scholarly journals Studies of the seasonal prediction of heavy late spring rainfall over southeastern China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouwen Zhang ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Hua Jiang ◽  
Wentao Ma

AbstractThe late spring rainfall may account for 15% of the annual total rainfall, which is crucial to early planting in southeastern China. A better understanding of the precipitation variations in the late spring and its predictability not only greatly increase our knowledge of related mechanisms, but it also benefits society and the economy. Four models participating in the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) were selected to study their abilities to forecast the late spring rainfall over southeastern China and the major sources of heavy rainfall from the perspective of the sea surface temperature (SST) field. We found that the models have better abilities to forecast the heavy rainfall over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River region (MLYZR) with only a 1-month lead time, but they failed for a 3-month lead time since the occurrence of the heavy rainfall was inconsistent with the observations. The observations indicate that the warm SST anomalies in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean are vital to the simultaneously heavy rainfall in the MLYZR in May, but an El Niño event is not a necessary condition for determining the heavy rainfall over the MLYZR. The heavy rainfall over the MLYZR in May is always accompanied by warming of the northeastern Indian Ocean and of the northeastern South China Sea (NSCS) from April to May in the models and observations, respectively. In the models, El Niño events may promote the warming processes over the northeastern Indian Ocean, which leads to heavy rainfall in the MLYZR. However, in the real world, El Niño events are not the main reason for the warming of the NSCS, and further research on the causes of this warming is still needed.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouwen Zhang ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Hua Jiang ◽  
Wentao Ma

Abstract The late spring rainfall may account for 15% of the annual total rainfall, which is crucial to early planting in southeastern China. A better understanding of the precipitation variations in the late spring and its predictability not only greatly increase our knowledge of related mechanisms, but it also benefits society and the economy. Four of the current models participating in the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) were selected to study their abilities to forecast the late spring rainfall over China and the major sources of this heavy rainfall from the perspective of the sea surface temperature (SST) field. We found that the models have better abilities to forecast the heavy rainfall over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River region (MLYZR) with only a 1-month lead time, but they failed for a 3-month lead time since the occurrence of the heavy rainfall was inconsistent with the observations. The observations indicate that the warm SST anomalies in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean are vital to the simultaneously heavy rainfall in the MLYZR in May, but an El Niño event is not a necessary condition for determining the heavy rainfall over the MLYZR. The heavy rainfall over the MLYZR in May is always accompanied by warming of the northeastern Indian Ocean and of the northeastern South China Sea (NSCS) from April to May in the models and observations, respectively. In the models, El Niño events may promote the warming processes over the northeastern Indian Ocean, which leads to heavy rainfall in the MLYZR. However, in the real world, El Niño events are not the main reason for the warming of the NSCS, and further research on the causes of this warming is still needed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 2359-2372
Author(s):  
Gengxin Chen ◽  
Dongxiao Wang ◽  
Weiqing Han ◽  
Ming Feng ◽  
Fan Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractIn the eastern tropical Indian Ocean, intraseasonal variability (ISV) affects the regional oceanography and marine ecosystems. Mooring and satellite observations documented two periods of unusually weak ISV during the past two decades, associated with suppressed baroclinic instability of the South Equatorial Current. Regression analysis and model simulations suggest that the exceptionally weak ISVs were caused primarily by the extreme El Niño events and modulated to a lesser extent by the Indian Ocean dipole. Additional observations confirm that the circulation balance in the Indo-Pacific Ocean was disrupted during the extreme El Niño events, impacting the Indonesian Throughflow Indian Ocean dynamics. This research provides substantial evidence for large-scale modes modulating ISV and the abnormal Indo-Pacific dynamical connection during extreme climate modes.


2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 2895-2916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Song ◽  
Gabriel A. Vecchi ◽  
Anthony J. Rosati

Abstract The interannual variability of the Indian Ocean, with particular focus on the Indian Ocean dipole/zonal mode (IODZM), is investigated in a 250-yr simulation of the GFDL coupled global general circulation model (CGCM). The CGCM successfully reproduces many fundamental characteristics of the climate system of the Indian Ocean. The character of the IODZM is explored, as are relationships between positive IODZM and El Niño events, through a composite analysis. The IODZM events in the CGCM grow through feedbacks between heat-content anomalies and SST-related atmospheric anomalies, particularly in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean. The composite IODZM events that co-occur with El Niño have stronger anomalies and a sharper east–west SSTA contrast than those that occur without El Niño. IODZM events, whether or not they occur with El Niño, are preceded by distinctive Indo-Pacific warm pool anomaly patterns in boreal spring: in the central Indian Ocean easterly surface winds, and in the western equatorial Pacific an eastward shift of deep convection, westerly surface winds, and warm sea surface temperature. However, delayed onsets of the anomaly patterns (e.g., boreal summer) are often not followed by IODZM events. The same anomaly patterns often precede El Niño, suggesting that the warm pool conditions favorable for both IODZM and El Niño are similar. Given that IODZM events can occur without El Niño, it is proposed that the observed IODZM–El Niño relation arises because the IODZM and El Niño are both large-scale phenomena in which variations of the Indo-Pacific warm pool deep convection plays a central role. Yet each phenomenon has its own dynamics and life cycle, allowing each to develop without the other. The CGCM integration also shows substantial decadal modulation of the occurrence of IODZM events, which is found to be not in phase with that of El Niño events. There is a weak, though significant, negative correlation between the two. Moreover, the statistical relationship between the IODZM and El Niño displays strong decadal variability.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khairul Amri ◽  
Ali Suman ◽  
Hari Eko Irianto ◽  
Wudianto Wudianto

The effects of Indian Ocean Dipole Mode and El Niño–Southern Oscillation events on catches of YellowfinTuna (<em>Thunnus albacares</em>) in the Eastern Indian Ocean (EIO) off Java were evaluated through the use of remotely sensed environmental data (sea surface temperature/SST and chlorophyll-a concentration/SSC) and Yellowfin Tuna catch data. Analyses were conducted for the period of 2003–2012, which included the strong positive dipole mode event in association with weak El-Nino 2006.Yellowfin Tuna catch data were taken from Palabuhanratu landing place and remotely sensed environmental data were taken from MODIS-Aqua sensor.The result showed that regional climate anomaly Indian Ocean Dipole Mode influenced Yellowfin Tuna catch and its composition. The catches per unit effort (CPUE) of Thunnus alabacares in the strong positive dipole mode event in 2006 and weak El-Nino events in 2011 and 2012 was higher. The increase patern of CPUE followed the upwelling process, started from May-June achieved the peak between September-October.Very high increase in CPUE when strong positive dipole mode event (2006) and a weak El-Nino events (2011 and 2012) had a relation with the increase in the distribution of chlorophyll-a indicating an increase in the abundance of phytoplankton (primary productivity) due to upwelling. In contrast, yellowfin tuna CPUE is very low at the La-Nina event (2005), though as the dominant catch when compared to others.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 1397-1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pang-Chi Hsu ◽  
Ting Xiao

Abstract The influences of different types of Pacific warming, often classified as the eastern Pacific (EP) and central Pacific (CP) El Niño events, on Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) activity over the Indian Ocean were investigated. Accompanied by relatively unstable (stable) atmospheric stratification induced by enhanced (reduced) moisture and moist static energy (MSE) in the lower troposphere, strengthened (weakened) MJO convection was observed in the initiation and eastward-propagation stages during CP (EP) El Niño events. To examine the key processes resulting in the differences in low-level moistening and column MSE anomalies over the Indian Ocean associated with the two types of El Niño, the moisture and column MSE budget equations were diagnosed using the reanalysis dataset ERA-Interim. The results indicate that the enhanced horizontal advection in the CP El Niño years plays an important role in causing a larger moisture and MSE growth rate over the MJO initiation area during CP El Niño events than during EP El Niño events. The increases in horizontal moisture and MSE advection primarily result from advection by mean flow across the enhanced intraseasonal moisture and MSE gradient, as well as by intraseasonal circulation across the mean moisture and MSE gradient associated with the CP El Niño. In the eastward development stage, the enhanced preconditioning comes from positive moisture and MSE advection anomalies in the CP El Niño events. Meanwhile, the strengthened MJO-related convection over the central-eastern Indian Ocean is maintained by increased atmospheric radiative heating and surface latent heat flux during the CP El Niño compared to the EP El Niño events.


2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 8177-8195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruiqiang Ding ◽  
Jianping Li

Abstract This study confirms a weak spring persistence barrier (SPB) of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the western tropical Indian Ocean (WIO), a strong fall persistence barrier (FPB) in the South China Sea (SCS), and the strongest winter persistence barrier (WPB) in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean (SEIO). During El Niño events, a less abrupt sign reversal of SSTAs occurs in the WIO during spring, an abrupt reversal occurs in the SCS during fall, and the most abrupt reversal occurs in the SEIO during winter. The sign reversal of SSTA implies a rapid decrease in SSTA persistence, which is favorable for the occurrence of a persistence barrier. The present results indicate that a more abrupt reversal of SSTA sign generally corresponds to a more prominent persistence barrier. El Niño–induced changes in atmospheric circulation result in reduced evaporation and suppressed convection. This in turn leads to the warming over much of the TIO basin, which is an important mechanism for the abrupt switch in SSTA, from negative to positive, in the northern SCS and SEIO. The seasonal cycle of the prevailing surface winds has a strong influence on the timing of the persistence barriers in the TIO. The Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) alone can cause a weak WPB in the SEIO. El Niño events co-occurring with positive IOD further strengthen the SEIO WPB. The SEIO WPB appears to be more strongly influenced by ENSO than by the IOD. In contrast, the WIO SPB and the SCS FPB are relatively independent of the IOD.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 43-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bendix ◽  
J. Bendix

Abstract. To date very little is known about the relation between regional circulation patterns and sea surface temperature development in the Niño 1,2 region and the occurrence of heavy precipitation in Ecuador and northern Peru. The current study uses a comprehensive data set of 2544 Meteosat-3 imagery to investigate the dynamics of heavy precipitation during El Niño in 1991/92. Rainfall maps are retrieved by means of an adjusted version of the Convective Stratiform Technique (CST) and Cloud Motion Winds (CMW) are extracted from image sequences by using a special cross-correlation approach. A spatial factor analysis is applied to extract specific weather situations with heavy precipitation during El Niño events. The factor analysis yielded 16 factors. It has been proven that the factor patterns with the highest variance explanation also occur during the rainy season of non-El Niño years. However, 6 El Niño-specific situations could be derived which cause heavy rainfall, especially in coastal Ecuador and northern Peru. Multi-channel Sea Surface Temperatures (MCSST) and cloud motion winds are used to describe atmospheric and oceanic dynamics for these specific weather situations. The analysis shows that high SSTs in combination with strong SST gradients off the coast and warm SST bubbles lead to regional differences in moist instability and heavy rainfall. Both large scale circulation (reversal of the Walker cell) and regional dynamics (extended land-sea-breeze system) have been proven to contribute to El Niño rainfall.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 1547-1573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Zhang ◽  
Weiqing Han

AbstractThis paper investigates interannual variability of the tropical Indian Ocean (IO) upwelling through analyzing satellite and in situ observations from 1993 to 2016 using the conventional Static Linear Regression Model (SLM) and Bayesian Dynamical Linear Model (DLM), and performing experiments using a linear ocean model. The analysis also extends back to 1979, using ocean–atmosphere reanalysis datasets. Strong interannual variability is observed over the mean upwelling zone of the Seychelles–Chagos thermocline ridge (SCTR) and in the seasonal upwelling area of the eastern tropical IO (EIO), with enhanced EIO upwelling accompanying weakened SCTR upwelling. Surface winds associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the IO dipole (IOD) are the major drivers of upwelling variability. ENSO is more important than the IOD over the SCTR region, but they play comparable roles in the EIO. Upwelling anomalies generally intensify when positive IODs co-occur with El Niño events. For the 1979–2016 period, eastern Pacific (EP) El Niños overall have stronger impacts than central Pacific (CP) and the 2015/16 hybrid El Niño events, because EP El Niños are associated with stronger convection and surface wind anomalies over the IO; however, this relationship might change for a different interdecadal period. Rossby wave propagation has a strong impact on upwelling in the western basin, which causes errors in the SLM and DLM because neither can properly capture wave propagation. Remote forcing by equatorial winds is crucial for the EIO upwelling. While the first two baroclinic modes capture over 80%–90% of the upwelling variability, intermediate modes (3–8) are needed to fully represent IO upwelling.


2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2817-2831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Cash ◽  
Xavier Rodó ◽  
James L. Kinter ◽  
Md Yunus

Abstract Recent studies arising from both statistical analysis and dynamical disease models indicate that there is a link between the incidence of cholera, a paradigmatic waterborne bacterial illness endemic to Bangladesh, and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Cholera incidence typically increases following boreal winter El Niño events for the period 1973–2001. Observational and model analyses find that Bangladesh summer rainfall is enhanced following winter El Niño events, providing a plausible physical link between El Niño and cholera incidence. However, rainfall and cholera incidence do not increase following every winter El Niño event. Substantial variations in Bangladesh precipitation also occur in simulations in which identical sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies are prescribed in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Bangladesh summer precipitation is thus not uniquely determined by forcing from the tropical Pacific, with significant implications for predictions of cholera risk. Nonparametric statistical analysis is used to identify regions of SST anomalies associated with variations in Bangladesh rainfall in an ensemble of pacemaker simulations. The authors find that differences in the response of Bangladesh summer precipitation to winter El Niño events are strongly associated with the persistence of warm SST anomalies in the central Pacific. Also there are significant differences in the SST patterns associated with positive and negative Bangladesh rainfall anomalies, indicating that the response is not fully linear. SST anomalies in the Indian Ocean also modulate the influence of the tropical Pacific, with colder Indian Ocean SST tending to enhance Bangladesh precipitation relative to warm Indian Ocean SST for identical conditions in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. This influence is not fully linear. Forecasts of Bangladesh rainfall and cholera risk may thus be improved by considering the Niño-3 and Niño-4 indices separately, rather than the Niño-3.4 index alone. Additional skill may also be gained by incorporating information on the southeast Indian Ocean and by updating the forecast with information on the evolution of the SST anomalies into spring.


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