a stronger EAWM. Accordingly, interannual variability （described by the standard deviation of temperature） increased around the South China Sea and lower latitudes and decreased over eastern China, especially in North China. The two EAWM basic modes, defined by the temperature EOF analysis over East Asia, were associated with the Arctic Oscillation （AO） and stratospheric polar vortex. The future projections revealed more total variance attributable to the secondary mode, suggesting additional influences from the stratosphere. The correlation between AO and the leading mode decreased, while the correlation between AO and the secondary mode increased, implying increased complexity regarding the predictability of EAWM interannual variations in future projections.

Record Arctic Ozone Loss in Spring 2020 is Likely Caused by North Pacific Warm Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies

Record ozone loss was observed in the Arctic stratosphere in spring 2020.This study aims to determine what caused the extreme Arctic ozone loss.Observations and simulation results are examined in order to show that the extreme Arctic ozone loss was likely caused by record-high sea surface temperatures(SSTs)in the North Pacific.It is found that the record Arctic ozone loss was associated with the extremely cold and persistent stratospheric polar vortex over February-April,and the extremely cold vortex was a result of anomalously weak planetary wave activity.Further analysis reveals that the weak wave activity can be traced to anomalously warm SSTs in the North Pacific.Both observations and simulations show that warm SST anomalies in the North Pacific could have caused the weakening of wavenumber-1 wave activity,colder Arctic vortex,and lower Arctic ozone.These results suggest that for the present-day level of ozone-depleting substances,severe Arctic ozone loss could form again,as long as certain dynamic conditions are satisfied.

Three-Dimensional Dynamic Features of Two Arctic Oscillation Types

We investigated the differences between stratospheric （S-type） and tropospheric （T-type） Arctic Oscillation （AO） events on the intraseasonal time scale, in terms of their influences on surface air temperature （SAT） over the Northern Henfisphere and the dynamic features associated with their spatial structures. S-type AO events showed a stratosphere-troposphere coupled structure, while T-type events exhibited a stratosphere-troposphere uncoupled structure. The annular SAT anomalies over the Northern Hemisphere were found to be associated with S-type AO events, whereas such an annular feature was substantially de- structed in T-type AO events. The different horizontal structures in the troposphere of the two types could mainly be attributed to transient eddy feedback forcing. As for the vertically uncoupled structure of T- type events, the underlying dynamical features that differentiate them from S-type events lie in the vertical propagation of zonally confined Rossby waves. In T-type events, the zonally confined Rossby wave packets can emanate from the significant height anomalies over Northeast Asia, where one vertical waveguide exists, and then propagate upward into the stratosphere. In contrast, such a vertical propagation was not evident for S-type events. The stratospheric anomalies associated with the upward injection of the zonally confined Rossby waves from the troposphere in T-type events can further induce the anomalous vertical propagation of planetary waves （PWs） through the interference between the climatological-mean PWs and anomalous PWs, leading to the final stratosphere troposphere uncoupled structure of T-type events.

Decadal Change of the Linkage between Sea Ice over the Barents–Kara Seas in November– December and the Stratospheric Polar Vortex in Subsequent January

The linkage between the sea ice concentration(SIC)over the Barents–Kara Seas in November–December(SIC_BKS_ND)and the stratospheric polar vortex(SPV)in subsequent January(SPV_Jan)is investigated.It is found that SIC_BKS_ND is positively(negatively)correlated with SPV_Jan for the period 1979–1995(1996–2009).Further analyses reveal that,during 1979–1995(1996–2009),SIC_BKS_ND is relatively higher(lower),accompanied by smaller(larger)interannual variability with its center shifting northwest(southeast).Meanwhile,the polar front jet waveguide is relatively stronger(weaker).The simultaneous anomalous eastward-propagating Rossby waves excited by anomalously low SIC_BKS_ND are stronger(weaker),which results in the stronger(weaker)negative–positive–negative wave-train structure of geopotential height anomalies over Eurasia,with the location of these anomalous height centers shifting remarkably westward(eastward).Such changes tend to enhance(suppress)vertically propagating tropospheric planetary waves into the lower stratosphere at high-latitude via constructive(destructive)interference of anomalous tropospheric wave-train structure with the climatological planetary waves,subsequently weakening(strengthening)SPV_Jan.However,in conjunction with anomalously high SIC_BKS_ND,the interference of the tropospheric wave-train structure anomalies and their climatologies shows an opposite distribution to that of low SIC_BKS_ND anomalies,which leads to a strong(weak)SPV_Jan anomaly during 1979–1995(1996–2009).

Modulation of the Aleutian–Icelandic Low Seesaw and Its Surface Impacts by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

Early studies suggested that the Aleutian–Icelandic low seesaw(AIS) features multidecadal variation. In this study, the multidecadal modulation of the AIS and associated surface climate by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO) during late winter(February–March) is explored with observational data. It is shown that, in the cold phase of the AMO(AMO|-),a clear AIS is established, while this is not the case in the warm phase of the AMO(AMO|+). The surface climate over Eurasia is significantly influenced by the AMO’s modulation of the Aleutian low(AL). For example, the weak AL in AMO|-displays warmer surface temperatures over the entire Far East and along the Russian Arctic coast and into Northern Europe,but only over the Russian Far East in AMO|+. Similarly, precipitation decreases over central Europe with the weak AL in AMO|-, but decreases over northern Europe and increases over southern Europe in AMO|+.The mechanism underlying the influence of AMO|-on the AIS can be described as follows: AMO|-weakens the upward component of the Eliassen–Palm flux along the polar waveguide by reducing atmospheric blocking occurrence over the Euro–Atlantic sector, and hence drives an enhanced stratospheric polar vortex. With the intensified polar night jet, the wave trains originating over the central North Pacific can propagate horizontally through North America and extend into the North Atlantic, favoring an eastward-extended Pacific–North America–Atlantic pattern, and resulting in a significant AIS at the surface during late winter.

Intensified Impact of the Equatorial QBO in August–September on the Northern Stratospheric Polar Vortex in December–January since the Late 1990s

This study reveals an intensified impact of the equatorial quasi-biennial oscillation(QBO)in August–September(QBO_AS)on the northern stratospheric polar vortex(SPV)in December–January(SPV_DJ)since the late 1990s.The unstable relationship may be related to the differences in the deep convection anomaly over the tropical western Pacific and Indian Oceans in October–November(ON)related to the QBO_AS prior to and after the late 1990s.During 1998–2017,the easterly phase of the QBO_AS is accompanied by a colder tropical tropopause in ON,which enhances the deep convective activity over the tropical western Pacific and suppresses it over the Indian Ocean.The deep convection anomaly generates anomalous Rossby waves that propagate into the northern mid-to-high latitudes to constructively interfere with the climatological wavenumber-1 and wavenumber-2 components,thereby resulting in enhanced upward-propagating tropospheric planetary-scale waves and a weakened SPV_DJ anomaly.During1979–1997,however,the deep convection anomaly over the tropical western Pacific and Indian Oceans in ON related to the easterly phase of the QBO_AS is weaker and shifts eastward,which excites the anomalous Rossby waves to constructively/destructively interfere with the climatological wavenumber-1 component in the midlatitudes/high latitudes,thereby weakening the upward-propagating planetary-scale waves and leading to a weaker linkage with the SPV_DJ.Further analyses reveal that the unstable relationship may be associated with the interdecadal differences in deep convection over the tropical western Pacific and Indian Oceans and the upward-propagating tropospheric planetary-scale waves in ON.

Stratospheric Precursor of Non-Uniform Variation in Early Spring Surface Temperature over Eurasia

The stratospheric influences on the non-uniform variation in early spring（March–April,MA）surface temperature over Eurasia is investigated based on the ERA-Interim,NCEP-1,and NCEP-2 reanalysis data for the period1980–2016.A lead–lag correlation is found between preceding winter（December–February,DJF）stratospheric polar vortex displacements（SPVD）and the MA west–east seesaw pattern in surface temperature over Eurasia.Further analysis reveals that the East Asian jet stream may act as a bridge linking DJF SPVD and MA surface temperature over Eurasia.A positive change in SPVD is associated with a decelerated polar jet stream and an accelerated East Asian jet stream in the troposphere in DJF.The East Asian jet stream signal can persist into MA.As a result,anomalous southerly/northerly winds prevail over western/eastern Eurasia,accounting for the west–east surface temperature seesaw over Eurasia.