Yaocun Zhang

Seasonal evolution of the upper‐tropospheric westerly jet core over East Asia

] The location change of the westerly jet core at uppertroposphere in June and July is investigated by using theNCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. The results show that thelocation of the westerly jet core changes rapidly from 140 Eto 90 E during 35th–39th pentads, which corresponds tothe plum rain period over East Asia. The location change ofthe jet core is actually the relative intensity change of thedifferent westerly jet centers. The meridional temperaturecontrast in the troposphere is associated with the rapidlocation change of the jet core. The diabatic heating changesare the primary factor determining the seasonal evolutionof the westerly jet core over East Asia.

Calibration of a convective parameterization scheme in the WRF model and its impact on the simulation of East Asian summer monsoon precipitation

Reasonably modeling the magnitude, south–north gradient and seasonal propagation of precipitation associated with the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) is a challenging task in the climate community. In this study we calibrate five key parameters in the Kain–Fritsch convection scheme in the WRF model using an efficient importance-sampling algorithm to improve the EASM simulation. We also examine the impacts of the improved EASM precipitation on other physical process. Our results suggest similar model sensitivity and values of optimized parameters across years with different EASM intensities. By applying the optimal parameters, the simulated precipitation and surface energy features are generally improved. The parameters related to downdraft, entrainment coefficients and CAPE consumption time (CCT) can most sensitively affect the precipitation and atmospheric features. Larger downdraft coefficient or CCT decrease the heavy rainfall frequency, while larger entrainment coefficient delays the convection development but build up more potential for heavy rainfall events, causing a possible northward shift of rainfall distribution. The CCT is the most sensitive parameter over wet region and the downdraft parameter plays more important roles over drier northern region. Long-term simulations confirm that by using the optimized parameters the precipitation distributions are better simulated in both weak and strong EASM years. Due to more reasonable simulated precipitation condensational heating, the monsoon circulations are also improved. By using the optimized parameters the biases in the retreating (beginning) of Mei-yu (northern China rainfall) simulated by the standard WRF model are evidently reduced and the seasonal and sub-seasonal variations of the monsoon precipitation are remarkably improved.

Changes of the Annual Precipitation over Central Asia in the Twenty-First Century Projected by Multimodels of CMIP5

AbstractBased on the outputs of historical and future representative concentration pathway (RCP) experiments produced by 28 models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), future changes in climatic mean, interannual standard deviation (ISD), and long-term trends of the annual precipitation over central Asia (CA) have been estimated. Under different emission scenarios during the twenty-first century, the climatic mean and ISD (long-term trends) of the annual precipitation over CA projected by the five best models’ ensemble mean show very similar (quite different) spatial patterns to those in the twentieth century. Relatively stronger increasing rates (over 3 mm decade−1 in RCP2.6 and over 6 mm decade−1 in RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) are located over northern CA and the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Compared to the situations in the twentieth century, the climatic mean, ISD, and long-term trends of the projected annual precipitation over most of CA under different emission scenarios exhibi...

The Different Configurations of the East Asian Polar Front Jet and Subtropical Jet and the Associated Rainfall Anomalies over Eastern China in Summer

AbstractTo investigate the concurrent impacts of the East Asian polar front jet (EAPJ) and subtropical jet (EASJ) on the summer rainfall over eastern China, positive (strengthened EAPJ with weakened EASJ) and negative (weakened EAPJ with strengthened EASJ) configurations are identified. In the positive configuration, rainfall decreases in the northern part of eastern China and increases in the southern part, vice versa in the negative configuration. The possible mechanisms maintaining the two jet configurations are further proposed from the perspectives of sea surface temperature (SST) and synoptic-scale transient eddy activities (STEA). In the positive configuration, meridional distributed cold–warm SST anomalies over the eastern North Pacific may induce regional circulation and meridional temperature gradient anomalies, which can strengthen the EAPJ and weaken the EASJ. The central Pacific La Nina–like SST anomalies are related with the Arctic vortexlike anomalies in the stratosphere, which may strength...

Parametric Sensitivity Analysis for the Asian Summer Monsoon Precipitation Simulation in the Beijing Climate Center AGCM, Version 2.1

AbstractIn this study, the authors apply an efficient sampling approach and conduct a large number of simulations to explore the sensitivity of the simulated Asian summer monsoon (ASM) precipitation, including the climatological state and interannual variability, to eight parameters related to the cloud and precipitation processes in the Beijing Climate Center AGCM, version 2.1 (BCC_AGCM2.1). The results herein show that BCC_AGCM2.1 has large biases in simulating the ASM precipitation. The precipitation efficiency and evaporation coefficient for deep convection are the most sensitive parameters in simulating the ASM precipitation. With optimal parameter values, the simulated precipitation climatology could be remarkably improved, including increased precipitation over the equatorial Indian Ocean, suppressed precipitation over the Philippine Sea, and more realistic mei-yu distribution over eastern China. The ASM precipitation interannual variability is further analyzed, with a focus on the ENSO impacts. It...

The Impact of the East Asian Subtropical Jet and Polar Front Jet on the Frequency of Spring Persistent Rainfall over Southern China in 1997–2011

AbstractSpring persistent rainfall (SPR) over southern China has great impact on its society and economics. A remarkable feature of the SPR is high frequency. However, SPR frequency obviously decreases over the period of 1997–2011. In this study, the possible causes have been investigated from the perspective of the individual and concurrent effects of the East Asian subtropical jet (EASJ) and East Asian polar front jet (EAPJ). A close relationship is detected between SPR frequency and EASJ intensity (but not EAPJ intensity). Associated with strong EASJ, abundant water vapor is transported to southern China by the southwesterly flow, which may trigger the SPR. Additionally, frequencies of both strong EASJ and weak EAPJ events are positively correlated with SPR frequency. Further investigation of the concurrent effect indicates a significant positive correlation between the frequencies of SPR and the strong EASJ–weak EAPJ configuration. Associated with this configuration, southwesterly flow strengthens in ...

Spatial differences in seasonal variation of the upper-tropospheric jet stream in the Northern Hemisphere and its thermal dynamic mechanism

NCEP/NCAR reanalysis daily data from 1951 to 2008 are used in this study to reveal the spatial-asymmetric features in the seasonal variation of the upper-tropospheric jet stream (UTJS) and its thermal dynamic forcing mechanism. The jet occurrence percentage distribution of the UTJS demonstrates a spiral-like pattern in winter, but it is quasi-annular in summer. The jet occurrence percentage in the Eastern Hemisphere is larger than that in the Western Hemisphere, and its maximum area is located further south. The polar front jet stream (PJS) and subtropical jet stream (SJS) can be distinguished over the Northern Africa and Asian regions, whereas only one jet stream can be observed over the Western Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, a single peak pattern is found in the seasonal variation of the SJS occurrence frequency with the highest jet occurrence appearing in winter and the lowest in summer, while a double peak pattern is observed in the seasonal variation of the PJS occurrence, i.e., the jet occurrence reaches its peaks in autumn and spring for the PJS. Based on the thermal wind theory, air temperature gradient and atmospheric baroclinicity are calculated and compared with the jet occurrence variation to explore the thermal dynamic forcing mechanism for the UTJS variation. In addition, synoptic-scale transports of eddy heat and momentum are also calculated. The results indicate that the SJS variation is primarily determined by the air temperature gradient and atmospheric baroclinicity, while the PJS variation is under great influence of the transport of eddy heat and momentum over Northern Africa and East Asia. The UTJS variation over the area from 140E to 70W cannot be well individually explained by the air temperature gradient and atmospheric baroclinicity. Further analysis indicates that UTJS variation over this area is largely under control of combined effect of the transport of eddy heat and momentum as well as the atmospheric baroclinicity.

Connections between the Eurasian teleconnection and concurrent variation of upper-level jets over East Asia

The variation of the East Asian jet stream (EAJS) associated with the Eurasian (EU) teleconnection pattern is investigated using 60-yr NCEP-NCAR daily reanalysis data over the period 1951–2010. The EAJS consists of three components: the polar front jet (PFJ); the plateau subtropical jet (PSJ); and the ocean subtropical jet (OSJ). Of these three jets over East Asia, the EU pattern exhibits a significant influence on the PFJ and OSJ. There is a simultaneous negative correlation between the EU pattern and the PFJ. A significant positive correlation is found between the EU pattern and the OSJ when the EU pattern leads the OSJ by about 5 days. There is no obvious correlation between the EU pattern and the PSJ. The positive EU phase is accompanied by a weakened and poleward-shifted PFJ, which coincides with an intensified OSJ. A possible mechanism for the variation of the EAJS during different EU phases is explored via analyzing the effects of 10-day high-and low-frequency eddy forcing. The zonal wind tendency due to high-frequency eddy forcing contributes to the simultaneous negative correlation between the EU pattern and the PFJ, as well as the northward/southward shift of the PFJ. High- and low-frequency eddy forcing are both responsible for the positive correlation between the EU pattern and the OSJ, but only high-frequency eddy forcing contributes to the lagged variation of the OSJ relative to the EU pattern. The negative correlation between the EU pattern and winter temperature and precipitation anomalies in China is maintained only when the PFJ and OSJ are out of phase with each other. Thus, the EAJS plays an important role in transmitting the EU signal to winter temperature and precipitation anomalies in China.

Climatic effects of irrigation over the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in China simulated by the weather research and forecasting model

The climatic effects of irrigation over the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (3HP) in China are investigated by using the weather research and forecasting model coupled with an operational-like irrigation scheme. Multiple numerical experiments with irrigation off/on during spring, summer, and both spring and summer are conducted. Results show that the warm bias in surface temperature and dry bias in soil moisture are reduced over the 3HP region during the growing seasons by considering the irrigation in the model. The air temperature during nongrowing seasons is also affected by irrigation because of the persistent effects of soil moisture on land-air energy exchanges and ground heat storage. Irrigation can induce significant cooling in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) during the growing seasons and lead to a relatively wet PBL with increased low-level clouds during spring but a relatively dry condition in summer. Further analyses indicate that irrigation leads to increased summer precipitation over the Yangtze River Basin and decreased summer precipitation in southern and northern China. These responses are associated with the changes in the large-scale circulation induced by irrigation. Irrigation tends to cool the atmosphere and forces a possible southward shift of the upper level jet that can further affect the precipitation distribution. Our model results suggest that in addition to local-scale processes, large-scale impacts should also be considered when studying the precipitation response to irrigation over East Asia.

A regional climate model coupled to ocean waves: Synoptic to multimonthly simulations

The NCAR regional climate model RegCM is coupled to the WAM ocean model, using the sea-state-dependent roughness parameterization derived in the HEXOS experiment. Coupled model simulations are shown to give reduced wind speeds U10 compared to uncoupled simulations. This is in accord with other recent studies. However, the wave-atmosphere coupling is effected through the friction velocity field u*, rather than through the wind field U10. Thus because the coupling gives enhanced resistive friction, U10 is weakened, whereas u* is enhanced. Wave heights, driven by u*, are also increased in our coupled model simulations compared to uncoupled model simulations. Coupled model outputs are shown to compare favorably with air-sea observations collected during the recent Labrador Sea Deep Convection Experiment in 1997, both for synoptic storm timescales and for seasonal timescales.