scholarly journals The Potential of Using Tree-Ring Chronology from the Southern Coast of Korea to Reconstruct the Climate of Subtropical Western North Pacific: A Pilot Study

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1082
Author(s):  
Min-Seok Kim ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Sung-Ho Woo ◽  
Youngdae Koh ◽  
Hans W. Linderholm ◽  
...  

Tree-ring width (TRW) chronologies have successfully been used as climate proxies to infer climate variabilities over the past hundreds to thousands of years worldwide beyond observational records. However, these data are scarce over parts of subtropical East Asia, and especially over the Korean Peninsula. In this pilot study, Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora Siebold and Zucc.) TRW chronologies from Mt. Mudeung and Mt. Wolchul, South Korea, were developed, and their local- to large-scale climatic responses were investigated. Mt. Mudeung TRW had a positive association with local temperature in the preceding December and April. Mt. Wolchul TRW had a positive association with local temperature in the preceding December and most of the early summer to autumn months, and with local precipitation in February and October. On a large scale, both TRWs retained meaningful temperature and monsoon precipitation signals over East Asia and sea surface temperature signals over the Western North Pacific. The results suggest that the subtropical trees from South Korea can be used to infer past long-term climate variability at both local and large scales over East Asia and the Western North Pacific, such as the East Asian summer monsoon, the Kuroshio Current, the Western North Pacific Subtropical High, and El Niño–Southern Oscillation.

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1771-1787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jau-Ming Chen ◽  
Pei-Hua Tan ◽  
Liang Wu ◽  
Hui-Shan Chen ◽  
Jin-Shuen Liu ◽  
...  

This study examines the interannual variability of summer tropical cyclone (TC) rainfall (TCR) in the western North Pacific (WNP) depicted by the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR). This interannual variability exhibits a maximum region near Taiwan (19°–28°N, 120°–128°E). Significantly increased TCR in this region is modulated by El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-related large-scale processes. They feature elongated sea surface temperature warming in the tropical eastern Pacific and a southeastward-intensified monsoon trough. Increased TC movements are facilitated by interannual southerly/southeasterly flows in the northeastern periphery of the intensified monsoon trough to move from the tropical WNP toward the region near Taiwan, resulting in increased TCR. The coherent dynamic relations between interannual variability of summer TCR and large-scale environmental processes justify CFSR as being able to reasonably depict interannual characteristics of summer TCR in the WNP. For intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) modulations, TCs tend to cluster around the center of a 10–24-day cyclonic anomaly and follow its northwestward propagation from the tropical WNP toward the region near Taiwan. The above TC movements are subject to favorable background conditions provided by a northwest–southeasterly extending 30–60-day cyclonic anomaly. Summer TCR tends to increase (decrease) during El Niño (La Niña) years and strong (weak) ISO years. By comparing composite TCR anomalies and correlations with TCR variability, it is found that ENSO is more influential than ISO in modulating the interannual variability of summer TCR in the WNP.


2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 3929-3941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi-Hua Wu ◽  
Ming-Dah Chou

By investigating the large-scale circulation in the upper troposphere, it is demonstrated that the rapid late July summer monsoon transition in the East Asia and western North Pacific (EA-WNP) is associated with a weakened westerly at the exit of the East Asian jet stream (EAJS). Even in a normally stable atmosphere under the influence of the North Pacific (NP) high in late July, convection rapidly develops over the midoceanic region of the western NP (15°–25°N, 150°–170°E). Prior to the rapid transition, the EAJS weakens and shifts northward, which induces a series of changes in downstream regions; the northeastern stretch of the Asian high weakens, upper-tropospheric divergence in the region southwest of the mid-NP trough increases, and convection is enhanced. At the monsoon transition, upper-level high potential vorticity intrudes southward and westward, convection expand from the mid NP westward to cover the entire subtropical western NP, the lower-tropospheric monsoon trough deepens, surface southwesterly flow strengthens, and the western stretch of the NP high shifts northward ~10° latitude to the south of Japan. This series of changes indicates that the EA-WNP late July monsoon transition is initiated from changes in the upper-tropospheric circulation via the weakening of the EAJS south of ~45°N. The weakening of the EAJS south of ~45°N is related to a reduced gradient of the geopotential height on the northern flank of the Asian high, which is related to the massive inland heating and weakening of the South Asian monsoon circulation. The exact timing of the monsoon onset might be tied to the hypothesized “Silk Road pattern” and/or a strong weakening of the South Asian monsoon circulation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 3396-3407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam H. Sobel ◽  
Suzana J. Camargo

Abstract The authors investigate the influence of western North Pacific (WNP) tropical cyclones (TCs) on their large-scale environment by lag regressing various large-scale climate variables [atmospheric temperature, winds, relative vorticity, outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), column water vapor, and sea surface temperature (SST)] on an index of TC activity [accumulated cyclone energy (ACE)] on a weekly time scale. At all leads and lags out to several months, persistent, slowly evolving signals indicative of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon are seen in all the variables, reflecting the known seasonal relationship of TCs in the WNP to ENSO. Superimposed on this are more rapidly evolving signals, at leads and lags of one or two weeks, directly associated with the TCs themselves. These include anomalies of positive low-level vorticity, negative OLR, and high column water vapor associated with anomalously positive ACE, found in the region where TCs most commonly form and develop. In the same region, lagging ACE by a week or two and so presumably reflecting the influence of TCs on the local environment, signals are found that might be expected to negatively influence the environment for later cyclogenesis. These signals include an SST reduction in the primary region of TC activity, and a reduction in column water vapor and increase in OLR that may or may not be a result of the SST reduction. On the same short time scale, an increase in equatorial SST near and east of the date line is seen, presumably associated with equatorial surface westerly anomalies that are also found. This, combined with the correlation between ACE and ENSO indices on the seasonal time scale, suggests the possibility that TCs may play an active role in ENSO dynamics.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-58
Author(s):  
Hyun-Ju Lee ◽  
Wonbae Jeon ◽  
Woo-Seop Lee ◽  
Hwa Woon Lee

AbstractThis study investigates the spatiotemporal characteristics of human-perceived temperature (HPT) data, which describe the joint effects of temperature and humidity on the human body, and examines the related large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns for the summer season (July–August) in South Korea using trend and composite analyses. The increasing trend of HPT was stronger than that of the maximum, mean, and minimum temperatures during 1981–2018. There was an abrupt change in HPT between 1981–2009 and 2010–2018, which is likely caused by the northward upper-level subtropical jet, strengthened downward motion, anomalous anticyclones around South Korea, and increased sea surface temperature over the western North Pacific (WNP), which are related to the enhancement and western expansion of the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH). These results highlight the importance of the activity of the WNPSH in the variability of HPT in South Korea. When the western edge of the WNPSH is located in the northwest, a positive geopotential height anomaly at 500 hPa is centered over Korea, which is associated with high temperatures and low relative humidity. The southwestern extension of the WNPSH modifies the wind circulation pattern and brings warm and moist air from the West Sea along the ridge-line of the WNPSH. Eventually, it leads to extreme HPT, associated with high relative humidity and temperature over South Korea, particularly in the southern part of the country. Therefore, we concluded that monitoring and predicting the location of WNPSH and understanding the mechanism and factors influencing the movement of WNPSH under global warming are necessary for predicting and coping with extreme HPT.


Atmósfera ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-365
Author(s):  
HAIKUN ZHAO ◽  
GRACIELA B. RAGA

This study attempts to understand why the frequency of tropical cyclones (TC) over the western North Pacific (WNP) was a record low during the 2010 season, by analyzing the effect of several large-scale factors. The genesis potential index (GPI) can represent, to some extent, the spatial distribution of formation in 2010. However, the GPI does not explain the extremely low TC frequency. No robust relationship between the TCnumber and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was found. A comparison of the extreme inactive TC year 2010 and extreme active year 1994 was performed, based on the box difference index that can measure the quantitative difference of large-scale environmental factors. Dynamic factors were found to be important in differentiating TC formation over the WNP basin between 2010 and 1994. The remarkable difference of monsoon flows in the WNP basin between these two years may be the cause of the difference in TC formation. The unfavorable conditions for TC genesis in 2010 may have also been due to other large scale factors such as: (1) weak activity of the Madden-Julian Oscillation during the peak season; (2) warming of the sea surface temperature in the tropical Indian Ocean during the peak season, causing the development of an anticyclone over the WNP basin and associated with the westward motion of the monsoon trough, and(3) the phase change of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (more negative) and the two strong La Niña eventsthat have evolved since 2006.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (24) ◽  
pp. 8677-8686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyan Zhou ◽  
Riyu Lu

Abstract This study focused on the interannual variability of tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the western North Pacific in autumn. The results show that the frequencies of TC landfalls in the southern and northern coastal regions of East Asia are roughly independent, implying that they are affected by different factors and should be studied separately. Further analysis indicates that the frequency of TC landfall in the southern region is closely related to El Niño–Southern Oscillation, which affects both the upper- and lower-tropospheric circulation over the western North Pacific and East Asia and induces changes in the steering flow. By contrast, the frequency of TC landfall over the northern region has a close connection with a teleconnection pattern in the upper troposphere over the Eurasian continent, which seems to be triggered by an anomalous Rossby wave source over the North Atlantic. This teleconnection pattern leads to anomalous meridional winds over the western North Pacific and East Asia and induces significant changes in the steering flow.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (20) ◽  
pp. 8641-8650
Author(s):  
Chao Wang ◽  
Liguang Wu ◽  
Jun Lu ◽  
Qingyuan Liu ◽  
Haikun Zhao ◽  
...  

AbstractUnderstanding variations in tropical cyclone (TC) translation speed (TCS) is of great importance for islands and coastal regions since it is an important factor in determining TC-induced local damages. Investigating the long-term change in TCS was usually subject to substantial limitations in the quality of historical TC records, but here we investigated the interannual variability in TCS over the western North Pacific (WNP) Ocean by using reliable satellite TC records. It was found that both temporal changes in large-scale steering flow and TC track greatly contributed to interannual variability in the WNP TCS. In the peak season (July–September), TCS changes were closely related to temporal variations in large-scale steering flow, which was linked to the intensity of the western North Pacific subtropical high. However, for the late season (October–December), changes in TC track played a vital role in interannual variability in TCS while the impacts of temporal variations in large-scale steering were weak. The changes in TC track were mainly contributed by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-induced zonal migrations in TC genesis locations, which make more or fewer TCs move to the subtropical WNP, thus leading to notable changes in the basinwide TCS because of the much greater large-scale steering in the subtropical WNP. The increased influence of TC track change on TCS in the late season was linked to the greater contrast between the subtropical and the tropical large-scale steering in the late season. These results have important implications for understanding current and future variations in TCS.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 1717-1727 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Jason Phillips ◽  
Lorenzo Ciannelli ◽  
Richard D. Brodeur ◽  
William G. Pearcy ◽  
John Childers

Abstract This study investigated the spatial distribution of juvenile North Pacific albacore (Thunnus alalunga) in relation to local environmental variability [i.e. sea surface temperature (SST)], and two large-scale indices of climate variability, [the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Multivariate El Niño/Southern Oscillation Index (MEI)]. Changes in local and climate variables were correlated with 48 years of albacore troll catch per unit effort (CPUE) in 1° latitude/longitude cells, using threshold Generalized Additive Mixed Models (tGAMMs). Model terms were included to account for non-stationary and spatially variable effects of the intervening covariates on albacore CPUE. Results indicate that SST had a positive and spatially variable effect on albacore CPUE, with increasingly positive effects to the North, while PDO had an overall negative effect. Although albacore CPUE increased with SST both before and after a threshold year of 1986, such effect geographically shifted north after 1986. This is the first study to demonstrate the non-stationary spatial dynamics of albacore tuna, linked with a major shift of the North Pacific. Results imply that if ocean temperatures continue to increase, US west coast fisher communities reliant on commercial albacore fisheries are likely to be negatively affected in the southern areas but positively affected in the northern areas, where current albacore landings are highest.


2008 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
pp. 2006-2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Shang Lee ◽  
Kevin K. W. Cheung ◽  
Jenny S. N. Hui ◽  
Russell L. Elsberry

Abstract The mesoscale features of 124 tropical cyclone formations in the western North Pacific Ocean during 1999–2004 are investigated through large-scale analyses, satellite infrared brightness temperature (TB), and Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) oceanic wind data. Based on low-level wind flow and surge direction, the formation cases are classified into six synoptic patterns: easterly wave (EW), northeasterly flow (NE), coexistence of northeasterly and southwesterly flow (NE–SW), southwesterly flow (SW), monsoon confluence (MC), and monsoon shear (MS). Then the general convection characteristics and mesoscale convective system (MCS) activities associated with these formation cases are studied under this classification scheme. Convection processes in the EW cases are distinguished from the monsoon-related formations in that the convection is less deep and closer to the formation center. Five characteristic temporal evolutions of the deep convection are identified: (i) single convection event, (ii) two convection events, (iii) three convection events, (iv) gradual decrease in TB, and (v) fluctuating TB, or a slight increase in TB before formation. Although no dominant temporal evolution differentiates cases in the six synoptic patterns, evolutions ii and iii seem to be the common routes taken by the monsoon-related formations. The overall percentage of cases with MCS activity at multiple times is 63%, and in 35% of cases more than one MCS coexisted. Most of the MC and MS cases develop multiple MCSs that lead to several episodes of deep convection. These two patterns have the highest percentage of coexisting MCSs such that potential interaction between these systems may play a role in the formation process. The MCSs in the monsoon-related formations are distributed around the center, except in the NE–SW cases in which clustering of MCSs is found about 100–200 km east of the center during the 12 h before formation. On average only one MCS occurs during an EW formation, whereas the mean value is around two for the other monsoon-related patterns. Both the mean lifetime and time of first appearance of MCS in EW are much shorter than those developed in other synoptic patterns, which indicates that the overall formation evolution in the EW case is faster. Moreover, this MCS is most likely to be found within 100 km east of the center 12 h before formation. The implications of these results to internal mechanisms of tropical cyclone formation are discussed in light of other recent mesoscale studies.


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