Weakening relationship between East Asian winter monsoon and ENSO after mid-1970s

The East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM) is characterized by the frequent cold surges and associated closely with the Siberia High,East Asian Trough,and high-level westerly jet stream.The ENSO cycle can modulate the EAWM since it has co-variability with the sea surface temperature over the Indo-Western-Pacific which can tune the land-sea thermal contrast for the EAWM.This paper,by analyzing the EAWM,ENSO,and associated atmosphere-ocean variability,documents the weakening of the EAWMENSO relationship after the 1970s.The significant out-of-phase inter-relationship is found to be diminished after the 1970s.Further study in this work suggests that the weakened co-variability of the tropical Indo-Western-Pacific climate associated with ENSO after the 1970s is partly responsible for the weakened inter-relationship.Meanwhile,the reduced EAWM interannual variability and northward retreat of the EAWM-associated climate variability are favorable to the weakened ENSO-EAWM connection.     

The East Asian winter monsoon: re-amplification in the mid-2000s

Based on several reanalysis and observational datasets,this study demonstrates that the East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM)recovered from its weak epoch and reamplified in the mid-2000s.Accordingly,East Asia has experienced more cold winters and significant negative surface air temperature anomalies during the recent strong EAWM epoch spanning the period 2004–2012.The associated cooling was mainly located over inland northern East Asia with a west–east orientation.The cooling generally coincided with negative winter temperature trends in eastern Eurasia in the last two decades,possibly contributing to the observed regional cooling trend when the global mean temperature is still trending up.Enhanced wintertime blocking activity around the Ural mountain region and diminished Arctic sea ice concentration in the previous September are suggested to be the responsible internal atmospheric process and external driver for the recent re-amplification of the EAWM,respectively.     

The East Asian summer monsoon circulation anomaly index and its interannual variations

Based on the concept of East Asia-Pacific (EAP) teleconnection which influences East Asian summer monsoon, an index for East Asian summer monsoon circulation anomaly was defined and it was pointed out that this index can describle the interannual variation character of summer climate in East Asia, especially in the Yangtze River and Huaihe River Valley.     

Anomalous activity of East Asian winter monsoon and the tropical Pacific SSTA

The relationship between the anomalous East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) activity and the tropical Pacific SST anomalies has been identified using the results of 40-year integration of the IAP CGCM1 model and 10-year observational data. In the strong EAWM year, the western and central Pacific are dominated by positive SST anomalies while the eastern Pacific is negative ones. In the weak EAWM year, the SSTA pattern is quite different and shows El Nino-like SST anomalies. The strong EAWM activity tends to create extra easterly flow to the east and extra westerly flow to the west of the warm SSTA region over the equatorial western and central Pacific, thus leading to the enhancement of convergence and convection of the flow in this region and favorable to the maintenance and development of such an SSTA pattern. On the other hand, the warm SST anomaly over the western and central Pacific, as a forcing, may lead to a specific pattern of the northern extratropical atmosphere, which is favorable to the strong EAWM activity. The tropical Pacific SSTA pattern related closely to the strong EAWM activity differs significantly from that of the La Nina year.     

Sensitivity experiments of impacts of large-scale urbanization in East China on East Asian winter monsoon

By using the global atmospheric general circulation model CAM4.0 including an urban canopy parameterization scheme,the possible impacts of large-scale urbanization in East China on East Asian winter monsoon was investigated via idealized numerical experiments.Results suggest that large-scale urbanization can cause a significant warming effect in both surface temperature and air temperature near the surface over most areas of East China.Meanwhile,large-scale urbanization also alters the surface energy balance,causing evident increases in net surface long-wave radiation and sensible heat flux as well as intensified surface thermal heating to the atmosphere.Forced by the surface thermal heating anomalies induced by the large-scale urban expansion,East Asian winter monsoon circulation exhibits distinct changes.Overall,the extensive urbanization over East China will weaken East Asian winter monsoon,but intensify winter monsoon in northeast China.     

Relationship between East Asian winter monsoon, warm pool situation and ENSO cycle

Based on the observational data analyses and numerical simulations with the air-sea coupled model (CGCM), a new perspective on the occurrence mechanism of ENSO is advanced in this paper. The continuous strong (weak) East Asian winter monsoon will lead to continuous westerly (easterly) wind anomalies over the equatorial western Pacific region. The anomalous equatorial westerly (easterly) winds can cause eastward propagation of the subsurface ocean temperature anomalies (SOTA) in the warm pool region, the positive (negative) SOTA have been in the warm pool region for quite a long time. The eastward propagating of positive (negative) SOTA along the thermocline will lead to positive (negative) SSTA in the equatorial eastern Pacific and the occurrence of El Niño (La Niña) event. After the occurrence of ENSO, the winter monsoon in East Asia will be weak (strong) due to the influence of El Niño (La Niña).     

The increase of snowfall in Northeast China after the mid-1980s

We studied long-term variation of winter snowfall in Northeast China (NEC) for 1951-2010. Results show that NEC snowfall increased about 20% during 1986-2010 relative to 1951-1985. Further investigation suggests that the snowfall increase is closely associated with weakening of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). The physical processes were portrayed by this research. Weakening of EAWM led to weakened cold air flow from the north, thus resulted in the warming of the surface ocean along the Northeast Asia coast and more water vapor evaporated from the ocean surface to the atmosphere and further transported to NEC. Also, because of EAWM weakening, more water vapor from south, east and west of NEC was transported to NEC, increasing water vapor content and hence snowfall there. From an atmospheric circulation viewpoint, EAWM weakening strengthened convergence at low levels and divergence at high levels, thereby favoring increased vertical convection and snowfall.     

Interdecadal variations of the East Asian winter surface air temperature and possible causes

Using the NCEP/NCAR and JRA-25 monthly analysis data from 1979 to 2011, this paper analyzes the interdecadal variations of winter (Dec.–Feb.) mean surface air temperature (SAT) over East Asia by means of the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis method. Two dominant modes were extracted, with the leading mode basically depicting a sign consistent SAT variation and the second mode describing a meridional dipole structure between the northern and southern parts of East Asia. These two modes can explain more than 60% of the variance. The leading mode is closely related to the intensity of Siberian high and the East Asian winter monsoon. The second mode exhibits a notable interdecadal shift in the late 1990s, with a turning point around 1996/1997. Winter SAT in the northern (southern) part of East Asia tends to be cooler (warmer) since the late 1990. Winter sea level pressure (SLP) differences between 1997–2011 and 1979–1996 show negative (positive) anomalies over southern (northern) Eurasia. At 500-hPa, an anomalous blocking high occurs over northern Eurasia, while a cyclone anomaly appears over northern East Asia. In addition, the upper-level East Asian jet stream tends to shift northward and become stronger after the late 1990. Indeed, the interdecadal shift of winter SAT over East Asia is dynamical consistent with changes of the large-scale atmospheric circulation in the late 1990s. The result indicates that previous autumn sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northern Indian Ocean and the western North Pacific Ocean, as well as sea ice concentration (SIC) in the northern Eurasia marginal seas and the Beaufort Sea also experienced obvious changes in the late 1990s. In particular, the interdecadal shifts of both SST in the North Atlantic Ocean and SIC in the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas are well coherent with that of the winter SAT over East Asia. The results indicate that the interdecadal shift of East Asian winter SAT may be related to changes in the North Atlantic SST and the Arctic SIC in the late 1990s.     

Records of the East Asian winter monsoon from the mud area on the inner shelf of the East China Sea since the mid-Holocene

AMS¹⁴C dating and analysis of grain size, major elements and clay minerals were applied to Core MZ01 from the mud area on the inner shelf of the East China Sea. Based on the environmentally sensitive grain size, clay mineral and major element assemblages, the history of the East Asia winter monsoon since the mid-Holocene could be reconstructed. These three proxies, mean grain size (>9.71 μm), chemical index of alteration (CIA) and ratio of smectite to kaolinite in particular, show similar fluctuation patterns. Furthermore, 10 extreme values corresponding to the contemporary cooling events could be recognized since the mid-Holocene; these extreme values are likely to have been caused by the strengthening of the East Asia winter monsoon. The cooling events correlated well with the results of the δ¹⁸O curves of the Dunde ice core and GISP2, which therefore revealed a regional response to global climate change. Four stages of the East Asia winter monsoon were identified, i.e. 8300–6300 a BP, strong and unstable; 6300–3800 a BP, strong but stable; 3800–1400 a BP, weak and unstable; after 1400 a BP, weak but stable.     

Influence of the intertropical convergence zone on the East Asian monsoon

The Asian-Australian monsoon is an important component of the Earth's climate system that influences the societal and economic activity of roughly half the world's population. The past strength of the rain-bearing East Asian summer monsoon can be reconstructed with archives such as cave deposits, but the winter monsoon has no such signature in the hydrological cycle and has thus proved difficult to reconstruct. Here we present high-resolution records of the magnetic properties and the titanium content of the sediments of Lake Huguang Maar in coastal southeast China over the past 16,000 years, which we use as proxies for the strength of the winter monsoon winds. We find evidence for stronger winter monsoon winds before the B?lling-Aller?d warming, during the Younger Dryas episode and during the middle and late Holocene, when cave stalagmites suggest weaker summer monsoons. We conclude that this anticorrelation is best explained by migrations in the intertropical convergence zone. Similar migrations of the intertropical convergence zone have been observed in Central America for the period ad 700 to 900 (refs 4-6), suggesting global climatic changes at that time. From the coincidence in timing, we suggest that these migrations in the tropical rain belt could have contributed to the declines of both the Tang dynasty in China and the Classic Maya in Central America.     

Short-term climatic impacts of afforestation in the East Asian monsoon region

The influence of changes in vegetation cover on short-term climate over the East Asian monsoon region is simulated using the Community Climate System Model Version 3.5.The results show the annual mean surface air temperature significantly decreases by 0.93°C in response to afforestation over the East Asian monsoon region.Also,surface air temperature decreases by 1.46 and 0.40°C in summer and winter,respectively.The cooling is caused by enhanced evapotranspiration(ET) produced by increased forest cover.Evapotranspiration is greater in summer than in winter,so summer cooling is greater than winter cooling.The annual mean precipitation increases in response to afforestation,with a maximum of 7% in April.Water vapor increases significantly because of greater latent heat flux release.Meanwhile,afforestation leads to higher surface roughness,which decreases surface wind speed and induces an ascending air motion.These factors can produce more clouds and precipitation.Moreover,the surface albedo and the reflective solar radiation are reduced in response to afforestation.     

Sediment provenance and evolution of the East Asian winter monsoon since 700 ka recorded by major elements in the West Philippine Sea

To synthetically realize the character of major-element compositions as well as its significance for provenance and paleoenvironment recorded in core sediments of the West Philippine Sea over the last 700 ka,grain size and major elements of 221 bulk sediments,together with major-element compositions in the detrital phase of 16 typical samples,in core MD06-3047 collected from the Benham Rise were analyzed.Both discrimination plot and R-mode factor analysis indicate that vertical changes of major elements are mainly controlled by the sedimentation of nearby volcanic matter and the eolian dust input,whereas influences from marine biologic deposition and hydrothermal activity are minor.In particular,Al2O3 and K2O are representative of an eolian dust factor.The variation in the eolian dust factor score is characterized by the obviously glacial-interglacial periodicity and can be well compared with the paleotemperature record of the Antarctic ice core and the evolution of the East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM) recorded in the Chinese loess sequence,and then offers a new proxy for the evolution history of eolian dust input into the study area that is controlled by the EAWM intensity and aridity in the continental source regions of atmospheric dust.     

Asian-Pacific Oscillation index and variation of East Asian summer monsoon over the past millennium

To study the long-term variation of the East Asian summer monsoon （EASM）, the Asian-Pacific Oscillation index （IAPO）, representing a zonal thermal contrast between Asia and the North Pacific, is reconstructed over the past millennium. During the Little Ice Age （LIA）, the variability of the reconstructed IAPO is closely linked to dry-wet anomalies in eastern China on the centennial scale. This correlation pattern is consistent with the observation during the current period, which suggests that the reconstructed IAPO may generally represent the centennial-scale variation of the EASM and rainfall anomalies over eastern China during the LIA.     

Millennial- and orbital-scale changes in the East Asian monsoon over the past 224,000 years

High-resolution speleothem records from China have provided insights into the factors that control the strength of the East Asian monsoon. Our understanding of these factors remains incomplete, however, owing to gaps in the record of monsoon history over the past two interglacial-glacial cycles. In particular, missing sections have hampered our ability to test ideas about orbital-scale controls on the monsoon, the causes of millennial-scale events and relationships between changes in the monsoon and climate in other regions. Here we present an absolute-dated oxygen isotope record from Sanbao cave, central China, that completes a Chinese-cave-based record of the strength of the East Asian monsoon that covers the past 224,000 years. The record is dominated by 23,000-year-long cycles that are synchronous within dating errors with summer insolation at 65 degrees N (ref. 10), supporting the idea that tropical/subtropical monsoons respond dominantly and directly to changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation on orbital timescales. The cycles are punctuated by millennial-scale strong-summer-monsoon events (Chinese interstadials), and the new record allows us to identify the complete series of these events over the past two interglacial-glacial cycles. Their duration decreases and their frequency increases during glacial build-up in both the last and penultimate glacial periods, indicating that ice sheet size affects their character and pacing. The ages of the events are exceptionally well constrained and may thus serve as benchmarks for correlating and calibrating climate records.     

Seasonal cycle of the zonal land-sea thermal contrast and East Asian subtropical monsoon circulation

Based on analysis of the climatic temperature latitudinal deviation on middle troposphere, its seasonal cycle suggests that due to the rapid warming from eastern China continent to the east of Tibetan Plateau and the heating of Tibetan Plateau in spring, seasonal transition of the thermal difference between East Asia continent and West Pacific first takes place in the subtropical region with greatest intensity. On the accompanying low troposphere, the prevailing wind turns from northerly in winter to southerly in summer with the convection precipitation occurring at the same time. This maybe indicates the onset of the East Asian subtropical summer monsoon. Consequently, we advice that the seasonal cycle formed by the zonal thermal contrast between Asian continent and West Pacific may be an independent driving force of East Asian subtropical monsoon.     

Spring surface cooling trend along the East Asian coast after the late 1990s

This paper presents the surface cooling trend observed in spring along East Asia coast after the late 1990s, in contrast to the global warming trend. This surface cooling trend is comprehensible as it agrees well with the cooling of sea surface temperature (SST) in the northwestern Pacific and the weakening of 300 hPa East Asian jet (EAJ) during spring. Moreover, this cooling phenomenon has been shown to be related to the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice cover (SIC) in previous autumns. The Arctic SIC signals in previous autumns can continue in spring and act as enhanced moisture sources that support the increased snow cover in Siberia during spring. The increased Siberian snow cover possibly favors the southward invasion of cold air masses via strong radiative cooling and large-scale descending motion, which may contribute indirectly to the reduction of temperature in East Asia. In addition, three climate models that can reproduce well the East Asian spring surface cooling observed in the past predicted uncertainty in the spring temperature projection in the next decade.     

The strengthening East Asia summer monsoon since the early 1990s

Previous studies have documented a weakening tendency of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) since the end of the 1970s. In this study, we report that the EASM has been recovering since the early 1990s, although its strength is still less than in previous decades (averaged over the period 1965-1980). Following the recovery of the EASM, there has been a tendency in the last decade toward northward-moving rainbands and excessive rainfall in the Huaihe River valley (110°-120°E, 30°-35°N). There is evidence suggesting that the strengthening EASM since the early 1990s is linked to interdecadal change of land-sea thermal contrast.     

Natural interdecadal weakening of East Asian summer monsoon in the late 20th century

Based on the reanalysis data throughout 1948-2002 as derived from the United States National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research, it is revealed that East Asian summer monsoon （EASM） intensity weakens on an interdecadal timescale since the mid-1960s, and twice interdecadal jumps are recorded in the EASM intensity index series in the late 20th century, respectively occurring in the mid-1960s and mid- to late 1970s. Six globally coupled atmosphere-ocean models＇ outputs under the SRES A2 greenhouse gas and aerosol emission scenario, provided by the IPCC Data Distribution Center and the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research, are then systematically examined. It follows that the above EASM weakening is not closely related to synchro- nizing anthropogenic global warming, and, therefore, it should be qualitatively natural change process. Over the 21st century, the EASM intensity is likely increased slightly by continually intensified greenhouse effect relative to the late 20th century.     

锶同位素研究在古季风演化研究中的应用研究

自从Rb-Sr同位素体系被应用于地质年龄以来,随着Rb-Sr同位素地球化学理论和测试分析技术的逐步发展和完善,其应用越来越广泛。主要介绍了锶同位素的基本地球化学特征,分析了锶同位素研究进行全球对比的可能性,探讨了锶同位素研究在我国黄土季风演化研究中的应用。众多研究显示Rb/Sr和87Sr/86Sr的比值变化受控于风化成壤作用的强弱,与降雨量、磁化率变化有很好的线性相关关系。通过曲线的分析、对比发现Rb/Sr和87Sr/86Sr曲线所蕴含的气候信息比磁化率曲线更为丰富和详细,与SPECMAP     

锶同位素研究在古季风演化研究中的应用研究

自从Rb—Sr同位素体系被应用于地质年龄以来，随着Rb—Sr同位素地球化学理论和测试分析技术的逐步发展和完善，其应用越来越广泛。主要介绍了锶同位素的基本地球化学特征，分析了锶同位素研究进行全球对比的可能性，探讨了锶同位素研究在我国黄土季风演化研究中的应用。众多研究显示Rb／Sr和^87Sr／^86Sr的比值变化受控于风化成壤作用的强弱，与降雨量、磁化率变化有很好的线性相关关系。通过曲线的分析、对比发现Rb／Sr和^87Sr／^86Sr曲线所蕴含的气候信息比磁化率曲线更为丰富和详细，与SPECMAP δ^18O曲线具有同步变化特征和更好的对应关系。这些研究表明Rb／Sr和^87Sr／^86Sr比值极可能是一种东亚夏季风演化更为灵敏的替代性指标，在古气候重建中有着广阔的应用前景。