The synoptic-scale winter precipitation variations over southeastem China （22°-32°N, 105°-125°E） and their asso- ciation with the North Atlantic Oscillation （NAO） during 1951-2007 are investiga...The synoptic-scale winter precipitation variations over southeastem China （22°-32°N, 105°-125°E） and their asso- ciation with the North Atlantic Oscillation （NAO） during 1951-2007 are investigated in this paper. The variability of wintertime precipitation is characterized by meridional displacement of its maximum center. Two precipitation re- gimes, with maximum centers located over the Yangtze and Pearl River basins, are identified via cluster analysis. Time-lagged analyses suggest that the two precipitation regimes are connected with the decaying phases of positive NAO （NAO＋） events of different amplitudes. A strong （medium） NAO＋ event is defined as one when the maximum amplitude of the NAO index exceeds 1.0 （in the range of 0.7-1.0） for at least 4 consecutive days and drops to less than 0.3 within 7 days following the peak index. After the peak of a strong NAO＋, southerly winds expand north- ward to the Yangtze River （about 30°N）, a northeast-southwest-tilted trough migrates to east of Lake Baikal, and cold air intrudes into central eastern China; thus, precipitation is strengthened over the Yangtze River basin where warm and cold air masses converge. In comparison, during the decaying phase of medium NAO＋ events, the south- erly winds are relatively weak, and precipitation tends to be enhanced at lower latitudes （around 25°N）. Further ana- lysis indicates that downstream Rossby-wave propagation may account for the latitudinal expansion of the southerly wind anomalies over the eastern coastal area of China during the decaying phase of NAO＋ events of different strengths.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41405047 and 41675086)China Meteorological Administration Special Public Welfare Research Fund(GYHY201306010)
文摘The synoptic-scale winter precipitation variations over southeastem China （22°-32°N, 105°-125°E） and their asso- ciation with the North Atlantic Oscillation （NAO） during 1951-2007 are investigated in this paper. The variability of wintertime precipitation is characterized by meridional displacement of its maximum center. Two precipitation re- gimes, with maximum centers located over the Yangtze and Pearl River basins, are identified via cluster analysis. Time-lagged analyses suggest that the two precipitation regimes are connected with the decaying phases of positive NAO （NAO＋） events of different amplitudes. A strong （medium） NAO＋ event is defined as one when the maximum amplitude of the NAO index exceeds 1.0 （in the range of 0.7-1.0） for at least 4 consecutive days and drops to less than 0.3 within 7 days following the peak index. After the peak of a strong NAO＋, southerly winds expand north- ward to the Yangtze River （about 30°N）, a northeast-southwest-tilted trough migrates to east of Lake Baikal, and cold air intrudes into central eastern China; thus, precipitation is strengthened over the Yangtze River basin where warm and cold air masses converge. In comparison, during the decaying phase of medium NAO＋ events, the south- erly winds are relatively weak, and precipitation tends to be enhanced at lower latitudes （around 25°N）. Further ana- lysis indicates that downstream Rossby-wave propagation may account for the latitudinal expansion of the southerly wind anomalies over the eastern coastal area of China during the decaying phase of NAO＋ events of different strengths.
