Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Effect of Teleconnected Land–Atmosphere Coupling on Northeast China Persistent Drought in Spring–Summer of 2017

Dingwen Zeng School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, and Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment for Temperate East Asia, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Reducing Disaster of Gansu Province, and Key Open Laboratory of Arid Climate Change and Disaster Reduction, Institute of Arid Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Lanzhou, China

Search for other papers by Dingwen Zeng in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Xing Yuan School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, and Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment for Temperate East Asia, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Search for other papers by Xing Yuan in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6983-7368
, and
Joshua K. Roundy Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Search for other papers by Joshua K. Roundy in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Nov 2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0175.1
Page(s):
7403–7420
Restricted access

Abstract

Northeast China (NEC) suffered a severe drought that persisted from March to July of 2017 with profound impacts on agriculture and society, raising an urgent need to understand the mechanism for persistent droughts over midlatitudes. Previous drought mechanism studies focused on either large-scale teleconnections or local land–atmosphere coupling, while less attention was paid to their synergistic effects on drought persistence. Here we show that the 2017 NEC drought was triggered by a strong positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation in March, and maintained by the anticyclone over the area south to Lake Baikal (ASLB) through a quasi-stationary Rossby wave in April–July, accompanied by sinking motion and north wind anomaly. By using a land–atmosphere coupling index based on the persistence of positive feedbacks between the boundary layer and land surface, we find that the coupling states over NEC and ASLB shifted from a wet coupling in March to a persistently strengthened dry coupling in April–July. Over ASLB, the dry coupling and sinking motion increased surface sensible heat, decreased cloud cover, and weakened longwave absorption, resulting in a diabatic heating anomaly in the lower atmosphere and a diabatic cooling anomaly in the upper atmosphere. This anomalous vertical heating profile led to a negative anomaly of potential vorticity at low levels, indicating that the land–atmosphere coupling had a phase-lock effect on the Rossby wave train originating from upstream areas, and therefore maintained the NEC drought over downstream regions. Our study suggests that an upstream quasi-stationary wave pattern strengthened by land–atmosphere coupling should be considered in diagnosing persistent droughts, especially over northern midlatitudes.

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0175.s1.

© 2019 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).

Corresponding author: Xing Yuan, xyuan@nuist.edu.cn

Abstract

Northeast China (NEC) suffered a severe drought that persisted from March to July of 2017 with profound impacts on agriculture and society, raising an urgent need to understand the mechanism for persistent droughts over midlatitudes. Previous drought mechanism studies focused on either large-scale teleconnections or local land–atmosphere coupling, while less attention was paid to their synergistic effects on drought persistence. Here we show that the 2017 NEC drought was triggered by a strong positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation in March, and maintained by the anticyclone over the area south to Lake Baikal (ASLB) through a quasi-stationary Rossby wave in April–July, accompanied by sinking motion and north wind anomaly. By using a land–atmosphere coupling index based on the persistence of positive feedbacks between the boundary layer and land surface, we find that the coupling states over NEC and ASLB shifted from a wet coupling in March to a persistently strengthened dry coupling in April–July. Over ASLB, the dry coupling and sinking motion increased surface sensible heat, decreased cloud cover, and weakened longwave absorption, resulting in a diabatic heating anomaly in the lower atmosphere and a diabatic cooling anomaly in the upper atmosphere. This anomalous vertical heating profile led to a negative anomaly of potential vorticity at low levels, indicating that the land–atmosphere coupling had a phase-lock effect on the Rossby wave train originating from upstream areas, and therefore maintained the NEC drought over downstream regions. Our study suggests that an upstream quasi-stationary wave pattern strengthened by land–atmosphere coupling should be considered in diagnosing persistent droughts, especially over northern midlatitudes.

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0175.s1.

© 2019 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).

Corresponding author: Xing Yuan, xyuan@nuist.edu.cn

Supplementary Materials

    • Supplemental Materials (PDF 1.47 MB)
Save
Cover Journal of Climate
Journal of Climate

  • Chen, M., P. Xie, and J. E. Janowiak, 2002: Global land precipitation: A 50-yr monthly analysis based on gauge observations. J. Hydrometeor., 3, 249–266., https://doi.org/10.1175/1525-7541(2002)003<0249:GLPAYM>2.0.CO;2.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Chen, Z., and G. Yang, 2013: Analysis of drought hazards in north China: Distribution and interpretation. Nat. Hazards, 65, 279–294, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0358-3.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Coumou, D., G. Di Capua, S. Vavrus, L. Wang, and S. Wang, 2018: The influence of Arctic amplification on mid-latitude summer circulation. Nat. Commun., 9, 2959, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05256-8.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Dee, D. P., and Coauthors, 2011: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: Configuration and performance of the data assimilation system. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 137, 553–597, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Ding, Y., Y. Sun, Z. Wang, Y. Zhu, and Y. Song, 2009: Interdecadal variation of the summer precipitation in China and its association with decreasing Asian summer monsoon. Part II: Possible causes. Int. J. Climatol., 29, 1926–1944, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.1759.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Dirmeyer, P. A., and S. Halder, 2017: Application of the land–atmosphere coupling paradigm to the operational Coupled Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2). J. Hydrometeor., 18, 85–108, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-16-0064.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Findell, K. L., and E. A. B. Eltahir, 2003a: Atmospheric controls on soil moisture–boundary layer interactions. Part I: Framework development. J. Hydrometeor., 4, 552–569, https://doi.org/10.1175/1525-7541(2003)004<0552:ACOSML>2.0.CO;2.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Fischer, E. M., S. I. Seneviratne, P. L. Vidale, D. Luthi, and C. Schar, 2007: Soil moisture–atmosphere interactions during the 2003 European summer heat wave. J. Climate, 20, 5081–5099, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI4288.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Han, T., H. Chen, and H. Wang, 2015: Recent changes in summer precipitation in northeast China and the background circulation. Int. J. Climatol., 35, 4210–4219, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4280.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Han, T., H. Wang, and J. Sun, 2017: Strengthened relationship between eastern ENSO and summer precipitation over northeastern China. J. Climate, 30, 4497–4512, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0551.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Jin, D., Z. Guan, and W. Tang, 2013: The extreme drought event during winter–spring of 2011 in East China: Combined influences of teleconnection in midhigh latitudes and thermal forcing in maritime continent region. J. Climate, 26, 8210–8222, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00652.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Koster, R. D., Y. Chang, and S. Schubert, 2014: A mechanism for land–atmosphere feedback involving planetary wave structures. J. Climate, 27, 9290–9301, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00315.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Koster, R. D., Y. Chang, H. Wang, and S. Schubert, 2016: Impacts of local soil moisture anomalies on the atmospheric circulation and on remote surface meteorological fields during boreal summer: A comprehensive analysis over North America. J. Climate, 29, 7345–7363, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0192.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Li, H., A. Dai, T. Zhou, and J. Lu, 2010: Responses of East Asian summer monsoon to historical SST and atmospheric forcing during 1950–2000. Climate Dyn., 34, 501–514, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-008-0482-7.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Li, H., H. Chen, H. Wang, J. Sun, and J. Ma, 2018: Can Barents Sea ice decline in spring enhance summer hot drought events over northeastern China? J. Climate, 31, 4705–4724, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0429.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Li, Y., H. Xu, and D. Liu, 2011: Features of the extremely severe drought in the east of southwest China and anomalies of atmospheric circulation in summer 2006. Acta Meteor. Sin., 25, 176–187, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-011-0025-8.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Li, Y., and Coauthors, 2019: Mechanisms and early warning of drought disasters: Experimental drought meteorology research over China. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 100, 673–687, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0029.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Liebmann, B., and C. A. Smith, 1996: Description of a complete (interpolated) outgoing longwave radiation dataset. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 1275–1277, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477-77.6.1274.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lu, R. Y., J. H. Oh, and B. J. Kim, 2002: A teleconnection pattern in upper-level meridional wind over the North African and Eurasian continent in summer. Tellus, 54A, 44–55, https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0870.2002.00248.x.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Nitta, T., 1987: Convective activities in the tropical western Pacific and their impact on the Northern Hemisphere summer circulation. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 62, 165–171, https://doi.org/10.2151/JMSJ1965.65.3_373.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Ren, X., D. Yang, and X. Yang, 2015: Characteristics and mechanisms of the subseasonal eastward extension of the South Asian high. J. Climate, 28, 6799–6822, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00682.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Roundy, J. K., C. R. Ferguson, and E. F. Wood, 2013: Temporal variability of land–atmosphere coupling and its implications for drought over the southeast United States. J. Hydrometeor., 14, 622–635, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-12-090.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Santanello, J. A., C. D. Peters-Lidard, and S. V. Kumar, 2011: Diagnosing the sensitivity of local land–atmosphere coupling via the soil moisture–boundary layer interaction. J. Hydrometeor., 12, 766–786, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-10-05014.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schubert, S. D., H. Wang, and M. Suarez, 2011: Warm season subseasonal variability and climate extremes in the Northern Hemisphere: The role of stationary Rossby waves. J. Climate, 24, 4773–4792, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-10-05035.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schubert, S. D., H. Wang, R. D. Koster, M. J. Suarez, and P. Ya. Groisman, 2014: Northern Eurasian heat waves and droughts. J. Climate, 27, 3169–3207, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00360.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Sun, J., and H. Wang, 2012: Changes of the connection between the summer North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Asian summer rainfall. J. Geophys. Res., 117, D08110, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JA017106.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Takaya, K., and H. Nakamura, 2001: A formulation of a phase-independent wave-activity flux for stationary and migratory quasigeostrophic eddies on a zonally varying basic flow. J. Atmos. Sci., 58, 608–627, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(2001)058<0608:AFOAPI>2.0.CO;2.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Thompson, D. W. J., and J. M. Wallace, 1998: The Arctic Oscillation signature in the wintertime geopotential height and temperature fields. Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, 1297–1300, https://doi.org/10.1029/98GL00950.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wallace, J. M., and D. S. Gutzler, 1981: Teleconnection in the geopotential height field during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Mon. Wea. Rev., 109, 784–812, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1981)109<0784:TITGHF>2.0.CO;2.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wang, H. J., 2001: The weakening of the Asian monsoon circulation after the end of 1970s. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 18, 376–386, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02919316.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wang, H. J., and S. He, 2015: The north China/northeastern Asia severe summer drought in 2014. J. Climate, 28, 6667–6681, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0202.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wang, H. L., S. D. Schubert, R. D. Koster, and Y. Chang, 2019: Phase locking of the boreal summer atmospheric response to dry land surface anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere. J Climate, 32, 1081–1099, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0240.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wang, S., X. Yuan, and Y. Li, 2017: Does a strong El Niño imply a higher predictability of extreme drought? Sci. Rep., 7, 40 741, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40741.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wang, S., X. Yuan, and R. Wu, 2019: Attribution of the persistent spring–summer hot and dry extremes over Northeast China in 2017 [in “Explaining Extreme Events of 2017 from a Climate Perspective”]. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 100 (1), S85–S89, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0120.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wei, J., Q. Y. Zhang, and S. Y. Tao, 2004: Physical causes of the 1999 and 2000 summer severe drought in North China (in Chinese). Chin. J. Atmos. Sci., 28, 125–137.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wu, R., and J. L. Kinter III, 2009: Analysis of the relationship of U.S. droughts with SST and soil moisture: Distinguishing the time scale of droughts. J. Climate, 22, 4250–4538, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JCLI2841.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Xu, Z., K. Fan, and H. Wang, 2017: Role of sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Indo-Pacific region in the northeast Asia severe drought in summer 2014: Month-to-month perspective. Climate Dyn., 49, 1631–1650, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-016-3406-y.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yanai, M., and T. Tomita, 1998: Seasonal and interannual variability of atmospheric heat sources and moisture sinks as determined from NCEP–NCAR reanalysis. J. Climate, 11, 463–482, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1998)011<0463:SAIVOA>2.0.CO;2.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yang, J., D. Gong, W. Wang, M. Hu, and R. Mao, 2012: Extreme drought event of 2009/2010 over southwestern China. Meteor. Atmos. Phys., 115, 173–184, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-011-0172-6.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yin, S., J. Feng, and J. Li, 2013: Influence of the preceding winter Northern Hemisphere annular mode on the spring extreme low temperature events in the north of eastern China. Acta Meteor. Sin., 71, 96–108, https://doi.org/10.11676/qxxb2013.008.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yu, R., B. Wang, and T. Zhou, 2004: Tropospheric cooling and summer monsoon weakening trend over East Asia. Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L22212, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021270.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yuan, X., and E. F. Wood, 2013: Multimodel seasonal forecasting of global drought onset. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 4900–4905, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50949.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Zeng, D., and X. Yuan, 2018: Multiscale land–atmosphere coupling and its application in assessing subseasonal forecasts over East Asia. J. Hydrometeor., 19, 745–760, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-17-0215.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Zhang, J., and L. Wu, 2011: Land–atmosphere coupling amplifies hot extremes over China. Chin. Sci. Bull., 56, https://doi.org/10.1007/S11434-011-4628-3.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Zhang, L., P. Wu, T. Zhou, and C. Xiao, 2018: ENSO transition from La Niña to El Niño drives prolonged spring–summer drought over North China. J. Climate, 31, 3509–3523, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0440.1.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Zhang, Y., L. Zhang, S. P. Wang, and J. Feng, 2017: Drought events and their influence in summer of 2017 in China (in Chinese). J. Arid Meteor., 35, 899–905.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Zhou, T., D. Gong, J. Li, and B. Li, 2009: Detecting and understanding the multi-decadal variability of the East Asian summer monsoon—Recent progress and state of affairs. Meteor. Z., 18, 455–467, https://doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2009/0396.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 1618 758 92
PDF Downloads 1285 477 34