Based on the annual variation of the rainfall departure percentage in summer in the lower-middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River valley, 7 cases for the abnormal drought and flooding summers (the dro...Based on the annual variation of the rainfall departure percentage in summer in the lower-middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River valley, 7 cases for the abnormal drought and flooding summers (the drought years: 1981. 1984, 1985; the flooding yearst 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987) are selected. First we analyse the general circulation characteristics of the summer drought and flooding, and then the evolution processes of the general circulation patterns from preceding winters to summers are studied. It is found that during the two kinds of preceding winters for the drought and flooding summer, not only the general circulation patterns in the high-mid latitudes, the local Hadley cells in East Asia but also the activities of the cold surge in the lower latitude are different obviously. Spring, especially April, is the turning period of the general circulation in preceding winter for the drought or nooding summer evolution towards opposite direction. Hereafter, the drought or flooding circulation pattern is established and developed.展开更多
Two numerical simulations of forced local Hadley circulation are carried out based on a linear diagnostic equation to provide an insight into the mechanisms of monsoon evolution in different monsoon regions. One simul...Two numerical simulations of forced local Hadley circulation are carried out based on a linear diagnostic equation to provide an insight into the mechanisms of monsoon evolution in different monsoon regions. One simulation is for the zonal mean Hadley circulation over East Asia (from 95°E to 122.5°E), another over India (from 70°E to 85°E). With the NCEP/ NCAR re-analysis data re—processed by Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing, the former simulation displays a dominant anti—Hadley circulation pattern over East Asia at 1200 UTC May 1, 1994. The simulated circulation pattern is consistent well enough with the circulation pattern plotted directly from the data for lack of the radiation information at each level. Although the simulation over India is not as good as that over East Asia, a dominant Hadley circulation pattern is obvious as data show. Further analysis shows that the defective simulation over India is due to the presence of statically unstable condition at some grid points in the lower troposphere. This circumstance slightly violates the hydrodynamic stability criterion required by the elliptic diagnostic equation for the forced circulation. Since the simulations are reliable enough compared with the given data, the linear equation facilitates a systematic assessment of relative importance of each internally forcing process. The assessment shows that among the internal processes, the horizontal temperature advections account obviously for the Hadley (anti—Hadley) circulation over India (East Asia) at 1200 UTC May 1, 1994 in addition to the process associated with the latent heat releasing. The calculation of latent heat energy is a little bit unreliable due to the unclear cloud physics in the convection processes and the less accurate humidity data. These preliminary results are consistent with the results of previous studies which show that the feature of the seasonal warming in the upper troposphere and the corresponding processes are part of key processes closely related to the evolution o展开更多
Based on the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCEP/NCAR） reanalysis data from 1950-1999, interdecadal variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM） ...Based on the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCEP/NCAR） reanalysis data from 1950-1999, interdecadal variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM） and its associated atmospheric circulations are investigated. The EASM exhibits a distinct interdecadal variation, with stronger （weaker） summer monsoon maintained from 1950-1964 （1976-1997）. In the former case, there is an enhanced Walker cell in the eastern Pacific and an anti-Walker cell in the western Pacific. The associated ascending motion resides in the central Pacific, which flows eastward and westward in the upper troposphere, descending in the eastern and western ends of the Pacific basin. At the same time, an anomalous East Asian Hadley Cell （EAHC） is found to connect the low-latitude and mid-latitude systems in East Asia, which strengthens the EASM. The descending branch of the EAHC lies in the west part of the anti-Walker cell, flowing northward in the lower troposphere and then ascending at the south of Lake Baikal （40°-50°N, 95°- 115°E） before returning to low latitudes in the upper troposphere, thus strengthening the EASM. The relationship between the EASM and SST in the eastern tropical Pacific is also discussed. A possible mechanism is proposed to link interdecadal variation of the EASM with the eastern tropical Pacific SST. A warmer sea surface temperature anomaly （SSTA） therein induces anomalous ascending motion in the eastern Pacific, resulting in a weaker Walker cell, and at the same time inducing an anomalous Walker cell in the western Pacific and an enhanced EAHC, leading to a weaker EASM. Furthermore, the interdecadal variation of summer precipitation over North China is found to be the south of Lake Baikal through enhancing and reducing strongly regulated by the velocity potential over the regional vertical motions.展开更多
Based on NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the interdecadal variability of Hadley circulation （HC） and its association with East Asian temperature in winter are investigated. Results indicate that the Northern Hemisphere w...Based on NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the interdecadal variability of Hadley circulation （HC） and its association with East Asian temperature in winter are investigated. Results indicate that the Northern Hemisphere winter HC underwent apparent change in the 1970s, with transition occurring around 1976/77. Along with interdecadal variability of HC, its linkage to surface air temperature （SAT） in East Asia also varied decadally, from weak relations to strong relations. Such a change may be related to the interaction between HC and the atmospheric circulation system over the Philippines, which is associated with the East Asian winter monsoon （EAWM）. Before the 1970s, the connection between HC and the anticyclonic circulation around the Philippines was insignificant, but after the late 1970s their linkage entered a strong regime. The intensification of this connection may therefore be responsible for the strong relations between HC and East Asian winter temperatures after the late 1970s.展开更多
How the Hadley circulation changes in response to global climate change and how its change impacts upon regional and global climates has generated a lot of interest in the literature in the past few years. In this pap...How the Hadley circulation changes in response to global climate change and how its change impacts upon regional and global climates has generated a lot of interest in the literature in the past few years. In this paper, consistent and statistically significant poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation in the past few decades is demonstrated, using independent observational datasets as proxy measures of the Hadley circulation. Both observational outgoing longwave radiation and precipitation datasets show an annual average total poleward expansion of the Hadley cells of about 3.6° latitude. Sea level pressure from observational and reanalysis datasets show smaller magnitudes of poleward expansion, of about 1.2° latitude. Ensemble general circulation model simulations forced by observed time-varying sea surface temperatures were found to generate a total poleward expansion of about 1.23°latitude. Possible mechanisms behind the changes in the horizontal extent of the Hadley circulation are discussed.展开更多
Observational analyses have demonstrated that the Hadley circulation has expanded poleward in recent decades. Important issues are what caused the widening of the Hadley circulation and whether the observed widening i...Observational analyses have demonstrated that the Hadley circulation has expanded poleward in recent decades. Important issues are what caused the widening of the Hadley circulation and whether the observed widening is related to anthropogenic forcing. In the present study, we use currently available simulations of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase-5 （CMIP5） to analyze changes in the width of the Hadley circulation. It is found that CMIP5 historical simulations with greenhouse gas （GHG） forcing generate a total widening of ,-0.15°±0.06°in latitude （10 yr）-1 for the period 1979-2005, and the widening in CMIP5 historical simulations with all forcings is -0.17°± 0.06° per decade. Similar to that in CMIP3, the simulated poleward expansion in CMIP5 is much weaker than the observational reanalyses. In CMIP5 projection simulations for the 21st century, magnitudes of widening of the Hadley circulation increase with radiative forcing. For the extreme projected radiative forcing of RCP8.5, the total annual-mean widening of the Hadley circulation is -0.27°±0.04° （10 yr）-1 in the 21st century. Although CMIP5 underestimates observed poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation, the results of this study suggest that the observed trends in the width of the Hadley circulation are caused by anthropogenic forcing and that increasing GHGs play an important role in the observed poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation, in addition to other foreings emphasized in previous studies.展开更多
The evolutionary process and structural characteristics of the atmospheric circulation and synoptic situation which caused the record heavy rainfall with a precipitation amount of 550 mm in Hat Yai, Thailand from 20 t...The evolutionary process and structural characteristics of the atmospheric circulation and synoptic situation which caused the record heavy rainfall with a precipitation amount of 550 mm in Hat Yai, Thailand from 20 to 23 November 2000 is studied. In the study, the modern three dimensional observational data were collected as completely as possible, and detailed analyses were made. It is revealed that the cold surges of the Asian winter monsoon that originate from Siberia can arrive at the lower latitudes, including South Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, cause strong heavy rainfall there, and interact with weather systems in the near-equatorial regions of the Southern Hemisphere. This is strongly supported by Chinese scientist's original finding in 1930s. The strong convective cloud clusters in the above areas are generated by the direct influence of the cold surges, and are related with the South China Sea disturbances in the lower troposphere. The maximum of the convergence of total moisture flux near South Thailand in the situation under study implies that the water vapour supply is abundant and very favorable to the occurrence of the heavy rainfall. The release of latent heat enhances the Hadley Circulation also. The feedback of the strong severe weather on climate indeed exists, and there are pronounced interactions between the multi-scale systems and between both hemispheres.展开更多
Increases in free tropospheric ozone over the past two decades are mainly in the Northern Hemisphere that have been widely documented,while ozone trends in the Southern Hemisphere(SH)remain largely unexplained.Here we...Increases in free tropospheric ozone over the past two decades are mainly in the Northern Hemisphere that have been widely documented,while ozone trends in the Southern Hemisphere(SH)remain largely unexplained.Here we first show that in-situ and satellite observations document increases of tropospheric ozone in the SH over 1990–2015.We then use a global chemical transport model to diagnose drivers of these trends.We find that increases of anthropogenic emissions(including methane)are not the most significant contributors.Instead,we explain the trend as due to changes in meteorology,and particularly in transport patterns.We propose a possible linkage of the ozone increases to meridional transport pattern shifts driven by poleward expansion of the SH Hadley circulation(SHHC).The SHHC poleward expansion allows more downward transport of ozone from the stratosphere to the troposphere at higher latitudes,and also enhances tropospheric ozone production through stronger lifting of tropical ozone precursors to the upper troposphere.These together may lead to increasing tropospheric ozone in the extratropical SH,particularly in the middle/upper troposphere and in austral autumn.Poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation is partly driven by greenhouse warming,and the associated increase in tropospheric ozone potentially provides a positive climate feedback amplifying the warming that merits further quantification.展开更多
The Hadley circulation is one of the most important atmospheric circulations.Widening of the Hadley circulation has drawn extensive studies in the past decade.The key concern is that widening of the Hadley circulation...The Hadley circulation is one of the most important atmospheric circulations.Widening of the Hadley circulation has drawn extensive studies in the past decade.The key concern is that widening of the Hadley circulation would cause poleward shift of the subtropical dry zone.Various metrics have been applied to measure the widening of the tropics.What are responsible for the observed widening trends of the Hadley circulation? How anthropogenic and natural forcings caused the widening? How the widening results in regional climatic effects? These are the major questions in studing the widening of the Hadley circulation.While both observations and simulations all show widening of the Hadley circulation in the past few decades,there are no general agreements of changes in the strength of the Hadley circulation.Although some reanalysis datasets show strengthening of the Hadley circulation,it was shown that the strengthening trend could be artificial,and simulations show weakening of the Hadley circulation for global greenhouse warming.In the present paper,we shall briefly review the major progresses of studies in trends in width and strength of the Hadley circulation.We address answers to these questions,clarify inconsistent results,and propose ideas for future studies.展开更多
The present study explored how the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) influences October-November-December (OND) rainfall over Tanzania in recent decade following the 2011 abrupt change. The study spans 50 years, from 1973 to ...The present study explored how the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) influences October-November-December (OND) rainfall over Tanzania in recent decade following the 2011 abrupt change. The study spans 50 years, from 1973 to 2022. Notable abrupt changes were observed in 1976 and 2011, leading us to divide our study into two periods: 1976-2010 and 2011-2022, allowing for a close investigation into the existing relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall and their associated large-scale atmospheric circulations. It was found that the relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall strengthened, with the correlation changed from +0.73 during 1976-2010 to +0.81 during 2011-2022. Further investigation revealed that, during 1976-2010, areas that received above- normal rainfall during positive IOD experienced below-normal during 2011- 2022 and vice versa. The same pattern relationship was observed for negative IOD. Spatial analysis demonstrates that the percentage departure of rainfall across the region mirrors the standardized rainfall anomalies. The study highlights that the changing relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall corresponds to the east-west shift of Walker circulation, as well as the north-south shift of Hadley circulation. Analysis of sea surface temperature (SST) indicates that both positive and negative IOD events strengthened during 2011-2022 compared to 1976-2010. Close monitoring of this relationship across different timescales could be useful for updating OND rainfall seasonal forecasts in Tanzania, serving as a tool for reducing socio-economic impacts.展开更多
The interdecadal characteristics of rainfall and temperature in China before and after the abrupt change of the general circulation in 1976 are analyzed using the global 2.5°×2.5° monthly mean reanalysi...The interdecadal characteristics of rainfall and temperature in China before and after the abrupt change of the general circulation in 1976 are analyzed using the global 2.5°×2.5° monthly mean reanalysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction of US and the precipitation and temperature data at the 743 stations of China from the National Climate Center of China. The results show that after 1976, springtime precipitation and temperature were anomalously enhanced and reduced respectively in South China, while the reverse was true in the western Yangtze River basin. In summer, precipitation was anomalously less in South China, more in the Yangtze River basin, less again in North China and more again in Northeast China, showing a distribution pattern alternating with negative and positive anomalies （＂ , ＋, -, ＋＂）. Meanwhile, temperature shows a distribution of warming in South China, cooling in the Yangtze and Huaihe River basins, and warming again in northern China. In autumn, precipitation tended to decrease and temperature tended to increase in in South China and warming was most parts of the country. In winter, the trend across all parts of China. precipitation increased moderately The interdecadal decline of mean temperature in spring and summer in China was mainly due to the daily maximum temperature variation, while the interdecadal increase was mainly the result of the minimum temperature change. The overall warming in autumn （winter） was mostly influenced by the minimum （maximum） temperature variation. These changes were closely related to the north-south shifts of the ascending and descending branches of the Hadley cell, the strengthening and north-south progression of the westerly jet stream, and the atmospheric stratification and water vapor transport conditions.展开更多
There have been extensive studies on poleward expansion of the Hadley cells and the associated poleward shift of subtropical dry zones in the past decade.In the present study,we study the trends in the width and stren...There have been extensive studies on poleward expansion of the Hadley cells and the associated poleward shift of subtropical dry zones in the past decade.In the present study,we study the trends in the width and strength of the Hadley cells,using currently available simulation results of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase-6(CMIP6),and compare the trends with that in CMIP5 simulations.Our results show that the total annual-mean trend in the width of the Hadley cells is 0.13°±0.02°per decade over 1970–2014 in CMIP6 historical All-forcing simulations.It is almost the same as that in CMIP5.The trend in the strength of the Northern-Hemisphere(NH)cell shows much greater weakening in CMIP6 than in CMIP5,while the strength trend in the Southern-Hemisphere(SH)cell shows slight strengthening.Single-forcing simulations demonstrate that increasing greenhouse gases cause widening and weakening of both the NH and SH Hadley cells,while anthropogenic aerosols and stratospheric ozone changes cause weak strengthening trends in the SH cell.CMIP6 projection simulation results show that both the widening and weakening trends increase with radiative forcing.展开更多
The tropical Hadley circulation （HC） plays an important role in influencing the climate in the tropics and extra-tropics. The realism of the climatological characteristics, spatial structure, and temporal evolution ...The tropical Hadley circulation （HC） plays an important role in influencing the climate in the tropics and extra-tropics. The realism of the climatological characteristics, spatial structure, and temporal evolution of the long-term variation of the principal mode of the annual mean HC （i.e., the equatorially asymmetric mode, EAM） was examined in model simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5）. The results showed that all the models are moderately successful in capturing the HC＇s climatological features, including the spatial pattern, meridional extent, and intensity, but not the spatial or temporal variation of the EAM. The possible reasons for the poor simulation of the long-term variability of the EAM were explored. None of the models can successfully capture the differences in the warming rate between the tropical Southern Hemisphere （SH） and Northern Hemisphere （NH）, which is considered to be an important driver for the variation of the AM. Most of the models produce a faster warming in the NH than in the SH, which is the reverse of the observed trend. This leads to a reversed trend in the meridional gradient between the SH and NH, and contributes to the poor simulation of EAM variability. Thus, this aspect of the models should be improved to provide better simulations of the variability of the HC. This study suggests a possible reason for the poor simulation of the HC, which may be helpful for improving the skill of the CMIP5 models in the future.展开更多
The interannual variability of the boreal winter （DJF） Hadley Cell strength during 1979-2008 is investigated using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. The results of AMIP simulation of LASG/IAP AGCM GAMIL2.0 are compared aga...The interannual variability of the boreal winter （DJF） Hadley Cell strength during 1979-2008 is investigated using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. The results of AMIP simulation of LASG/IAP AGCM GAMIL2.0 are compared against the re- analysis data. Both the reanalysis data and the simulation show that the interannual variability of the Hadley Cell strength has a non-uniform spatial distribution, as evidenced by the 1st Empirical Orthogonal Function （EOF） mode. The change of Hadley cell strength in the tropics is opposite to that in the subtropical regions. Our analysis indicates that a positive phase of EOF1 is associated with an E1 Nifio-like warmer equatorial central and eastern Pacific and a warmer southern Indian Ocean. Above features are also seen in the results of GAMIL2.0 simulation, indicating that the interannual variability of the Hadley Cell strength is driven by the tropical ocean variability. Our analysis also demonstrates that the contribution of the warmer cen- tral-eastern Pacific to the 1st EOF mode is larger than that of the South Indian Ocean. The SST forcing enhances the local Hadley circulation strength in the central Pacific and Africa （30°S-30°N, 150°E-90°W）, while it weakens the local Hadley circulation in other regions （30°S-30°N, 90°-10°W）. The western Pacific anticyclone remotely driven by the E1 Nifio forcing leads to a weakened local Hadley cell in the Northern Hemisphere, while the South Indian Ocean anticyclone driven by the remote E1 Nifio forcing and the local warmer SST anomalies in the southern Indian Ocean results in a weakened local Hadley Cell in the Southern Hemisphere. The enhancement of the Pacific local Hadley Cell is stronger （weaker） than that of the Atlan- tic, the western Pacific, and the southern Indian Ocean in the tropical （subtropical） part, thus for the zonal mean condition the strength of the total Hadley Cell is stronger （weaker） in the tropical （subtropical） limb. The amplitude of the Hadley Cell change in the Northern Hemisph展开更多
Atmospheric circulation cells associated with anomalous East Asian Winter Monsoon （EAWM） were studied using the 1948/49 to 2002/03 NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and NCAR CAM3 AGCM simulations with monthly global sea surface ...Atmospheric circulation cells associated with anomalous East Asian Winter Monsoon （EAWM） were studied using the 1948/49 to 2002/03 NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and NCAR CAM3 AGCM simulations with monthly global sea surface temperatures from 1950 to 2000. Several atmospheric cells in the Pacific [i.e., the zonal Walker cell （ZWC） in the tropic, the Hadley cell in the western Pacific （WPHC）, the midlatitude zonal cell （MZC） over the central North Pacific, and the Hadley cell in the eastern Pacific （EPHC）] are associated with anomalous EAWM. When the EAWM is strong, ZWC, WPHC, and MZC are enhanced, as opposed to EPHC. The anomalous enhanced ZWC is characterized by air parcels rising in the western tropical Pacific, flowing eastward in the upper troposphere, and descending in the tropical central Pacific before returning to the tropical western Pacific. The enhanced MZC has characteristics opposite those of the enhanced ZWC in the central North Pacific. The anomalous WPHC shows air parcels rising in the western Pacific, as in the case of ZWC, followed by flowing northward in the upper troposphere and descending in the west North Pacific, as in the case of the enhanced MZC before returning to the western tropical Pacific. The anomalous EPHC is opposite in properties to the anomalous WPHC. Opposite characteristics are found during the weak EAWM period. The model simulations and the observations show similar characteristics and indicate the important role of sea surface temperature. A possible mechanism is proposed to link interannual variation of EAWM with the central-eastern tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomaly （SSTA）.展开更多
In this paper,two schemes proposed by Julian(1984)and Krishnamauti(1986)are used to retrieve the tropical divergent wind at 200 hPa and 850 hPa from the satellite observational Outgoing Long-wave Radiation(OLR).The co...In this paper,two schemes proposed by Julian(1984)and Krishnamauti(1986)are used to retrieve the tropical divergent wind at 200 hPa and 850 hPa from the satellite observational Outgoing Long-wave Radiation(OLR).The comparison study has been conducted among the OLR-derived divergent wind field and those directly from wind fields of ECMWF and CAC tropical analysis,and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis for examining their reliability.Then,the divergent wind retrieved from OLR by using Julian's scheme is used to composite the diagrams of the Walker circulation and the local Hadley circulation during 1982—1983 ENSO event.The possible linkage between the anomalies of summer rainfall in East China during this period and the anomalous Walker and local Hadley circulations is discussed. It is shown that it is practically feasible to use the satellite observed OLR data in the estimation of the tropical divergent wind.It is aiso indicated that NCEP/NCAR reanalysis has made a progress for improving the reliability of the tropical divergent wind,though some biases still exist in the description of the intensity and position of the divergence(convergence)maximum centers over Asian monsoon region.The application of Julian's method to a diagnosis on the evolutions of the anomalous Walker and Hadley circulations during 1982—1983 ENSO event shows that the development of this ENSO event is not companied with the sudden reversal of the Walker circulation,but the propagation of the ascending branch over the western Pacific to the central- eastern Pacific and crossing through the date line,which results in a significant displacement of the vertical circulation over the West Pacific(WP)and the central-east Pacific(CEP).It is also indicated that there exists a close linkage between the change of local Hadley circulation in the WP and the Walker circulation in the CEP,implying that the Walker circulation possibly severs as a bridge between the anomalies of the SST in the CEP and the change of local Hadley circulation in Northwest Pacific.The latte展开更多
By adopting the idea of three-dimensional Walker, Hadley and Rossby stream functions, the global atmospheric circulation can be considered as the sum of three stream functions from a global perspective. Therefore, a m...By adopting the idea of three-dimensional Walker, Hadley and Rossby stream functions, the global atmospheric circulation can be considered as the sum of three stream functions from a global perspective. Therefore, a mathematical model of three-dimensional展开更多
A discussion of the mass transport of the Hadley circulation is presented, with regard to its longitudinal structure. Data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data set for the period 1948-2005 is examined, focusing on the s...A discussion of the mass transport of the Hadley circulation is presented, with regard to its longitudinal structure. Data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data set for the period 1948-2005 is examined, focusing on the solsticial seasons of June-August and December-February. Quantitative estimates have been extracted from the data to observe connections between the zonal mean of the upper tropospheric north/south mass transports and their relationship to the driving factor of tropical precipitation （implying latent heat release） and subsidence in the subtropical high pressure belts. The longitudinal structure of this flow is then examined with regard to these three main variables. The poleward upper tropospheric transport has four （JJA） or three （DJF） main branches, which link regions of major precipitation with corresponding regions of large subsidence, and one （June, July, August） or two （December, January, February） reverse branches. This structure has remained stable over the past sixty years. Although the total upper tropospheric transport in each season is less than the total sinking transport in the target subtropical high pressure belt, this does not apply to the individual branches, the balance being made up by the upper tropospheric reverse transports. An analysis of correlations between all of these various components shows, however, that the complete picture is more complex, with some precipitation regions being linked to subsidence regions outside their own branch.展开更多
Professor Duzheng YE（Tu-cheng YEH） was decades ahead of his time in proposing a model experiment to investigate whether abrupt seasonal changes of the general circulation can arise through circulation feedbacks alon...Professor Duzheng YE（Tu-cheng YEH） was decades ahead of his time in proposing a model experiment to investigate whether abrupt seasonal changes of the general circulation can arise through circulation feedbacks alone, unrelated to underlying inhomogeneities at the lower boundary. Here, we introduce Professor YEH＇s ideas during the 1950 s and 1960 s on the general circulation and summarize the results and suggestions of Yeh et al.（1959） on abrupt seasonal changes. We then review recent advances in understanding abrupt seasonal changes arising from model experiments like those proposed by Yeh et al.（1959）. The model experiments show that circulation feedbacks can indeed give rise to abrupt seasonal transitions.In these transitions, large-scale eddies that originate in midlatitudes and interact with the zonal mean flow and meridional overturning circulations in the tropics play central roles.展开更多
文摘Based on the annual variation of the rainfall departure percentage in summer in the lower-middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River valley, 7 cases for the abnormal drought and flooding summers (the drought years: 1981. 1984, 1985; the flooding yearst 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987) are selected. First we analyse the general circulation characteristics of the summer drought and flooding, and then the evolution processes of the general circulation patterns from preceding winters to summers are studied. It is found that during the two kinds of preceding winters for the drought and flooding summer, not only the general circulation patterns in the high-mid latitudes, the local Hadley cells in East Asia but also the activities of the cold surge in the lower latitude are different obviously. Spring, especially April, is the turning period of the general circulation in preceding winter for the drought or nooding summer evolution towards opposite direction. Hereafter, the drought or flooding circulation pattern is established and developed.
基金This work was supported by the" National key programme of China for developing basic science" !G 1998040900 part 1, NSFC 496752
文摘Two numerical simulations of forced local Hadley circulation are carried out based on a linear diagnostic equation to provide an insight into the mechanisms of monsoon evolution in different monsoon regions. One simulation is for the zonal mean Hadley circulation over East Asia (from 95°E to 122.5°E), another over India (from 70°E to 85°E). With the NCEP/ NCAR re-analysis data re—processed by Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing, the former simulation displays a dominant anti—Hadley circulation pattern over East Asia at 1200 UTC May 1, 1994. The simulated circulation pattern is consistent well enough with the circulation pattern plotted directly from the data for lack of the radiation information at each level. Although the simulation over India is not as good as that over East Asia, a dominant Hadley circulation pattern is obvious as data show. Further analysis shows that the defective simulation over India is due to the presence of statically unstable condition at some grid points in the lower troposphere. This circumstance slightly violates the hydrodynamic stability criterion required by the elliptic diagnostic equation for the forced circulation. Since the simulations are reliable enough compared with the given data, the linear equation facilitates a systematic assessment of relative importance of each internally forcing process. The assessment shows that among the internal processes, the horizontal temperature advections account obviously for the Hadley (anti—Hadley) circulation over India (East Asia) at 1200 UTC May 1, 1994 in addition to the process associated with the latent heat releasing. The calculation of latent heat energy is a little bit unreliable due to the unclear cloud physics in the convection processes and the less accurate humidity data. These preliminary results are consistent with the results of previous studies which show that the feature of the seasonal warming in the upper troposphere and the corresponding processes are part of key processes closely related to the evolution o
文摘Based on the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCEP/NCAR） reanalysis data from 1950-1999, interdecadal variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM） and its associated atmospheric circulations are investigated. The EASM exhibits a distinct interdecadal variation, with stronger （weaker） summer monsoon maintained from 1950-1964 （1976-1997）. In the former case, there is an enhanced Walker cell in the eastern Pacific and an anti-Walker cell in the western Pacific. The associated ascending motion resides in the central Pacific, which flows eastward and westward in the upper troposphere, descending in the eastern and western ends of the Pacific basin. At the same time, an anomalous East Asian Hadley Cell （EAHC） is found to connect the low-latitude and mid-latitude systems in East Asia, which strengthens the EASM. The descending branch of the EAHC lies in the west part of the anti-Walker cell, flowing northward in the lower troposphere and then ascending at the south of Lake Baikal （40°-50°N, 95°- 115°E） before returning to low latitudes in the upper troposphere, thus strengthening the EASM. The relationship between the EASM and SST in the eastern tropical Pacific is also discussed. A possible mechanism is proposed to link interdecadal variation of the EASM with the eastern tropical Pacific SST. A warmer sea surface temperature anomaly （SSTA） therein induces anomalous ascending motion in the eastern Pacific, resulting in a weaker Walker cell, and at the same time inducing an anomalous Walker cell in the western Pacific and an enhanced EAHC, leading to a weaker EASM. Furthermore, the interdecadal variation of summer precipitation over North China is found to be the south of Lake Baikal through enhancing and reducing strongly regulated by the velocity potential over the regional vertical motions.
文摘Based on NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the interdecadal variability of Hadley circulation （HC） and its association with East Asian temperature in winter are investigated. Results indicate that the Northern Hemisphere winter HC underwent apparent change in the 1970s, with transition occurring around 1976/77. Along with interdecadal variability of HC, its linkage to surface air temperature （SAT） in East Asia also varied decadally, from weak relations to strong relations. Such a change may be related to the interaction between HC and the atmospheric circulation system over the Philippines, which is associated with the East Asian winter monsoon （EAWM）. Before the 1970s, the connection between HC and the anticyclonic circulation around the Philippines was insignificant, but after the late 1970s their linkage entered a strong regime. The intensification of this connection may therefore be responsible for the strong relations between HC and East Asian winter temperatures after the late 1970s.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40875042, 41025018)the National Basic Research Program of China (2007CB411801)+2 种基金the Ministry of Education of China (20070001002)J Liu is supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(2006CB403605)NSFC (40876099)
文摘How the Hadley circulation changes in response to global climate change and how its change impacts upon regional and global climates has generated a lot of interest in the literature in the past few years. In this paper, consistent and statistically significant poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation in the past few decades is demonstrated, using independent observational datasets as proxy measures of the Hadley circulation. Both observational outgoing longwave radiation and precipitation datasets show an annual average total poleward expansion of the Hadley cells of about 3.6° latitude. Sea level pressure from observational and reanalysis datasets show smaller magnitudes of poleward expansion, of about 1.2° latitude. Ensemble general circulation model simulations forced by observed time-varying sea surface temperatures were found to generate a total poleward expansion of about 1.23°latitude. Possible mechanisms behind the changes in the horizontal extent of the Hadley circulation are discussed.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC Grant No.41025018)the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program,Grant No.2010CB428606)supported by NSFC(Grant No.41176169)
文摘Observational analyses have demonstrated that the Hadley circulation has expanded poleward in recent decades. Important issues are what caused the widening of the Hadley circulation and whether the observed widening is related to anthropogenic forcing. In the present study, we use currently available simulations of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase-5 （CMIP5） to analyze changes in the width of the Hadley circulation. It is found that CMIP5 historical simulations with greenhouse gas （GHG） forcing generate a total widening of ,-0.15°±0.06°in latitude （10 yr）-1 for the period 1979-2005, and the widening in CMIP5 historical simulations with all forcings is -0.17°± 0.06° per decade. Similar to that in CMIP3, the simulated poleward expansion in CMIP5 is much weaker than the observational reanalyses. In CMIP5 projection simulations for the 21st century, magnitudes of widening of the Hadley circulation increase with radiative forcing. For the extreme projected radiative forcing of RCP8.5, the total annual-mean widening of the Hadley circulation is -0.27°±0.04° （10 yr）-1 in the 21st century. Although CMIP5 underestimates observed poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation, the results of this study suggest that the observed trends in the width of the Hadley circulation are caused by anthropogenic forcing and that increasing GHGs play an important role in the observed poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation, in addition to other foreings emphasized in previous studies.
基金The other authors are grateful for the support from the China National Science Foundation(Grant No.40233027)
文摘The evolutionary process and structural characteristics of the atmospheric circulation and synoptic situation which caused the record heavy rainfall with a precipitation amount of 550 mm in Hat Yai, Thailand from 20 to 23 November 2000 is studied. In the study, the modern three dimensional observational data were collected as completely as possible, and detailed analyses were made. It is revealed that the cold surges of the Asian winter monsoon that originate from Siberia can arrive at the lower latitudes, including South Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, cause strong heavy rainfall there, and interact with weather systems in the near-equatorial regions of the Southern Hemisphere. This is strongly supported by Chinese scientist's original finding in 1930s. The strong convective cloud clusters in the above areas are generated by the direct influence of the cold surges, and are related with the South China Sea disturbances in the lower troposphere. The maximum of the convergence of total moisture flux near South Thailand in the situation under study implies that the water vapour supply is abundant and very favorable to the occurrence of the heavy rainfall. The release of latent heat enhances the Hadley Circulation also. The feedback of the strong severe weather on climate indeed exists, and there are pronounced interactions between the multi-scale systems and between both hemispheres.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41475112,41375072,and 41530423)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFC0210102)+1 种基金supported by the Chinese Scholarship Councilsupport from the Atmospheric Chemistry Program of the US National Science Foundation
文摘Increases in free tropospheric ozone over the past two decades are mainly in the Northern Hemisphere that have been widely documented,while ozone trends in the Southern Hemisphere(SH)remain largely unexplained.Here we first show that in-situ and satellite observations document increases of tropospheric ozone in the SH over 1990–2015.We then use a global chemical transport model to diagnose drivers of these trends.We find that increases of anthropogenic emissions(including methane)are not the most significant contributors.Instead,we explain the trend as due to changes in meteorology,and particularly in transport patterns.We propose a possible linkage of the ozone increases to meridional transport pattern shifts driven by poleward expansion of the SH Hadley circulation(SHHC).The SHHC poleward expansion allows more downward transport of ozone from the stratosphere to the troposphere at higher latitudes,and also enhances tropospheric ozone production through stronger lifting of tropical ozone precursors to the upper troposphere.These together may lead to increasing tropospheric ozone in the extratropical SH,particularly in the middle/upper troposphere and in austral autumn.Poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation is partly driven by greenhouse warming,and the associated increase in tropospheric ozone potentially provides a positive climate feedback amplifying the warming that merits further quantification.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41530423,and 41761144072)
文摘The Hadley circulation is one of the most important atmospheric circulations.Widening of the Hadley circulation has drawn extensive studies in the past decade.The key concern is that widening of the Hadley circulation would cause poleward shift of the subtropical dry zone.Various metrics have been applied to measure the widening of the tropics.What are responsible for the observed widening trends of the Hadley circulation? How anthropogenic and natural forcings caused the widening? How the widening results in regional climatic effects? These are the major questions in studing the widening of the Hadley circulation.While both observations and simulations all show widening of the Hadley circulation in the past few decades,there are no general agreements of changes in the strength of the Hadley circulation.Although some reanalysis datasets show strengthening of the Hadley circulation,it was shown that the strengthening trend could be artificial,and simulations show weakening of the Hadley circulation for global greenhouse warming.In the present paper,we shall briefly review the major progresses of studies in trends in width and strength of the Hadley circulation.We address answers to these questions,clarify inconsistent results,and propose ideas for future studies.
文摘The present study explored how the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) influences October-November-December (OND) rainfall over Tanzania in recent decade following the 2011 abrupt change. The study spans 50 years, from 1973 to 2022. Notable abrupt changes were observed in 1976 and 2011, leading us to divide our study into two periods: 1976-2010 and 2011-2022, allowing for a close investigation into the existing relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall and their associated large-scale atmospheric circulations. It was found that the relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall strengthened, with the correlation changed from +0.73 during 1976-2010 to +0.81 during 2011-2022. Further investigation revealed that, during 1976-2010, areas that received above- normal rainfall during positive IOD experienced below-normal during 2011- 2022 and vice versa. The same pattern relationship was observed for negative IOD. Spatial analysis demonstrates that the percentage departure of rainfall across the region mirrors the standardized rainfall anomalies. The study highlights that the changing relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall corresponds to the east-west shift of Walker circulation, as well as the north-south shift of Hadley circulation. Analysis of sea surface temperature (SST) indicates that both positive and negative IOD events strengthened during 2011-2022 compared to 1976-2010. Close monitoring of this relationship across different timescales could be useful for updating OND rainfall seasonal forecasts in Tanzania, serving as a tool for reducing socio-economic impacts.
基金Supported jointly by the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant No. 2006CB403600Science and Technology Project Item of Guangdong Province under Grant No. 2005B32601007+2 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of Chinaunder Grant Nos. 90211010, 40775058, 40675054, 40675055, and 40505019China Meteorological Administration under Contract CMATG2006L03Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong under Grant No. 06020745
文摘The interdecadal characteristics of rainfall and temperature in China before and after the abrupt change of the general circulation in 1976 are analyzed using the global 2.5°×2.5° monthly mean reanalysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction of US and the precipitation and temperature data at the 743 stations of China from the National Climate Center of China. The results show that after 1976, springtime precipitation and temperature were anomalously enhanced and reduced respectively in South China, while the reverse was true in the western Yangtze River basin. In summer, precipitation was anomalously less in South China, more in the Yangtze River basin, less again in North China and more again in Northeast China, showing a distribution pattern alternating with negative and positive anomalies （＂ , ＋, -, ＋＂）. Meanwhile, temperature shows a distribution of warming in South China, cooling in the Yangtze and Huaihe River basins, and warming again in northern China. In autumn, precipitation tended to decrease and temperature tended to increase in in South China and warming was most parts of the country. In winter, the trend across all parts of China. precipitation increased moderately The interdecadal decline of mean temperature in spring and summer in China was mainly due to the daily maximum temperature variation, while the interdecadal increase was mainly the result of the minimum temperature change. The overall warming in autumn （winter） was mostly influenced by the minimum （maximum） temperature variation. These changes were closely related to the north-south shifts of the ascending and descending branches of the Hadley cell, the strengthening and north-south progression of the westerly jet stream, and the atmospheric stratification and water vapor transport conditions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41530423,41761144072)supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(2019QZKK0604)。
文摘There have been extensive studies on poleward expansion of the Hadley cells and the associated poleward shift of subtropical dry zones in the past decade.In the present study,we study the trends in the width and strength of the Hadley cells,using currently available simulation results of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase-6(CMIP6),and compare the trends with that in CMIP5 simulations.Our results show that the total annual-mean trend in the width of the Hadley cells is 0.13°±0.02°per decade over 1970–2014 in CMIP6 historical All-forcing simulations.It is almost the same as that in CMIP5.The trend in the strength of the Northern-Hemisphere(NH)cell shows much greater weakening in CMIP6 than in CMIP5,while the strength trend in the Southern-Hemisphere(SH)cell shows slight strengthening.Single-forcing simulations demonstrate that increasing greenhouse gases cause widening and weakening of both the NH and SH Hadley cells,while anthropogenic aerosols and stratospheric ozone changes cause weak strengthening trends in the SH cell.CMIP6 projection simulation results show that both the widening and weakening trends increase with radiative forcing.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41205046 and 41475076)the 973 Program (Grant No. 2013CB 430203)
文摘The tropical Hadley circulation （HC） plays an important role in influencing the climate in the tropics and extra-tropics. The realism of the climatological characteristics, spatial structure, and temporal evolution of the long-term variation of the principal mode of the annual mean HC （i.e., the equatorially asymmetric mode, EAM） was examined in model simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5）. The results showed that all the models are moderately successful in capturing the HC＇s climatological features, including the spatial pattern, meridional extent, and intensity, but not the spatial or temporal variation of the EAM. The possible reasons for the poor simulation of the long-term variability of the EAM were explored. None of the models can successfully capture the differences in the warming rate between the tropical Southern Hemisphere （SH） and Northern Hemisphere （NH）, which is considered to be an important driver for the variation of the AM. Most of the models produce a faster warming in the NH than in the SH, which is the reverse of the observed trend. This leads to a reversed trend in the meridional gradient between the SH and NH, and contributes to the poor simulation of EAM variability. Thus, this aspect of the models should be improved to provide better simulations of the variability of the HC. This study suggests a possible reason for the poor simulation of the HC, which may be helpful for improving the skill of the CMIP5 models in the future.
基金supported by National High-tech R&D Program of China(Grant No. 2010AA012304)National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No. 2010CB951904)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40890054)
文摘The interannual variability of the boreal winter （DJF） Hadley Cell strength during 1979-2008 is investigated using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. The results of AMIP simulation of LASG/IAP AGCM GAMIL2.0 are compared against the re- analysis data. Both the reanalysis data and the simulation show that the interannual variability of the Hadley Cell strength has a non-uniform spatial distribution, as evidenced by the 1st Empirical Orthogonal Function （EOF） mode. The change of Hadley cell strength in the tropics is opposite to that in the subtropical regions. Our analysis indicates that a positive phase of EOF1 is associated with an E1 Nifio-like warmer equatorial central and eastern Pacific and a warmer southern Indian Ocean. Above features are also seen in the results of GAMIL2.0 simulation, indicating that the interannual variability of the Hadley Cell strength is driven by the tropical ocean variability. Our analysis also demonstrates that the contribution of the warmer cen- tral-eastern Pacific to the 1st EOF mode is larger than that of the South Indian Ocean. The SST forcing enhances the local Hadley circulation strength in the central Pacific and Africa （30°S-30°N, 150°E-90°W）, while it weakens the local Hadley circulation in other regions （30°S-30°N, 90°-10°W）. The western Pacific anticyclone remotely driven by the E1 Nifio forcing leads to a weakened local Hadley cell in the Northern Hemisphere, while the South Indian Ocean anticyclone driven by the remote E1 Nifio forcing and the local warmer SST anomalies in the southern Indian Ocean results in a weakened local Hadley Cell in the Southern Hemisphere. The enhancement of the Pacific local Hadley Cell is stronger （weaker） than that of the Atlan- tic, the western Pacific, and the southern Indian Ocean in the tropical （subtropical） part, thus for the zonal mean condition the strength of the total Hadley Cell is stronger （weaker） in the tropical （subtropical） limb. The amplitude of the Hadley Cell change in the Northern Hemisph
基金supported jointly by the grant from the Office of Science (BER),U. S. Department of Energy, the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40775059, 40171029, and 40905045)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. IAP09312)+1 种基金a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD)the project from Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. KLME050104)
文摘Atmospheric circulation cells associated with anomalous East Asian Winter Monsoon （EAWM） were studied using the 1948/49 to 2002/03 NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and NCAR CAM3 AGCM simulations with monthly global sea surface temperatures from 1950 to 2000. Several atmospheric cells in the Pacific [i.e., the zonal Walker cell （ZWC） in the tropic, the Hadley cell in the western Pacific （WPHC）, the midlatitude zonal cell （MZC） over the central North Pacific, and the Hadley cell in the eastern Pacific （EPHC）] are associated with anomalous EAWM. When the EAWM is strong, ZWC, WPHC, and MZC are enhanced, as opposed to EPHC. The anomalous enhanced ZWC is characterized by air parcels rising in the western tropical Pacific, flowing eastward in the upper troposphere, and descending in the tropical central Pacific before returning to the tropical western Pacific. The enhanced MZC has characteristics opposite those of the enhanced ZWC in the central North Pacific. The anomalous WPHC shows air parcels rising in the western Pacific, as in the case of ZWC, followed by flowing northward in the upper troposphere and descending in the west North Pacific, as in the case of the enhanced MZC before returning to the western tropical Pacific. The anomalous EPHC is opposite in properties to the anomalous WPHC. Opposite characteristics are found during the weak EAWM period. The model simulations and the observations show similar characteristics and indicate the important role of sea surface temperature. A possible mechanism is proposed to link interannual variation of EAWM with the central-eastern tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomaly （SSTA）.
基金This research is supported by the Chinese Ninth Five-Year National Project"Short-Range Climate Prediction System" the National Natural Science Foundation of China project for the young scientists,Grant No.49705061.
文摘In this paper,two schemes proposed by Julian(1984)and Krishnamauti(1986)are used to retrieve the tropical divergent wind at 200 hPa and 850 hPa from the satellite observational Outgoing Long-wave Radiation(OLR).The comparison study has been conducted among the OLR-derived divergent wind field and those directly from wind fields of ECMWF and CAC tropical analysis,and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis for examining their reliability.Then,the divergent wind retrieved from OLR by using Julian's scheme is used to composite the diagrams of the Walker circulation and the local Hadley circulation during 1982—1983 ENSO event.The possible linkage between the anomalies of summer rainfall in East China during this period and the anomalous Walker and local Hadley circulations is discussed. It is shown that it is practically feasible to use the satellite observed OLR data in the estimation of the tropical divergent wind.It is aiso indicated that NCEP/NCAR reanalysis has made a progress for improving the reliability of the tropical divergent wind,though some biases still exist in the description of the intensity and position of the divergence(convergence)maximum centers over Asian monsoon region.The application of Julian's method to a diagnosis on the evolutions of the anomalous Walker and Hadley circulations during 1982—1983 ENSO event shows that the development of this ENSO event is not companied with the sudden reversal of the Walker circulation,but the propagation of the ascending branch over the western Pacific to the central- eastern Pacific and crossing through the date line,which results in a significant displacement of the vertical circulation over the West Pacific(WP)and the central-east Pacific(CEP).It is also indicated that there exists a close linkage between the change of local Hadley circulation in the WP and the Walker circulation in the CEP,implying that the Walker circulation possibly severs as a bridge between the anomalies of the SST in the CEP and the change of local Hadley circulation in Northwest Pacific.The latte
基金the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 2006CB403607 and 2006CB400503)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40475027 and 40575028)
文摘By adopting the idea of three-dimensional Walker, Hadley and Rossby stream functions, the global atmospheric circulation can be considered as the sum of three stream functions from a global perspective. Therefore, a mathematical model of three-dimensional
文摘A discussion of the mass transport of the Hadley circulation is presented, with regard to its longitudinal structure. Data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data set for the period 1948-2005 is examined, focusing on the solsticial seasons of June-August and December-February. Quantitative estimates have been extracted from the data to observe connections between the zonal mean of the upper tropospheric north/south mass transports and their relationship to the driving factor of tropical precipitation （implying latent heat release） and subsidence in the subtropical high pressure belts. The longitudinal structure of this flow is then examined with regard to these three main variables. The poleward upper tropospheric transport has four （JJA） or three （DJF） main branches, which link regions of major precipitation with corresponding regions of large subsidence, and one （June, July, August） or two （December, January, February） reverse branches. This structure has remained stable over the past sixty years. Although the total upper tropospheric transport in each season is less than the total sinking transport in the target subtropical high pressure belt, this does not apply to the individual branches, the balance being made up by the upper tropospheric reverse transports. An analysis of correlations between all of these various components shows, however, that the complete picture is more complex, with some precipitation regions being linked to subsidence regions outside their own branch.
基金support from the LASG during his visit to the labsupported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 4157060636)the Hundred Talents Program of Sun Yat-sen University
文摘Professor Duzheng YE（Tu-cheng YEH） was decades ahead of his time in proposing a model experiment to investigate whether abrupt seasonal changes of the general circulation can arise through circulation feedbacks alone, unrelated to underlying inhomogeneities at the lower boundary. Here, we introduce Professor YEH＇s ideas during the 1950 s and 1960 s on the general circulation and summarize the results and suggestions of Yeh et al.（1959） on abrupt seasonal changes. We then review recent advances in understanding abrupt seasonal changes arising from model experiments like those proposed by Yeh et al.（1959）. The model experiments show that circulation feedbacks can indeed give rise to abrupt seasonal transitions.In these transitions, large-scale eddies that originate in midlatitudes and interact with the zonal mean flow and meridional overturning circulations in the tropics play central roles.
