The relationship between the thermohaline circulation and climate variability

The long-term integration with the Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model of the State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG), Institute of Atmospheric Physics(IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences has been used in the investigations on the relationship between the thermohaline circulation and climate variability. The results show that the strength of the North Atlantic Thermohaline circulation (THC) is negatively correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Based on this kind of relationship, and also the instrument-measured climate record such as air pressure and sea surface temperature, the activity of the thermohaline circulation during the 20th century has been evaluated. The inferred variations of the strength of the THC is that, during two multi-decadal periods of 1867–1903 and 1934–1972, the THC is estimated to have been running stronger, whereas during the two periods of 1904–1933 and 1973–1994, it appears to have been weaker.     

Arctic sea ice bordering on the North Atlantic and interannual climate variations

Variations of winter Arctic sea ice bordering on the North Atlantic are closely related to climate variations in the same region. When winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index is positive (negative) anomaly phase, Icelandic Low is obviously deepened and shifts northwards (southwards). Simultaneously, the Subtropical High over the North Atlantic is also intensified, and moves northwards (southwards). Those anomalies strengthen (weaken) westerly between Icelandic Low and the Subtropical High, and further result in positive (negative) sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the mid-latitude of the North Atlantic, and increase (decrease) the warm water transportation from the mid-latitude to the Barents Sea, which causes positive (negative) mixed-layer water temperature anomalies in the south part of the Barents Sea. Moreover, the distribution of anomaly air temperature clearly demonstrates warming (cooling) in northern Europe and the subarctic regions (including the Barents Sea) and cooling (warming) in Baffin Bay/Davis Strait. Both of distributions of SST and air temperature anomalies directly result in sea ice decrease (increase) in the Barents/Kara Seas, and sea ice increase (decrease) in Baffin Bay/Davis Strait. :     

不同平均强度热盐环流的年代际波动特征

基于美国国家大气研究中心的CCSM3(community climate system model version 3)模式,对淡水扰动试验下不同平均强度热盐环流(thermohline circulation,THC)的年代际波动特征及北大西洋气候响应特征进行研究。结果表明,百年以上尺度的THC变化对其年代际尺度波动产生显著影响,高平均强度下THC的年代际波动周期更长、更显著。对不同平均强度下北大西洋海、气要素与THC在年代际尺度上的相关分布进行分析,发现在高平均强度下,THC与海表温度(sea surface temperature,SST)的相关呈现为经向三核型分布,与海平面气压(sea lever pressure,SLP)的相关呈现为类NAO(North Atlantic oscillation)分布,而在低平均强度下,则不存在这2种模态分布;同时,在不同平均强度下,THC与各要素间的相关程度也不同,高平均强度下相关程度更高。     

A possible mechanism of the Scandinavian ozone loss

Satellite data analysis shows an important Arctic ozone loss over the Scandinavia, with - 50 DU in winter, equivalent to 15% of the total ozone over this region. The study shows a possible mechanism causing the ozone loss. The North Atlantic current carries the heat energy northwards, and causes a relatively high surface temperature along the Scandinavia. The high temperature over the east of North Atlantic heats the atmosphere, induces an upward mass lifting, and therefore causes an ozone divergence near 330°K isoentropic surface, which leads to a decline in the total ozone.     

青藏高原对非洲北部降水影响的模拟研究

利用耦合模式CESM1.0, 研究青藏高原地形对非洲北部降水的影响。敏感性试验结果表明, 去掉青藏高原地形后, 首先, 大气环流迅速做出调整, 出现自热带大西洋向东北方向至北非的水汽输送异常和自印度洋向西至北非的水汽输送异常, 造成北非大气水汽含量增加和水汽辐合增强, 降水增多。然后, 当海洋环流调整到准平衡态时, 北大西洋海表温度降低, 南大西洋海表温度升高, 地表大气温度也发生相应的变化。在南北温度梯度的影响下, 原本由热带大西洋向北非的水汽输送发生转向, 导致北非的水汽含量减少和水汽辐合减弱, 使得降水比前一阶段减少。即便如此, 在没有青藏高原的试验中, 当海洋环流调整到平衡态时, 北非大部分区域水汽辐合仍然强于有青藏高原的真实地形试验, 区域平均降水也增多。结果表明, 青藏高原的隆升可能在一定程度上加剧了北非的干旱化。     

Linkage between the Asian-Pacific Oscillation and the sea surface temperature in the North Pacific

The linkage between the Asian-Pacific Oscillation (APO) and the sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Pacific during the summertime (June-August) is preliminarily investigated through an analysis of observed data.It is found that APO is significantly and positively correlated to the North Pacific SST,with the correlation coefficient being 0.58 on the interannual timescale during the period 1954-2003,which suggests that a strong (weak) APO corresponds to high (low) SST in the North Pacific.Their in-phas...     

新疆玛纳斯河径流波动与北大西洋涛动的关系

对新疆玛纳斯河流量资料、北疆地区温度、降水资料进行整理,分析了其变化的特征和规律,并将其与北大西洋涛动指数进行了对比分析.研究发现,冬季北大西洋涛动指数与玛纳斯河冬季流量呈现显著的正向变化关系,夏季两者的关系则相反.利用交叉小波变换,分别发现了冬、夏季北大西洋涛动指数与玛纳斯河流量变化关系最密切的振荡周期.文中还发现冬、夏季北大西洋涛动指数与北疆温度、降水的变化也存在显著的相关关系.     

云南5月雨量与全球海温的关系分析研究

 通过对海温与云南全省、云南东部和云南西部5月雨量的相关分析发现:海温对云南5月降水在时空上有很好的相关.5月降水与头年11月和同期太平洋海表温度存在有相同的‘-+-+’的相关分布型.印度洋北部对云南东部的影响更显著,而大西洋北部对西部的影响更显著.西部5月雨量与海表温度的相关总体不如东部的好,西部与东部最大的差异是在热带太平洋上.通过头年1月南大西洋海温可对来年云南5月降水进行预测.     

Variations in air temperature during the last 100 years revealed by δ~(18)O in the Malanice core from the Tibetan Plateau

By comprehensive analyses,it was found that the variations in δ^18O recorded in Malan ice core from the Kekexili Region on the Tibetan Plateau could represent the changes in air temperature during the summer half year (from May to October) over the Kekexili Region and the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau.The general increase trend in δ^18O in the ice core during the past century indicated climate warming,and it was estimated that air temperature during the summer half-year rose about 1.2℃ over there then.However,this ice core record documented that the study area has been cooling while most of the world has been dramatically warming since the late 1970s. A tele-connection was found between the variations in δ^18O in the Malan ice core and the North Atlantic Oscillation.Moreover,the variations in δ^18O in this ice core were similar to that in the summer half-year air temperature over the southern Tibetan Plateau on the centurial time scale,but opposite on the multidecadal time scale.     

北大西洋海表风速季节特征及长期变化趋势分析

利用来自欧洲中期天气预报中心（ECMWF——European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts）的长时间序列、高精度的ERA-40海表10 m风场资料,对北大西洋海域海表风场的季节特征、长期变化趋势进行深入研究,研究发现：（1）北大西洋海域的海表风速等值线在各季均大致呈东西带状分布,且由高纬度向赤道表现出高—低—高—低的分布特征。MAM和SON期间海表风速的分布特征较为相似,大值中心分布于北半球西风带海域;DJF期间的海表风速为全年最大;JJA期间的海表风速为全年最小。加勒比海海域常年存在一风速的相对大值中心。从多年平均来看,风速存在一明显的、范围较广的大值区：西风带海域,加勒比海也存在一范围较小的大风区。（2）1958年至2001年期间,北大西洋海域的海表风速以0.0049 m.s-1.a-1的速度显著性逐年线性递增。（3）北大西洋海表风速的变化趋势表现出较大的区域性差异：呈显著性逐年线性递增的区域主要分布于30°N以下的低纬度海域,变化趋势在0.01～0.025 m.s-1.a-1左右,西班牙东北部近海的递增趋势最为强劲,达到0.035 m.s-1.a-1以上,墨西哥湾和加勒比海则呈显著性逐年线性递减,趋势为-0.015 m.s-1.a-1左右,其余海域的海表风速无显著变化趋势。（4）近44年期间,北大西洋海域的海表风速存在明显的突变现象,突变期为1972年前后。     

Variation of the NAO and NPO associated with climate jump in the 1960s

The interannual variation of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) and its relationship with the climate jump in the Northern Hemisphere in the 1960s, are discussed using the data analyses. It is clearly shown that the amplitudes of the NAO and NPO were all increased obviously in the 1960s and the main period of the oscillations changed from 3–4 years before the 1960s to 8–15 years after the 1960s. Therefore, the climate jump in the 1960s is closely related to the anomalies of the NAO and NPO.     

青藏高原对北大西洋深水形成影响机制的季节差异

利用耦合地球系统模式(CESM1.0),通过对比有青藏高原的控制试验和无青藏高原的敏感性试验,定性地分析青藏高原对不同季节北大西洋深水(NADW)形成的影响机制.研究结果表明,青藏高原对NADW形成的影响机制因季节而异.移除青藏高原后,NADW形成将会减弱,冷季(北半球10月—次年3月)NADW形成的显著减弱是由海洋表...     

Reversed flow of Atlantic deep water during the Last Glacial Maximum

The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) of the Atlantic Ocean is considered to be one of the most important components of the climate system. This is because its warm surface currents, such as the Gulf Stream, redistribute huge amounts of energy from tropical to high latitudes and influence regional weather and climate patterns, whereas its lower limb ventilates the deep ocean and affects the storage of carbon in the abyss, away from the atmosphere. Despite its significance for future climate, the operation of the MOC under contrasting climates of the past remains controversial. Nutrient-based proxies and recent model simulations indicate that during the Last Glacial Maximum the convective activity in the North Atlantic Ocean was much weaker than at present. In contrast, rate-sensitive radiogenic (231)Pa/(230)Th isotope ratios from the North Atlantic have been interpreted to indicate only minor changes in MOC strength. Here we show that the basin-scale abyssal circulation of the Atlantic Ocean was probably reversed during the Last Glacial Maximum and was dominated by northward water flow from the Southern Ocean. These conclusions are based on new high-resolution data from the South Atlantic Ocean that establish the basin-scale north to south gradient in (231)Pa/(230)Th, and thus the direction of the deep ocean circulation. Our findings are consistent with nutrient-based proxies and argue that further analysis of (231)Pa/(230)Th outside the North Atlantic basin will enhance our understanding of past ocean circulation, provided that spatial gradients are carefully considered. This broader perspective suggests that the modern pattern of the Atlantic MOC-with a prominent southerly flow of deep waters originating in the North Atlantic-arose only during the Holocene epoch.     

The interdecadal trend and shift of dry/wet over the central part of North China and their relationship to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）

Based on monthly precipitation and monthly mean surface air temperature (SAT),the dry/wet trends and shift of the central part of North China and their relationship to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) from 1951 to 2005 have been analyzed through calculating surface wetness index (SWI). The results indicate that there was a prominent drying trend and an abrupt change in the analysis period. A per-sistent warming period with less precipitation from the mid and late 1970s to present was found,and a shift process exists from the wet to the dry in the central part of North China during 1951-2005. The transition is located in the mid to late 1970s,which should be related to the shift variation of large-scale climate background. The correlation analysis has brought about a finding of significant correlativity between PDO index (PDOI) and SAT,precipitation and SWI in this region. The correlation exhibits that the positive phase of PDOI (warm PDO phase) matches warming,less precipitation and the drought period,and the negative PDOI phase corresponds to low SAT,more precipitation and the wet period. The duration of various phases is more than 25 years. The decadal variation of sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Pacific Ocean is one of the possible causes in forming the decadal dry/wet trend and shift of the central part of North China.     

Sea surface temperature east of Australia： A predictor of tropical cyclone frequency over the western North Pacific？

The relationship between sea surface temperature (SST) east of Australia and tropical cyclone frequency over the western North Pacific (WNPTCF) is analyzed by use of observation data.The WNPTCF from June to October is correlated negatively to spring SST east of Australia.When the spring SST is in the positive phase,a cyclonic circulation anomaly in the upper troposphere and an anticyclonic circulation anomaly in the lower troposphere prevail over the western North Pacific from June to October,concurrent with an anomalous atmospheric subsidence and an enlarged vertical zonal wind shear.These conditions are unfavorable for tropical cyclone genesis,and thus WNPTCF decreases.The negative phase of the spring SST east of Australia leads to more tropical cyclones over the western North Pacific.The spring SST east of Australia may give rise to simultaneous change in tropical atmospheric circulation via the teleconnection wave train,and then subsequently affect atmospheric circulation variation over the western North Pacific.     

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.     

Past temperature and delta18O of surface ocean waters inferred from foraminiferal Mg/Ca ratios

Determining the past record of temperature and salinity of ocean surface waters is essential for understanding past changes in climate, such as those which occur across glacial-interglacial transitions. As a useful proxy, the oxygen isotope composition (delta18O) of calcite from planktonic foraminifera has been shown to reflect both surface temperature and seawater delta18O, itself an indicator of global ice volume and salinity. In addition, magnesium/calcium (Mg/Ca) ratios in foraminiferal calcite show a temperature dependence due to the partitioning of Mg during calcification. Here we demonstrate, in a field-based calibration experiment, that the variation of Mg/Ca ratios with temperature is similar for eight species of planktonic foraminifera (when accounting for Mg dissolution effects). Using a multi-species record from the Last Glacial Maximum in the North Atlantic Ocean we found that past temperatures reconstructed from Mg/Ca ratios followed the two other palaeotemperature proxies: faunal abundance and alkenone saturation. Moreover, combining Mg/Ca and delta18O data from the same faunal assemblage, we show that reconstructed surface water delta18O from all foraminiferal species record the same glacial-interglacial change--representing changing hydrography and global ice volume. This reinforces the potential of this combined technique in probing past ocean-climate interactions.     

Interconnections between the Asian monsoon, ENSO, and high northern latitude climate during the Holocene

The International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP), which promotes better understanding of the living environment, was initiated in the early 1990s. IGBP and other programs have uncovered much evi-dence that the Earth system is complex and nonlinear, ex…     

Low Atlantic hurricane activity in the 1970s and 1980s compared to the past 270 years

Hurricane activity in the North Atlantic Ocean has increased significantly since 1995 (refs 1, 2). This trend has been attributed to both anthropogenically induced climate change and natural variability, but the primary cause remains uncertain. Changes in the frequency and intensity of hurricanes in the past can provide insights into the factors that influence hurricane activity, but reliable observations of hurricane activity in the North Atlantic only cover the past few decades. Here we construct a record of the frequency of major Atlantic hurricanes over the past 270 years using proxy records of vertical wind shear and sea surface temperature (the main controls on the formation of major hurricanes in this region) from corals and a marine sediment core. The record indicates that the average frequency of major hurricanes decreased gradually from the 1760s until the early 1990s, reaching anomalously low values during the 1970s and 1980s. Furthermore, the phase of enhanced hurricane activity since 1995 is not unusual compared to other periods of high hurricane activity in the record and thus appears to represent a recovery to normal hurricane activity, rather than a direct response to increasing sea surface temperature. Comparison of the record with a reconstruction of vertical wind shear indicates that variability in this parameter primarily controlled the frequency of major hurricanes in the Atlantic over the past 270 years, suggesting that changes in the magnitude of vertical wind shear will have a significant influence on future hurricane activity.     

Simulation of the western North Pacific summer monsoon by regional ocean–atmosphere coupled model:impacts of oceanic components

A successful simulation of the western North Pacific summer monsoon needs a regional ocean–atmosphere coupled model(ROAM). How the performance of ROAM relies on the oceanic component model remains unknown. In this study, the authors investigated the effects of different oceanic components on the simulation of western North Pacific(WNP) summer monsoon in a ROAM. Three cases of simulations were performed, viz. the summer of 1998(El Nin o decaying phase), 2004(El Nin o developing phase), and 1993(the non-ENSO phase). Results show that the coupled simulations for different ENSO phases exhibit improvements in the simulation of location of Meiyu rainband and spatial distribution of monsoon low-level flow over WNP, whereas the systemic cold biases of sea surface air temperature are further increased. The coupled simulations with different oceanic components show similar performance, which is not ENSO phase dependent. For the case of the summer of 1998, a slightly stronger western Pacific subtropical high and colder sea surface air temperature are found in the simulation with colder sea surface temperature(SST) biases. The colder SST biases are partly contributed by the ocean dynamics processes because the sea surface net flux favors a warmer SST. This study suggests that the dependence of performance of ROAM over WNP on oceanic models is much weaker than that on atmospheric models.