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- Author or Editor: Guixing Chen x
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Abstract
Diurnal variations of rainfall and winds are pronounced over the Asian summer monsoon region, but their activities under different monsoon conditions are not clarified. Here, the diurnal cycle of monsoon flow and its influence are examined using 20-yr satellite rainfall and reanalysis data. A total of 1840 summer days are partitioned into four dynamic groups of strong or weak background flows with large or small diurnal amplitudes of low-level meridional wind. Large-scale southerly wind is found to be strongest after midnight, with a large diurnal amplitude on strong monsoon days over central-north India and southeast China. Such a nocturnal speed-up is closely associated with the Blackadar boundary layer inertial oscillation due to the diurnal heating over low-lying landmass. It acts like a large air pump that injects moisture poleward at night and strengthens monsoonal circulation with anomalous rising motion at the northern rainband of the Asian monsoon. In particular, monsoon southerlies with large nighttime speed-up converge with downslope winds from the Himalayas or northerly anomaly from midlatitudes. Enhanced water vapor convergence facilitates the growth of organized convection, producing substantial rainfall at the Himalayan foothills in predawn hours and at the mei-yu–baiu zone from predawn to noon. When monsoon flow undergoes a small diurnal cycle, rainfall is instead displaced south and mostly recorded in daytime. Both the daily mean and morning peak of rainfall are suppressed on land under weak monsoon southerlies. Moreover, the monsoon diurnal cycle exhibits evident intraseasonal/interannual variations and contributes to rainfall variability. The results highlight that monsoon flow couples with subdaily forcings to strongly regulate the detailed patterns of rainfall and moisture budget over the Asian monsoon regions.
Abstract
Diurnal variations of rainfall and winds are pronounced over the Asian summer monsoon region, but their activities under different monsoon conditions are not clarified. Here, the diurnal cycle of monsoon flow and its influence are examined using 20-yr satellite rainfall and reanalysis data. A total of 1840 summer days are partitioned into four dynamic groups of strong or weak background flows with large or small diurnal amplitudes of low-level meridional wind. Large-scale southerly wind is found to be strongest after midnight, with a large diurnal amplitude on strong monsoon days over central-north India and southeast China. Such a nocturnal speed-up is closely associated with the Blackadar boundary layer inertial oscillation due to the diurnal heating over low-lying landmass. It acts like a large air pump that injects moisture poleward at night and strengthens monsoonal circulation with anomalous rising motion at the northern rainband of the Asian monsoon. In particular, monsoon southerlies with large nighttime speed-up converge with downslope winds from the Himalayas or northerly anomaly from midlatitudes. Enhanced water vapor convergence facilitates the growth of organized convection, producing substantial rainfall at the Himalayan foothills in predawn hours and at the mei-yu–baiu zone from predawn to noon. When monsoon flow undergoes a small diurnal cycle, rainfall is instead displaced south and mostly recorded in daytime. Both the daily mean and morning peak of rainfall are suppressed on land under weak monsoon southerlies. Moreover, the monsoon diurnal cycle exhibits evident intraseasonal/interannual variations and contributes to rainfall variability. The results highlight that monsoon flow couples with subdaily forcings to strongly regulate the detailed patterns of rainfall and moisture budget over the Asian monsoon regions.
Abstract
The Asian monsoon has large spatial and temporal variabilities in winds and precipitation. This study reveals that the Asian monsoon also exhibits pronounced regional differences in cloud regimes and cloud–rainfall relationship at a wide range of time scales from diurnal to seasonal to interannual. Over South (East) Asia, the convectively active regime of deep convection (CD) occurs frequently in June–September (March–September) with a late-afternoon peak (morning feature). The intermediate mixture (IM) regime over South Asia mainly occurs in summer and maximizes near noon. It develops as CD at late afternoon and dissipates as convective cirrus (CC) after midnight, showing a life cycle of thermal convection in response to solar radiation. Over East Asia, IM is dominant in cold seasons with a small diurnal cycle, indicating a prevalence of midlevel stratiform clouds. Further analyses show that CD and CC contribute 80%–90% of the rainfall amount and most of the intense rainfall in the two key regions. The CD-related rainfall also accounts for the pronounced diurnal cycles of summer rainfall with a late-afternoon peak (morning feature) over northern India (Southeast China). The afternoon CD-related rainfall mainly results from thermal convection under the moderate humidity but warm conditions particularly over northern India, while the morning CD-related rainfall over Southeast China is more related to the processes with high humidity. The CD/CC-related rainfall also exhibits large interannual variations that explain ~90% of the interannual variance of summer rainfall. The interannual variations of CD/CC occurrence are positively correlated with the moist southerlies and induced convergence, especially over Southeast China, suggesting a close relationship between cloud regimes and monsoon activities.
Abstract
The Asian monsoon has large spatial and temporal variabilities in winds and precipitation. This study reveals that the Asian monsoon also exhibits pronounced regional differences in cloud regimes and cloud–rainfall relationship at a wide range of time scales from diurnal to seasonal to interannual. Over South (East) Asia, the convectively active regime of deep convection (CD) occurs frequently in June–September (March–September) with a late-afternoon peak (morning feature). The intermediate mixture (IM) regime over South Asia mainly occurs in summer and maximizes near noon. It develops as CD at late afternoon and dissipates as convective cirrus (CC) after midnight, showing a life cycle of thermal convection in response to solar radiation. Over East Asia, IM is dominant in cold seasons with a small diurnal cycle, indicating a prevalence of midlevel stratiform clouds. Further analyses show that CD and CC contribute 80%–90% of the rainfall amount and most of the intense rainfall in the two key regions. The CD-related rainfall also accounts for the pronounced diurnal cycles of summer rainfall with a late-afternoon peak (morning feature) over northern India (Southeast China). The afternoon CD-related rainfall mainly results from thermal convection under the moderate humidity but warm conditions particularly over northern India, while the morning CD-related rainfall over Southeast China is more related to the processes with high humidity. The CD/CC-related rainfall also exhibits large interannual variations that explain ~90% of the interannual variance of summer rainfall. The interannual variations of CD/CC occurrence are positively correlated with the moist southerlies and induced convergence, especially over Southeast China, suggesting a close relationship between cloud regimes and monsoon activities.
Abstract
Anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG) and anthropogenic aerosols (AA) have changed radiation balance and regulated the regional climate at seasonal or longer time scales. Based on station observations, reanalyses, and satellite observations, this study examines how anthropogenic forcings affect surface temperature and strongly regulate the regional climate at a diurnal time scale over the North China plains (NCP) in July and August. As AA cooling is dominant in the daytime over low-lying plains, it leads to a cooler day–warmer night temperature trend that decreases the diurnal temperature range over NCP but increases the thermal contrast between NCP and its west highlands. In response to the daytime cooling, the weakened vertical thermal contrast decreases the boundary layer turbulent mixing in the daytime and reduces friction to low-level winds, which leads to anomalous southerlies at 2000 LST over NCP. In contrast, nighttime warming results in anomalous northerlies at 0200 LST. On the other hand, in response to the enlarged horizontal thermal contrast, the stronger mountain–plain circulation helps to intensify low-level ascent over the plains at 0200 LST. These human-induced changes in the diurnal variation of regional circulations are conducive to the increased moisture convergence at 2000 and 0200 LST over NCP. The nighttime proportion of precipitation accordingly exhibits an increasing trend over NCP, though the seasonal precipitation decreases because of the weakened monsoon background. These findings highlight that the diurnal cycle of regional circulations can express a strong dynamic response to the radiation effect of anthropogenic forcings and thus affect the long-term change in regional climate.
Abstract
Anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG) and anthropogenic aerosols (AA) have changed radiation balance and regulated the regional climate at seasonal or longer time scales. Based on station observations, reanalyses, and satellite observations, this study examines how anthropogenic forcings affect surface temperature and strongly regulate the regional climate at a diurnal time scale over the North China plains (NCP) in July and August. As AA cooling is dominant in the daytime over low-lying plains, it leads to a cooler day–warmer night temperature trend that decreases the diurnal temperature range over NCP but increases the thermal contrast between NCP and its west highlands. In response to the daytime cooling, the weakened vertical thermal contrast decreases the boundary layer turbulent mixing in the daytime and reduces friction to low-level winds, which leads to anomalous southerlies at 2000 LST over NCP. In contrast, nighttime warming results in anomalous northerlies at 0200 LST. On the other hand, in response to the enlarged horizontal thermal contrast, the stronger mountain–plain circulation helps to intensify low-level ascent over the plains at 0200 LST. These human-induced changes in the diurnal variation of regional circulations are conducive to the increased moisture convergence at 2000 and 0200 LST over NCP. The nighttime proportion of precipitation accordingly exhibits an increasing trend over NCP, though the seasonal precipitation decreases because of the weakened monsoon background. These findings highlight that the diurnal cycle of regional circulations can express a strong dynamic response to the radiation effect of anthropogenic forcings and thus affect the long-term change in regional climate.
Abstract
Low-level jets (LLJs) are a key factor regulating the early-summer rainfall over southern China. Their detailed activities and impact are examined using 21-yr ERA5 and TRMM rainfall data. The LLJs typically consist of boundary layer jets (BLJs) and synoptic-system-related LLJs (SLLJs). The BLJ is usually characterized by a southerly wind maximum at 950 hPa over the northern area of South China Sea, whereas the SLLJ features a southwesterly wind maximum at 850–700 hPa located more north on land. Meanwhile, the BLJ (SLLJ) has a maximum occurrence in April–June (May–July) and at late night (in the early morning), indicating the differences in seasonal and diurnal variations. The two types of LLJs are found to influence the rainfall distribution via terrain effects, synoptic disturbances, and moisture transport. During the BLJ events, rainfall is mainly confined to the south side of the Nanling and Wuyi Mountains and Yun-Gui Plateau (south region), whereas during the SLLJ events rainfall occurs both in the coastal region and to the north of the mountains (north region). The difference is caused by the southerly BLJ that induces strong orographic lifting on the windward side of the mountains, while the elevated SLLJ can pass over the mountains driving an additional upward motion more north. Active synoptic disturbances accompanied by SLLJs are also favorable for the rainfall in the north region. The moisture transportation by LLJs is another important factor regulating rainfall distribution. Rainfall in the south (north) region is mainly attributed to the net moisture flux in the boundary layer (more elevated layers) due to the BLJ (SLLJ).
Abstract
Low-level jets (LLJs) are a key factor regulating the early-summer rainfall over southern China. Their detailed activities and impact are examined using 21-yr ERA5 and TRMM rainfall data. The LLJs typically consist of boundary layer jets (BLJs) and synoptic-system-related LLJs (SLLJs). The BLJ is usually characterized by a southerly wind maximum at 950 hPa over the northern area of South China Sea, whereas the SLLJ features a southwesterly wind maximum at 850–700 hPa located more north on land. Meanwhile, the BLJ (SLLJ) has a maximum occurrence in April–June (May–July) and at late night (in the early morning), indicating the differences in seasonal and diurnal variations. The two types of LLJs are found to influence the rainfall distribution via terrain effects, synoptic disturbances, and moisture transport. During the BLJ events, rainfall is mainly confined to the south side of the Nanling and Wuyi Mountains and Yun-Gui Plateau (south region), whereas during the SLLJ events rainfall occurs both in the coastal region and to the north of the mountains (north region). The difference is caused by the southerly BLJ that induces strong orographic lifting on the windward side of the mountains, while the elevated SLLJ can pass over the mountains driving an additional upward motion more north. Active synoptic disturbances accompanied by SLLJs are also favorable for the rainfall in the north region. The moisture transportation by LLJs is another important factor regulating rainfall distribution. Rainfall in the south (north) region is mainly attributed to the net moisture flux in the boundary layer (more elevated layers) due to the BLJ (SLLJ).
Abstract
A short-term hot event with a very high sea surface temperature (SST ≥ 30°C) occurred in the western Pacific warm pool during November 2006. The interactions between this ocean hot event, atmospheric convection, and large-scale dynamics are studied using satellite observations, buoy measurements, air–sea fluxes analysis, and global reanalysis. It is shown that SST variation and deep convection over the western Pacific behave like a remote response to the El Niño warm SST anomaly in the central Pacific that induces westward-moving atmospheric convection and equatorial waves. The large-scale subsidence associated with propagating convection not only promotes high SSTs in the western Pacific through establishing cloud-free conditions and increasing heat content in a thin ocean mixed layer, but also produces convective instability through capping substantial water vapor in the lower troposphere. Under the precondition of convective instability and the steering of tropical easterlies, some convective systems propagate coherently from the central to western Pacific and intensify. In particular, new cloud clusters are dynamically attracted to the warmest oceans with maximum atmospheric instability. The enhanced convective activity then transfers oceanic energy into the atmosphere, strengthens upper-ocean mixing, and returns the positive SST anomalies to more typical values. In such a coupled system, synoptic-scale convective activities at an interval of 5–8 days are selectively amplified and thus are filtered to an intraseasonal (20–30-day) oscillation, depending on the phase of the hot event over the western Pacific. The observed evidence has implications for the predictability of short-term climate, and it offers critical information for validating the coupled ocean–atmosphere dynamics in climate models.
Abstract
A short-term hot event with a very high sea surface temperature (SST ≥ 30°C) occurred in the western Pacific warm pool during November 2006. The interactions between this ocean hot event, atmospheric convection, and large-scale dynamics are studied using satellite observations, buoy measurements, air–sea fluxes analysis, and global reanalysis. It is shown that SST variation and deep convection over the western Pacific behave like a remote response to the El Niño warm SST anomaly in the central Pacific that induces westward-moving atmospheric convection and equatorial waves. The large-scale subsidence associated with propagating convection not only promotes high SSTs in the western Pacific through establishing cloud-free conditions and increasing heat content in a thin ocean mixed layer, but also produces convective instability through capping substantial water vapor in the lower troposphere. Under the precondition of convective instability and the steering of tropical easterlies, some convective systems propagate coherently from the central to western Pacific and intensify. In particular, new cloud clusters are dynamically attracted to the warmest oceans with maximum atmospheric instability. The enhanced convective activity then transfers oceanic energy into the atmosphere, strengthens upper-ocean mixing, and returns the positive SST anomalies to more typical values. In such a coupled system, synoptic-scale convective activities at an interval of 5–8 days are selectively amplified and thus are filtered to an intraseasonal (20–30-day) oscillation, depending on the phase of the hot event over the western Pacific. The observed evidence has implications for the predictability of short-term climate, and it offers critical information for validating the coupled ocean–atmosphere dynamics in climate models.
Abstract
Heavy rainfall occurred at both the inland frontal zone and coastal warm sector in southern China during 10–11 May 2014, which is a typical pattern in the early-summer rainy season. To clarify the key factors controlling the rainfall, we conduct an ensemble-based analysis using the operational global ensemble forecasts from ECMWF. The forecasts of frontal (warm sector) rainfall have a relatively small (large) spread and a small (large) bias of ensemble-mean amount, suggesting an obvious difference in the predictability. It is shown that double low-level jets (LLJs) in the southwesterly moist flow play a significant role in the heavy rainfall over southern China. The inland frontal rainband is closely related to the synoptic-system-related low-level jet (SLLJ) with maximum wind speed at 850–700 hPa, especially for its meridional wind component. The more intense cold front is accompanied by the stronger southwesterly SLLJ on the adjacent south side, favoring more precipitation near the front. The warm-sector heavy rainfall, a few hundred kilometers away from the front, is associated with the boundary layer jet (BLJ) at 925 hPa. The southerly BLJ occurs over the northern region of the South China Sea and reaches its maximum wind speed in the early morning. The variations of the BLJ are mainly induced by the surface low and related upper-level short-wave trough upstream. The large pressure gradient to the southeast of the surface low can accelerate the BLJ by increasing the geostrophic winds. The diurnal cycle of the low-level winds, seen in the climatology, also contributes in part to the development of the BLJ at night.
Abstract
Heavy rainfall occurred at both the inland frontal zone and coastal warm sector in southern China during 10–11 May 2014, which is a typical pattern in the early-summer rainy season. To clarify the key factors controlling the rainfall, we conduct an ensemble-based analysis using the operational global ensemble forecasts from ECMWF. The forecasts of frontal (warm sector) rainfall have a relatively small (large) spread and a small (large) bias of ensemble-mean amount, suggesting an obvious difference in the predictability. It is shown that double low-level jets (LLJs) in the southwesterly moist flow play a significant role in the heavy rainfall over southern China. The inland frontal rainband is closely related to the synoptic-system-related low-level jet (SLLJ) with maximum wind speed at 850–700 hPa, especially for its meridional wind component. The more intense cold front is accompanied by the stronger southwesterly SLLJ on the adjacent south side, favoring more precipitation near the front. The warm-sector heavy rainfall, a few hundred kilometers away from the front, is associated with the boundary layer jet (BLJ) at 925 hPa. The southerly BLJ occurs over the northern region of the South China Sea and reaches its maximum wind speed in the early morning. The variations of the BLJ are mainly induced by the surface low and related upper-level short-wave trough upstream. The large pressure gradient to the southeast of the surface low can accelerate the BLJ by increasing the geostrophic winds. The diurnal cycle of the low-level winds, seen in the climatology, also contributes in part to the development of the BLJ at night.
Abstract
Heavy rainfall that occurred at the south coast of China on 10–11 May 2014 was associated with a synoptic-system-related low-level jet (SLLJ) and a boundary layer jet (BLJ). To clarify the role of the double low-level jets in convection initiation (CI), we perform convective-permitting simulations using a nonhydrostatic mesoscale model. The simulations reproduce the occurrence location and mesoscale evolution of new convective cells as well as their small-scale wavelike structures at the elevated layers, which are generally consistent with radar observations despite some differences in their orientation. The nighttime BLJ over the northern South China Sea strengthens the convergence at ~950 hPa near the coast where the BLJ’s northern terminus reaches the coastal terrain. Meanwhile, the SLLJ to the south of the inland cold front provides divergence at ~700 hPa near the SLLJ’s entrance region. Such low-level convergence and midlevel divergence collectively produce strong mesoscale lifting for CI at the coast. In addition to the enhanced mesoscale lifting, the double low-level jets also provide favorable conditions for the superimposed small-scale disturbances that can serve as effective moistening mechanisms of the lower troposphere during CI. In a sensitivity experiment with coastal terrain removed, CI still occurs near the coast but is delayed and weaker compared to the control run. This latter experiment suggests that double low-level jets and their coupling indeed exert key effects on CI, while the BLJ colliding with terrain may enhance coastal convergence for amplifying CI. These findings provide new insights into the occurrence of coastal heavy rainfall in the warm sector far ahead of the fronts.
Abstract
Heavy rainfall that occurred at the south coast of China on 10–11 May 2014 was associated with a synoptic-system-related low-level jet (SLLJ) and a boundary layer jet (BLJ). To clarify the role of the double low-level jets in convection initiation (CI), we perform convective-permitting simulations using a nonhydrostatic mesoscale model. The simulations reproduce the occurrence location and mesoscale evolution of new convective cells as well as their small-scale wavelike structures at the elevated layers, which are generally consistent with radar observations despite some differences in their orientation. The nighttime BLJ over the northern South China Sea strengthens the convergence at ~950 hPa near the coast where the BLJ’s northern terminus reaches the coastal terrain. Meanwhile, the SLLJ to the south of the inland cold front provides divergence at ~700 hPa near the SLLJ’s entrance region. Such low-level convergence and midlevel divergence collectively produce strong mesoscale lifting for CI at the coast. In addition to the enhanced mesoscale lifting, the double low-level jets also provide favorable conditions for the superimposed small-scale disturbances that can serve as effective moistening mechanisms of the lower troposphere during CI. In a sensitivity experiment with coastal terrain removed, CI still occurs near the coast but is delayed and weaker compared to the control run. This latter experiment suggests that double low-level jets and their coupling indeed exert key effects on CI, while the BLJ colliding with terrain may enhance coastal convergence for amplifying CI. These findings provide new insights into the occurrence of coastal heavy rainfall in the warm sector far ahead of the fronts.
Abstract
A dataset of convection initiation (CI) is of great value in studying the triggering mechanisms of deep moist convection and evaluating the performances of numerical models. In recent years, the data quality of the operationally generated radar mosaics over China has been greatly improved, which provides an opportunity to retrieve a CI dataset from that region. In this work, an attempt is made to reveal the potential of applying a simple framework of objective CI detection for the study of CI climatology in China. The framework was tested using radar mosaic maps in South China that were accessible online. The identified CI events were validated in both direct and indirect ways. On the basis of a direct manual check, nearly all of the identified CI cells had an organized motion. The precipitation echoes of the cells had a median duration of approximately 2.5 h. The CI occurrences were further compared with rainfall estimates to ensure physical consistency. The diurnal cycle of CI occurrence exhibits three major modes: a late-night-to-morning peak at the windward coasts and offshore, a noon-to-late-afternoon peak on the coastal land, and an evening-to-early-morning peak over the northwestern highland. These spatial modes agree well with those of rainfall, indirectly suggesting the reliability of the CI statistics. By processing radar mosaic maps, such a framework could be applied for studying CI climatology over China and other regions.
Abstract
A dataset of convection initiation (CI) is of great value in studying the triggering mechanisms of deep moist convection and evaluating the performances of numerical models. In recent years, the data quality of the operationally generated radar mosaics over China has been greatly improved, which provides an opportunity to retrieve a CI dataset from that region. In this work, an attempt is made to reveal the potential of applying a simple framework of objective CI detection for the study of CI climatology in China. The framework was tested using radar mosaic maps in South China that were accessible online. The identified CI events were validated in both direct and indirect ways. On the basis of a direct manual check, nearly all of the identified CI cells had an organized motion. The precipitation echoes of the cells had a median duration of approximately 2.5 h. The CI occurrences were further compared with rainfall estimates to ensure physical consistency. The diurnal cycle of CI occurrence exhibits three major modes: a late-night-to-morning peak at the windward coasts and offshore, a noon-to-late-afternoon peak on the coastal land, and an evening-to-early-morning peak over the northwestern highland. These spatial modes agree well with those of rainfall, indirectly suggesting the reliability of the CI statistics. By processing radar mosaic maps, such a framework could be applied for studying CI climatology over China and other regions.
Abstract
This study revisits the long-term variabilities of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in 1958–2017 through examination of diurnal cycles. We group monsoon days into four dynamic quadrants (Q1 to Q4), with emphasis on the strong daily southerlies coupled with a large (Q1) or small (Q4) diurnal amplitude over Southeast China. The occurrence day of Q1 increases in June–July with the seasonal progress of the EASM. It is most pronounced in the 1960s to the 1970s and declines to the lowest in the 1980s to the 1990s, whereas the Q4 occurrence increases notably from the 1970s to the 1990s; both groups return to normal in recent years. The interdecadal decrease (increase) of Q1 (Q4) occurrence corresponds well to the known weakening of EASM in the twentieth century, and it also coincides with the rainfall anomalies over China shifting from a “north flooding and south drought” to a “north drought and south flooding” mode. The rainfall under Q1 (Q4) can account for ~60% of the interannual variance of summer rainfall in northern (southern) China. The contrasting effects of Q1 and Q4 on rainfall are due to their remarkably different regulation on water vapor transport and convergence. The interannual/interdecadal variations of Q1 (Q4) occurrence determine the anomalous water vapor transports to northern (southern) China, in association with the various expansion of the western Pacific subtropical high. In particular, Q1 conditions can greatly intensify nighttime moisture convergence, which is responsible for the long-term variations of rainfall in northern China. The results highlight that the diurnal cycles in monsoon flow act as a key regional process working with large-scale circulation to regulate the spatial distributions and long-term variabilities of EASM rainfall.
Abstract
This study revisits the long-term variabilities of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in 1958–2017 through examination of diurnal cycles. We group monsoon days into four dynamic quadrants (Q1 to Q4), with emphasis on the strong daily southerlies coupled with a large (Q1) or small (Q4) diurnal amplitude over Southeast China. The occurrence day of Q1 increases in June–July with the seasonal progress of the EASM. It is most pronounced in the 1960s to the 1970s and declines to the lowest in the 1980s to the 1990s, whereas the Q4 occurrence increases notably from the 1970s to the 1990s; both groups return to normal in recent years. The interdecadal decrease (increase) of Q1 (Q4) occurrence corresponds well to the known weakening of EASM in the twentieth century, and it also coincides with the rainfall anomalies over China shifting from a “north flooding and south drought” to a “north drought and south flooding” mode. The rainfall under Q1 (Q4) can account for ~60% of the interannual variance of summer rainfall in northern (southern) China. The contrasting effects of Q1 and Q4 on rainfall are due to their remarkably different regulation on water vapor transport and convergence. The interannual/interdecadal variations of Q1 (Q4) occurrence determine the anomalous water vapor transports to northern (southern) China, in association with the various expansion of the western Pacific subtropical high. In particular, Q1 conditions can greatly intensify nighttime moisture convergence, which is responsible for the long-term variations of rainfall in northern China. The results highlight that the diurnal cycles in monsoon flow act as a key regional process working with large-scale circulation to regulate the spatial distributions and long-term variabilities of EASM rainfall.
Abstract
Intraseasonal and diurnal variations are two basic periodic oscillations in global/regional climate and weather. To investigate their joint impacts over East Asia, this paper categorizes the boreal-summer intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) in 1998–2019 into two groups with different diurnal cycles. It is shown that the active ISOs with large diurnal cycles are featured by a northwestward-moving anomalous anticyclone with strong southerlies at the western flank. These ISOs have in-phase patterns of geopotential height anomaly between low and middle latitudes over East Asia, associated with the simultaneous expansions of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) and South Asian High (SAH). They couple with the anomalous ABL heating by daytime solar radiation over East Asia, which acts to enhance monsoon southerlies at midnight. The nocturnally-strengthened southerlies facilitate dynamic lifting, moisture transport and convective instability for producing midnight-morning rainfall at their northern terminus, thereby yielding a remarkable northward propagation of the monsoon rain belt. In contrast, the other ISOs with small diurnal cycles are related to a westward-moving anomalous anticyclone, while the WPSH and SAH have relatively small expansions and the westerly trough is active at middle latitudes. They lead to the dipole patterns of geopotential height anomaly and weak ABL heating over East Asia. The daily-mean southerlies and moisture conditions as well as their nocturnal enhancements are relatively weak, and thus the northward shift of monsoon rain belt is less pronounced. These results highlight that the large-scale conditions of ISOs can be distinguished by their different couplings with regional-scale diurnal forcings, which help the understanding and prediction of multiscale rainfall activities.
Abstract
Intraseasonal and diurnal variations are two basic periodic oscillations in global/regional climate and weather. To investigate their joint impacts over East Asia, this paper categorizes the boreal-summer intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) in 1998–2019 into two groups with different diurnal cycles. It is shown that the active ISOs with large diurnal cycles are featured by a northwestward-moving anomalous anticyclone with strong southerlies at the western flank. These ISOs have in-phase patterns of geopotential height anomaly between low and middle latitudes over East Asia, associated with the simultaneous expansions of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) and South Asian High (SAH). They couple with the anomalous ABL heating by daytime solar radiation over East Asia, which acts to enhance monsoon southerlies at midnight. The nocturnally-strengthened southerlies facilitate dynamic lifting, moisture transport and convective instability for producing midnight-morning rainfall at their northern terminus, thereby yielding a remarkable northward propagation of the monsoon rain belt. In contrast, the other ISOs with small diurnal cycles are related to a westward-moving anomalous anticyclone, while the WPSH and SAH have relatively small expansions and the westerly trough is active at middle latitudes. They lead to the dipole patterns of geopotential height anomaly and weak ABL heating over East Asia. The daily-mean southerlies and moisture conditions as well as their nocturnal enhancements are relatively weak, and thus the northward shift of monsoon rain belt is less pronounced. These results highlight that the large-scale conditions of ISOs can be distinguished by their different couplings with regional-scale diurnal forcings, which help the understanding and prediction of multiscale rainfall activities.
