Is There a Relationship between the SAM and Southwest Western Australian Winter Rainfall?

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (22) ◽  
pp. 6082-6089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Feng ◽  
Jianping Li ◽  
Yun Li
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Inverse Relationship ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Annular Mode ◽  
Apparent Relationship ◽  
Circulation Anomalies ◽  
Western Australian

Abstract Previous studies have raised the possibility that the recent decline in winter rainfall over southwest Western Australia (SWWA) is related to the concurrent upward trend in the southern annular mode (SAM). On the basis of an analysis of 60-yr (1948–2007) reanalysis and observed data, the authors suggest that the apparent inverse relationship between the SAM and SWWA winter rainfall (SWR) is caused by a single extreme year—1964. It is shown that both the negative and positive phases of the SAM have little impact on SWR in the case that data for 1964 are excluded from the analysis. In addition, for periods prior to and after 1964 in the case that data for 1964 are excluded, the apparent relationship between the SAM and SWR becomes insignificant, and the circulation anomalies with respect to SWR appear to be an SAM-like pattern for which the anomalies at high latitudes are not significant. The result indicates that the SAM does not significantly influence the winter rainfall over SWWA. Instead, the variation of SWR would be more closely linked to the variability in regional circulations.

scholarly journals Upper tropospheric water vapour variability at high latitudes – Part 1: Influence of the annular modes

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (16) ◽  
pp. 22291-22329 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Sioris ◽  
J. Zou ◽  
D. A. Plummer ◽  
C. D. Boone ◽  
C. T. McElroy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Annular Mode ◽  
Annular Modes

Abstract. Seasonal and monthly zonal medians of water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) are calculated for both Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) instruments for the northern and southern high-latitude regions (60–90 and 60–90° S). Chosen for the purpose of observing high-latitude processes, the ACE orbit provides sampling of both regions in eight of 12 months of the year, with coverage in all seasons. The ACE water vapour sensors, namely MAESTRO (Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation) and the Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) are currently the only satellite instruments that can probe from the lower stratosphere down to the mid-troposphere to study the vertical profile of the response of UTLS water vapour to the annular modes. The Arctic oscillation (AO), also known as the northern annular mode (NAM), explains 64 % (r = −0.80) of the monthly variability in water vapour at northern high-latitudes observed by ACE-MAESTRO between 5 and 7 km using only winter months (January to March 2004–2013). Using a seasonal timestep and all seasons, 45 % of the variability is explained by the AO at 6.5 ± 0.5 km, similar to the 46 % value obtained for southern high latitudes at 7.5 ± 0.5 km explained by the Antarctic oscillation or southern annular mode (SAM). A large negative AO event in March 2013 produced the largest relative water vapour anomaly at 5.5 km (+70 %) over the ACE record. A similarly large event in the 2010 boreal winter, which was the largest negative AO event in the record (1950–2015), led to > 50 % increases in water vapour observed by MAESTRO and ACE-FTS at 7.5 km.

A Monsoon-Like Southwest Australian Circulation and Its Relation with Rainfall in Southwest Western Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1334-1353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Feng ◽  
Jianping Li ◽  
Yun Li
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Enso Modoki ◽  
Distinct Features

Abstract Using the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis, the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40), and precipitation data from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the variability and circulation features influencing southwest Western Australia (SWWA) winter rainfall are investigated. It is found that the climate of southwest Australia bears a strong seasonality in the annual cycle and exhibits a monsoon-like atmospheric circulation, which is called the southwest Australian circulation (SWAC) because of its several distinct features characterizing a monsoonal circulation: the seasonal reversal of winds, alternate wet and dry seasons, and an evident land–sea thermal contrast. The seasonal march of the SWAC in extended winter (May–October) is demonstrated by pentad data. An index based on the dynamics’ normalized seasonality was introduced to describe the behavior and variation of the winter SWAC. It is found that the winter rainfall over SWWA has a significant positive correlation with the SWAC index in both early (May–July) and late (August–October) winter. In weaker winter SWAC years, there is an anticyclonic anomaly over the southern Indian Ocean resulting in weaker westerlies and northerlies, which are not favorable for more rainfall over SWWA, and the opposite combination is true in the stronger winter SWAC years. The SWAC explains not only a large portion of the interannual variability of SWWA rainfall in both early and late winter but also the long-term drying trend over SWWA in early winter. The well-coupled SWAC–SWWA rainfall relationship seems to be largely independent of the well-known effects of large-scale atmospheric circulations such as the southern annular mode (SAM), El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean dipole (IOD), and ENSO Modoki (EM). The result offers qualified support for the argument that the monsoon-like circulation may contribute to the rainfall decline in early winter over SWWA. The external forcing of the SWAC is also explored in this study.

scholarly journals Rainfall Changes over Southwestern Australia and Their Relationship to the Southern Annular Mode and ENSO

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (15) ◽  
pp. 5801-5814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhupendra A. Raut ◽  
Christian Jakob ◽  
Michael J. Reeder
Keyword(s):  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Annular Mode ◽  
Southwestern Australia ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Rainfall Patterns

Abstract Since the 1970s, winter rainfall over coastal southwestern Australia (SWA) has decreased by 10%–20%, while summer rainfall has been increased by 40%–50% in the semiarid inland area. In this paper, a K-means algorithm is used to cluster rainfall patterns directly as opposed to the more conventional approach of clustering synoptic conditions (usually the mean sea level pressure) and inferring the associated rainfall. It is shown that the reduction in the coastal rainfall during winter is mainly due to fewer westerly fronts in June and July. The reduction in the frequency of strong fronts in June is responsible for half of the decreased rainfall in June–August (JJA), whereas the reduction in the frequency of weaker fronts in June and July accounts for a third of the total decrease. The increase in rainfall inland in December–February (DJF) is due to an increased frequency of easterly troughs in December and February. These rainfall patterns are linked to the southern annular mode (SAM) index and Southern Oscillation index (SOI). The reduction in coastal rainfall and the increase in rainfall inland are both related to the predominantly positive phase of SAM, especially when the phase of ENSO is neutral.

Seasonal prediction of the austral summer Southern Annular Mode, and investigation of its connection to the Southern Ocean

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Hempel ◽  
André Düsterhus ◽  
Johanna Baehr
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Seasonal Prediction ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
Skill Score ◽  
Prediction Skill ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Max Planck ◽  
Annular Mode ◽  
Atmospheric Variables

<div>The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) modulates the eddy-driven-westerly jet in the southern mid- to high-latitudes. This modulation has major impacts on the seasonal climate in the southern hemisphere. Thus, a seasonal prediction of the SAM is desirable. Still, only few studies show a significant prediction skill on this timescale. In this contribution the prediction skill of the SAM is improved by using its physical links to the Southern Ocean.</div><div>We use the seasonal prediction system based on the Max-Planck-Institute Earth-System-Model (MPI-ESM) in mixed resolution (MR). In ensemble reforecasts for 1982 to 2016 we find large regions of the surface ocean in the southern mid- to high-latitudes to be significantly predictable on seasonal timescales. In contrast, the atmospheric variables in the same regions show only very little skill. In the austral summer season (December-January-February (DJF)) different ensemble members evolve considerably different in the ocean and the atmosphere. With physical links between the Southern Ocean and the SAM, identified in ERA-Interim, we only select ensemble members that also show these links. This process is repeated every year and leads to a new time series with a reduced number of ensemble members. To evaluate the prediction skill of the new ensemble mean SAM we use the correlation coefficient and the Heidke Skill Score (HSS). The reduced ensemble has a correlation with ERA of 0.50, while the full ensemble shows a correlation of 0.31. Similarly the reduced ensemble has a HSS of 0.35 compared to the HSS of the full ensemble of 0.17.</div><div>We additionally show that choosing the same ensemble members we selected for the SAM also increases the prediction skill for other atmospheric variables. The reduced ensemble has an increased prediction skill for pressure, wind, and temperature in the southern mid- to high-latitudes, to which the selection is targeted.</div>

Factors that contribute to urban–rural gradients in risk of schizophrenia: Comparing Danish and Western Australian registers

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110096
Author(s):  
Oleguer Plana-Ripoll ◽  
Patsy Di Prinzio ◽  
John J McGrath ◽  
Preben B Mortensen ◽  
Vera A Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Hazard Ratio ◽  
Indigenous Status ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Western Australian

Introduction: An association between schizophrenia and urbanicity has long been observed, with studies in many countries, including several from Denmark, reporting that individuals born/raised in densely populated urban settings have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia compared to those born/raised in rural settings. However, these findings have not been replicated in all studies. In particular, a Western Australian study showed a gradient in the opposite direction which disappeared after adjustment for covariates. Given the different findings for Denmark and Western Australia, our aim was to investigate the relationship between schizophrenia and urbanicity in these two regions to determine which factors may be influencing the relationship. Methods: We used population-based cohorts of children born alive between 1980 and 2001 in Western Australia ( N = 428,784) and Denmark ( N = 1,357,874). Children were categorised according to the level of urbanicity of their mother’s residence at time of birth and followed-up through to 30 June 2015. Linkage to State-based registers provided information on schizophrenia diagnosis and a range of covariates. Rates of being diagnosed with schizophrenia for each category of urbanicity were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for covariates. Results: During follow-up, 1618 (0.4%) children in Western Australia and 11,875 (0.9%) children in Denmark were diagnosed with schizophrenia. In Western Australia, those born in the most remote areas did not experience lower rates of schizophrenia than those born in the most urban areas (hazard ratio = 1.02 [95% confidence interval: 0.81, 1.29]), unlike their Danish counterparts (hazard ratio = 0.62 [95% confidence interval: 0.58, 0.66]). However, when the Western Australian cohort was restricted to children of non-Aboriginal Indigenous status, results were consistent with Danish findings (hazard ratio = 0.46 [95% confidence interval: 0.29, 0.72]). Discussion: Our study highlights the potential for disadvantaged subgroups to mask the contribution of urban-related risk factors to risk of schizophrenia and the importance of stratified analysis in such cases.

The Impact of ENSO on Wave Breaking and Southern Annular Mode Events

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 2854-2870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Gong ◽  
Steven B. Feldstein ◽  
Dehai Luo
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
Wave Breaking ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Background Flow ◽  
Austral Spring ◽  
Annular Mode ◽  
La Nina ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study examines the relationship between intraseasonal southern annular mode (SAM) events and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) using daily 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) data. The data coverage spans the years 1979–2002, for the austral spring and summer seasons. The focus of this study is on the question of why positive SAM events dominate during La Niña and negative SAM events during El Niño. A composite analysis is performed on the zonal-mean zonal wind, Eliassen–Palm fluxes, and two diagnostic variables: the meridional potential vorticity gradient, a zonal-mean quantity that is used to estimate the likelihood of wave breaking, and the wave breaking index (WBI), which is used to evaluate the strength of the wave breaking. The results of this investigation suggest that the background zonal-mean flow associated with La Niña (El Niño) is preconditioned for strong (weak) anticyclonic wave breaking on the equatorward side of the eddy-driven jet, the type of wave breaking that is found to drive positive (negative) SAM events. A probability density function analysis of the WBI, for both La Niña and El Niño, indicates that strong anticyclonic wave breaking takes place much more frequently during La Niña and weak anticyclonic wave breaking during El Niño. It is suggested that these wave breaking characteristics, and their dependency on the background flow, can explain the strong preference for SAM events of one phase during ENSO. The analysis also shows that austral spring SAM events that coincide with ENSO are preceded by strong stratospheric SAM anomalies and then are followed by a prolonged period of wave breaking that lasts for approximately 30 days. These findings suggest that the ENSO background flow also plays a role in the excitation of stratospheric SAM anomalies and that the presence of these stratospheric SAM anomalies in turn excites and then maintains the tropospheric SAM anomalies via a positive eddy feedback.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document