Relationship between Warm Airmass Transport into the Upper Polar Atmosphere and Cold Air Outbreaks in Winter

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 349-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yueyue Yu ◽  
Ming Cai ◽  
Rongcai Ren ◽  
Huug M. van den Dool
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Polar Region ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
The Other ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Mass Circulation ◽  
Air Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Cold Air Outbreaks

Abstract This study investigates dominant patterns of daily surface air temperature anomalies in winter (November–February) and their relationship with the meridional mass circulation variability using the daily Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis in 1979–2011. Mass circulation indices are constructed to measure the day-to-day variability of mass transport into the polar region by the warm air branch aloft and out of the polar region by the cold air branch in the lower troposphere. It is shown that weaker warm airmass transport into the upper polar atmosphere is accompanied by weaker equatorward advancement of cold air in the lower troposphere. As a result, the cold air is largely imprisoned within the polar region, responsible for anomalous warmth in midlatitudes and anomalous cold in high latitudes. Conversely, stronger warm airmass transport into the upper polar atmosphere is synchronized with stronger equatorward discharge of cold polar air in the lower troposphere, resulting in massive cold air outbreaks in midlatitudes and anomalous warmth in high latitudes. There are two dominant geographical patterns of cold air outbreaks during the cold air discharge period (or 1–10 days after a stronger mass circulation across 60°N). One represents cold air outbreaks in midlatitudes of both North America and Eurasia, and the other is the dominance of cold air outbreaks only over one of the two continents with abnormal warmth over the other continent. The first pattern mainly corresponds to the first and fourth leading empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of daily surface air temperature anomalies in winter, whereas the second pattern is related to the second EOF mode.

scholarly journals Eurasian Cold Air Outbreaks under Different Arctic Stratospheric Polar Vortex Strengths

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 1245-1264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinlong Huang ◽  
Wenshou Tian
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Northern Eurasia ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Cold Air Outbreaks

Abstract This study analyzes the differences and similarities of Eurasian cold air outbreaks (CAOs) under the weak (CAOW), strong (CAOS), and neutral (CAON) stratospheric polar vortex states and examines the potential links between the polar vortex and Eurasian CAOs. The results indicate that the colder surface air temperature (SAT) over Europe in the earlier stages of CAOW events is likely because the amplitude of the preexisting negative North Atlantic Oscillation pattern is larger in CAOW events than in CAON and CAOS events. Marked by the considerably negative stratospheric Arctic Oscillation signals entering the troposphere, the SAT at midlatitudes over eastern Eurasia in CAOW events is colder than in CAON events. A larger diabatic heating rate related to a positive sensible heat flux anomaly in CAOW events likely offsets, to some degree, the cooling effect caused by the stronger cold advection and makes the differences in area-averaged SAT anomalies over northern Eurasia between the CAOW and CAON events look insignificant in most stages. Massive anomalous waves from the low-latitude western Pacific merge over northeastern Eurasia, then weaken the westerly wind over this region to create favorable conditions for southward advection of cold air masses in the earlier stages of all three types of CAOs. This study further analyzes the interannual relationship between the stratospheric polar vortex strength and the intensity of Eurasian CAOs and finds that climate models participating in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) relative to the reanalysis dataset tend to underestimate the correlation between them. The relationship between them is strengthening under representative concentration pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5) and 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenarios over the period 2006–60. In addition, the intensity of Eurasian CAOs exhibits a decreasing trend in the past and in the future.

Interannual variability of surface air temperature over mid-high latitudes of Eurasia during boreal autumn

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 1805-1821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shangfeng Chen ◽  
Renguang Wu ◽  
Linye Song ◽  
Wen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
High Latitudes

scholarly journals Projected Changes in Daily Variability and Seasonal Cycle of Near-Surface Air Temperature over the Globe during the Twenty-First Century

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (24) ◽  
pp. 8537-8561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiao Chen ◽  
Aiguo Dai ◽  
Yaocun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
First Century ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
Twenty First Century

Abstract Increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases will not only raise Earth’s temperature but may also change its variability and seasonal cycle. Here CMIP5 model data are analyzed to quantify these changes in surface air temperature (Tas) and investigate the underlying processes. The models capture well the mean Tas seasonal cycle and variability and their changes in reanalysis, which shows decreasing Tas seasonal amplitudes and variability over the Arctic and Southern Ocean from 1979 to 2017. Daily Tas variability and seasonal amplitude are projected to decrease in the twenty-first century at high latitudes (except for boreal summer when Tas variability increases) but increase at low latitudes. The day of the maximum or minimum Tas shows large delays over high-latitude oceans, while it changes little at low latitudes. These Tas changes at high latitudes are linked to the polar amplification of warming and sea ice loss, which cause larger warming in winter than summer due to extra heating from the ocean during the cold season. Reduced sea ice cover also decreases its ability to cause Tas variations, contributing to the decreased Tas variability at high latitudes. Over low–midlatitude oceans, larger increases in surface evaporation in winter than summer (due to strong winter winds, strengthened winter winds in the Southern Hemisphere, and increased winter surface humidity gradients over the Northern Hemisphere low latitudes), coupled with strong ocean mixing in winter, lead to smaller surface warming in winter than summer and thus increased seasonal amplitudes there. These changes result in narrower (wider) Tas distributions over the high (low) latitudes, which may have important implications for other related fields.

40-years of Saharan dust events in the Carpathian Basin: background, frequency, intensity, changing patterns

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
György Varga ◽  
Nadia Gammoudi ◽  
János Kovács
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Carpathian Basin ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Deposition ◽  
Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Modis Aod ◽  
Dust Events ◽  
Air Temperature Anomalies

<p>Saharan dust events were investigated in the Carpathian Basin (Central Europe) for the period between 1979 and 2018 by using various satellite (TOMS and OMI Aerosol Index; MODIS AOD) and numerical forecast (Barcelona Supercomputing Centre’s DREAM, NMMB/BSC-Dust-model and SKIRON) products and modelled deposition of NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2. The identified 218 episodes were classified into three characteristic clusters based on synoptic background. 700 hPa geopotential height, wind vectors and meridional flow patterns, as well as backward trajectories of the episodes determined the classification.</p><p>Interannual variability of dust activity was remarkable, while seasonal frequencies of the episodes revealed clear spatiotemporal patterns with spring (40.2%) and summer (31.6%) maxima of the events. Mean values of dust deposition showed springtime maxima (44.1%) and dominance of wet deposition (77-93%), while amount of deposited dust material in the other seasons were quite similar, indicating the governing role of local weather conditions (e.g., precipitation patterns). Average warm advection of the episodes was 3.5°C (with spring minima, due to the more rain), but the decadal surface air temperature anomalies showed a general increasing trend.</p><p>Recently, a few more intense wintertime dust deposition events indicated changes in the deterministic atmospheric flow system. Seasonal and decadal zonal mean surface air temperature anomalies of dusty days showed clearly the increased warming of high latitudes during the last few winter episodes. The enhanced meridionality of (dust transporting) winds was also observable in the number of days with 15< m/s meridional wind component (at 700 hPa). Warmer Arctic region and more meandering air flow patterns could be responsible for these unusual dust episodes in the recent years.</p><p>Support of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office NKFIH KH130337 and NKFIH K120213 are gratefully acknowledged.</p>

Improving predictions of surface air temperature anomalies over Japan by Selective Ensemble Mean technique

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. V. Ratnam ◽  
Takeshi Doi ◽  
Yushi Morioka ◽  
Pascal Oettli ◽  
Masami Nonaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Skill Score ◽  
Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Selective Ensemble ◽  
Ensemble Mean ◽  
Air Temperature Anomalies

AbstractSelective ensemble mean (SEM) technique is applied to the late spring and summer months (May to August) surface air temperature anomaly predictions of the Scale Interaction Experiment-Frontier Research Center for Global Change Version 2 (SINTEX-F2) coupled general circulation model over Japan. Using the Köppen-Geiger climatic classification we chose four regions over Japan for applying the SEM technique. The SINTEX-F2 ensemble members for the SEM are chosen based on the anomaly correlation coefficients (ACC) of the SINTEX-F2 predicted and observed surface air temperature anomalies. The SEM technique is applied to generate the forecasts of the surface air temperature anomalies for the period 1983 to 2018 using the selected members. Analysis shows the ACC skill score of the SEM prediction to be higher compared to the ACC skill score of predictions obtained by averaging all the 24 members of the SINTEX-F2 (ENSMEAN). The SEM predicted surface air temperature anomalies also have higher hit rate and lower false alarm rate compared to the ENSMEAN predicted anomalies over a range of temperature anomalies. The results indicate the SEM technique to be a simple and easy to apply method to improve the SINTEX-F2 predictions of surface air temperature anomalies over Japan. The better performance of the SEM in generating the surface air temperature anomalies can be partly attributed to realistic prediction of 850hPa geopotential height anomalies over Japan.

Observational estimation of radiative feedback to surface air temperature over Northern High Latitudes

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 615-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiwon Hwang ◽  
Yong-Sang Choi ◽  
WonMoo Kim ◽  
Hui Su ◽  
Jonathan H. Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Radiative Feedback
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