Drought in Late Spring of South China in Recent Decades

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (13) ◽  
pp. 3197-3206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoge Xin ◽  
Rucong Yu ◽  
Tianjun Zhou ◽  
Bin Wang
Keyword(s):  
South China ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Salient Feature ◽  
Late Spring ◽  
Central China ◽  
Interdecadal Change ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Spring Precipitation ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
The North

Abstract Late spring (21 April–20 May) precipitation to the south of the Yangtze River in China along the East Asian front is a salient feature of the global climate. The present analysis reveals that during 1958–2000 South China (26°–31°N, 110°–122°E) has undergone a significant decrease in late spring precipitation since the late 1970s. The sudden reduction of the precipitation concurs with a notable cooling in the upper troposphere over the central China (30°–40°N, 95°–125°E). The upper-level cooling is associated with an anomalous meridional cell with descending motions in the latitudes 26°–35°N and low-level northerly winds over southeastern China (22°–30°N, 110°–125°E), causing deficient rainfall over South China. The late spring cooling in the upper troposphere over the central China is found to strongly link to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in the preceding winter. During winters with a positive NAO index, the upper-tropospheric cooling occurs first to the north of the Tibetan Plateau in early–middle spring, then propagates southeastward to central China in late spring. It is suggested that the interdecadal change of the winter NAO is the root cause for the late spring drought over South China in recent decades.

scholarly journals Observed Changes of Rain-Season Precipitation in China from 1960 to 2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10031
Author(s):  
Yanyu Zhang ◽  
Shuying Zang ◽  
Xiangjin Shen ◽  
Gaohua Fan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Central China ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Daily Precipitation Data ◽  
Rain Season

Precipitation during the main rain season is important for natural ecosystems and human activities. In this study, according to daily precipitation data from 515 weather stations in China, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variation of rain-season (May–September) precipitation in China from 1960 to 2018. The results showed that rain-season precipitation decreased over China from 1960 to 2018. Rain-season heavy (25 ≤ p < 50 mm/day) and very heavy (p ≥ 50 mm/day) precipitation showed increasing trends, while rain-season moderate (10 ≤ p < 25 mm/day) and light (0.1 ≤ p < 10 mm/day) precipitation showed decreasing trends from 1960 to 2018. The temporal changes of precipitation indicated that rain-season light and moderate precipitation displayed downward trends in China from 1980 to 2010 and rain-season heavy and very heavy precipitation showed fluctuant variation from 1960 to 2018. Changes of rain-season precipitation showed clear regional differences. Northwest China and the Tibetan Plateau showed the largest positive trends of precipitation amount and days. In contrast, negative trends were found for almost all precipitation grades in North China Plain, Northeast China, and North Central China. Changes toward drier conditions in these regions probably had a severe impact on agricultural production. In East China, Southeast China and Southwest China, heavy and very heavy precipitation had increased while light and moderate precipitation had decreased. This result implied an increasing risk of flood and mudslides in these regions. The advance in understanding of precipitation change in China will contribute to exactly predict the regional climate change under the background of global climate change.

Thermochronology quantifying exhumation history of the Wudang Complex in the South Qinling Orogenic Belt, central China

2016 ◽  
Vol 155 (4) ◽  
pp. 893-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHUANBO SHEN ◽  
DI HU ◽  
CHUN SHAO ◽  
LIANFU MEI
Keyword(s):  
Distance Effect ◽  
Central China ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Yangtze Craton ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
South Qinling ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
History Of ◽  
Exhumation History

AbstractThe Wudang Complex located in the central part of South Qinling, has been inferred to be a segment of the Yangtze Craton involved in the orogen. In this study, the cooling/exhumation history of the Wudang Complex is revealed through combined published geochronology data and new apatite fission-track results. Three rapid exhumation episodes related to relevant geodynamic events have been identified. Previous40Ar–39Ar and (U–Th)/He data indicate that the most significant exhumation, induced by the collision between the North and South China Blocks, occurred fromc.237 to 220 Ma after long-term subsidence and sedimentation of the passive continental margin. The second exhumation event, related to the long-distance effect of the Pacific subduction, occurred during the period fromc.126 to 90 Ma. Following the late Cretaceous – Eocene peneplanation stage, the final late Cenozoic exhumation sincec.15 Ma may be attributed to the combined effect of the eastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau uplift and the Asian monsoon.

The Influence of Mechanical and Thermal Forcing by the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Climate

2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 770-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoxiong Wu ◽  
Yimin Liu ◽  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
Anmin Duan ◽  
Tongmei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
East Asia ◽  
South China ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
The North ◽  
Meridional Winds

Abstract This paper attempts to provide some new understanding of the mechanical as well as thermal effects of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) on the circulation and climate in Asia through diagnosis and numerical experiments. The air column over the TP descends in winter and ascends in summer and regulates the surface Asian monsoon flow. Sensible heating on the sloping lateral surfaces appears from the authors’ experiments to be the major driving source. The retarding and deflecting effects of the TP in winter generate an asymmetric dipole zonal-deviation circulation, with a large anticyclone gyre to the north and a cyclonic gyre to the south. Such a dipole deviation circulation enhances the cold outbreaks from the north over East Asia, results in a dry climate in south Asia and a moist climate over the Indochina peninsula and south China, and forms the persistent rainfall in early spring (PRES) in south China. In summer the TP heating generates a cyclonic spiral zonal-deviation circulation in the lower troposphere, which converges toward and rises over the TP. It is shown that because the TP is located east of the Eurasian continent, in summertime the meridional winds and vertical motions forced by the Eurasian continental-scale heating and the TP local heating are in phase over the eastern and central parts of the continent. The monsoon in East Asia and the dry climate in middle Asia are therefore intensified.

scholarly journals Portraying the Impact of the Tibetan Plateau on Global Climate

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 3565-3583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haijun Yang ◽  
Xingchen Shen ◽  
Jie Yao ◽  
Qin Wen
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

AbstractAs the most extensive highland in the world, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays an important role in shaping the global climate. Quantifying the effect of the TP on global climate is the first step for a full understanding of the TP’s standing on planet Earth. Through coupled model sensitivity experiments, we draw a panorama of the TP’s global impact in this paper. Our model results show that the absence of the TP would result in a 4°C colder and 10% drier climate in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). The TP has a striking remote effect on the North Atlantic. Removing the TP would enhance the westerlies in the mid- to high latitudes of the NH and weaken the easterlies over the tropical Pacific. More moisture would be relocated from the tropical Pacific to the North Atlantic, shutting down the Atlantic thermohaline circulation, which would eventually result in more than 15°C colder and 20% drier climate over the North Atlantic. Our model results suggest that the presence of the TP may have contributed greatly to the hospitable modern climate in the NH, by promoting the establishment of the thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic, and therefore enhancing the northward ocean heat transport and atmosphere moisture transport across the equator.

scholarly journals Particle number size distribution and new particle formation under the influence of biomass burning at a high altitude background site at Mt. Yulong (3410 m), China

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 15687-15703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongjie Shang ◽  
Min Hu ◽  
Jing Zheng ◽  
Yanhong Qin ◽  
Zhuofei Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Particle Number ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Number Size Distribution

Abstract. Biomass burning (BB) activities have a great impact on the particle number size distribution (PNSD) in the upper troposphere of the Tibetan Plateau, which could affect regional and global climate. An intensive campaign focused on the measurement of the PNSD, gaseous pollutants, and meteorological parameters was conducted at Mt. Yulong, a high-altitude site (3410 m a.s.l.) on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau during the pre-monsoon season (22 March to 15 April). During this period, intensive BB activities in southern Asia were detected by fire maps. The long-range transport of BB pollutants can increase the accumulation mode particles in the background atmosphere at Mt. Yulong. As a consequence, the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration was found to be 2–8 times higher during BB periods than during clean periods. Apart from BB, variations of the planet boundary layer (PBL) and new particle formation (NPF) were other factors that influenced the PNSD. However, only three NPF events (with a frequency of 14 %) were observed at Mt. Yulong. The occurrence of NPF events during clean episodes corresponded to an elevated PBL or transported BB pollutants. Due to the lack of condensable vapors including sulfuric acid and organic compounds, the newly formed particles were not able to grow to CCN size. Our study emphasizes the influences of BB on the aerosol and CCN concentration in the atmosphere of the Tibetan Plateau. These results also have the potential to improve our understanding of the variation of the particle concentration in the upper troposphere, and provide information for regional and global climate models.

scholarly journals Tibetan Plateau Impacts on Global Dust Transport in the Upper Troposphere

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 4745-4756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Xu ◽  
Yaoming Ma ◽  
Kun Yang ◽  
Chao You
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Orthogonal Polarization ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Dust Aerosols ◽  
Mass Fluxes

Dust is a major component of atmospheric aerosol worldwide, greatly affecting regional and global climate. In this study dust aerosol optical depth (DAOD) and dust mass fluxes (DMF) were evaluated at different altitudes using measurements by the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and ERA-Interim data from March through May (MAM) for the period 2007–16. Significantly higher upper-tropospheric (above ~8 km) dust loads and DMF downstream of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) relative to those over other major dust sources of the Northern Hemisphere were found during spring. A DMF magnitude of 1010 g integrated across a 2°-latitude segment during spring was estimated downstream of the TP in the upper troposphere. A dust belt can be clearly seen at altitudes higher than 6 km over the downwind direction of the TP at latitudes of around 30°–40°N, crossing the Pacific Ocean and extending to North America during spring. A pathway for transporting dust aerosols into the upper troposphere is proposed, as follows. Dust is uplifted to the midtroposphere over the source regions; then, frequent, deep, dry convection prevailing over the TP during spring can cause convective overshooting that uplifts the dust aerosols to the upper troposphere. The TP thus acts as a channel for transporting dust from the lower atmosphere to the upper troposphere, enabling the long-range zonal transport of dust around the Northern Hemisphere.

Teleconnection between NAO and Climate Downstream of the Tibetan Plateau

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 4680-4690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Li ◽  
Rucong Yu ◽  
Tianjun Zhou
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
North China ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Teleconnection Pattern ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Northeastern Asia ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract Analysis of the monthly NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data and station data reveals a teleconnection pattern (NAULEA) that links climate changes over the North Atlantic and Eurasia. The NAULEA pattern has five action centers. It extends from the North Atlantic to northwestern Europe, and then stretches eastward to the Urals, with its eastern end over North China. Certain climate changes over East Asia, such as the cooling changes in both the upper troposphere and surface in the last few decades of the twentieth century, can be attributed to the NAULEA pattern anomalies and traced upstream to the North Atlantic. The NAULEA pattern is suggested to be another NAO-related teleconnection pattern. Compared with the pattern with the Asian jet waveguide path, which leads to temperature anomalies over northeastern Asia, the NAULEA pattern with a high-latitude path exerts stronger influences on the climate of southwestern China.

scholarly journals Geographical Dependence of Upper-Level Blocking Formation Associated with Intraseasonal Amplification of the Siberian High

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 4441-4449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koutarou Takaya ◽  
Hisashi Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
Wave Train ◽  
Grid Point ◽  
Far East ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Siberian High ◽  
The North ◽  
Upper Level

Abstract Intraseasonal amplification events of the surface Siberian high in winter are generally associated with blocking ridge formation in the upper troposphere. Composite analysis applied to the 20 strongest intraseasonal events of upper-level anticyclonic anomalies at every grid point over Siberia reveals that the blocking formation differs fundamentally between the east and west of the climatological upper-level trough over the Far East. To the west, what can be called “wave-train (Atlantic-origin)” type is common, where a blocking ridge develops from anomalies as a component of a quasi-stationary Rossby wave train propagating across the Eurasian continent under modest feedback forcing from transient eddies. To the east of the trough, what can be called “Pacific-origin” type dominates, where a blocking ridge forms in association with westward development of anticyclonic anomalies from the North Pacific under stronger feedback forcing from the Pacific storm track. Regardless of a particular type of blocking formation in the upper troposphere, a cold air outbreak tends to occur once anomalously cold air reaches the northeastern slope of the Tibetan Plateau.

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