Conducting predictability studies is essential for tracing the source of forecast errors,which not only leads to the improvement of observation and forecasting systems,but also enhances the understanding of weather an...Conducting predictability studies is essential for tracing the source of forecast errors,which not only leads to the improvement of observation and forecasting systems,but also enhances the understanding of weather and climate phenomena.In the past few decades,dynamical numerical models have been the primary tools for predictability studies,achieving significant progress.Nowadays,with the advances in artificial intelligence(AI)techniques and accumulations of vast meteorological data,modeling weather and climate events using modern data-driven approaches is becoming trendy,where FourCastNet,Pangu-Weather,and GraphCast are successful pioneers.In this perspective article,we suggest AI models should not be limited to forecasting but be expanded to predictability studies,leveraging AI's advantages of high efficiency and self-contained optimization modules.To this end,we first remark that AI models should possess high simulation capability with fine spatiotemporal resolution for two kinds of predictability studies.AI models with high simulation capabilities comparable to numerical models can be considered to provide solutions to partial differential equations in a data-driven way.Then,we highlight several specific predictability issues with well-determined nonlinear optimization formulizations,which can be well-studied using AI models,holding significant scientific value.In addition,we advocate for the incorporation of AI models into the synergistic cycle of the cognition–observation–model paradigm.Comprehensive predictability studies have the potential to transform“big data”to“big and better data”and shift the focus from“AI for forecasts”to“AI for science”,ultimately advancing the development of the atmospheric and oceanic sciences.展开更多
A heavy rainstorm occurred in Henan Province,China,between 19 and 21 July,2021,with a record-breaking 201.9 mm of precipitation in 1 h.To explore the key factors that led to forecasting errors for this extreme rainsto...A heavy rainstorm occurred in Henan Province,China,between 19 and 21 July,2021,with a record-breaking 201.9 mm of precipitation in 1 h.To explore the key factors that led to forecasting errors for this extreme rainstorm,as well as the dominant contributor affecting its predictability,we employed the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System-Regional Ensemble Prediction System(GRAPES-REPS)to investigate the impact of the upper tropospheric cold vortex,middle-low vortex,and low-level jet on predictability and forecasting errors.The results showed that heavy rainfall was influenced by the following stable atmospheric circulation systems:subtropical highs,continental highs,and Typhoon In-Fa.Severe convection was caused by abundant water vapor,orographic uplift,and mesoscale vortices.Multiscale weather systems contributed to maintaining extreme rainfall in Henan for a long duration.The prediction ability of the optimal member of GRAPES-REPS was attributed to effective prediction of the intensity and evolution characteristics of the upper tropospheric cold vortex,middle-low vortex,and low-level jet.Conversely,the prediction deviation of unstable and dynamic conditions in the lower level of the worst member led to a decline in the forecast quality of rainfall intensity and its rainfall area.This indicates that heavy rainfall was strongly related to the short-wave throughput,upper tropospheric cold vortex,vortex,and boundary layer jet.Moreover,we observed severe uncertainty in GRAPES-REPS forecasts for rainfall caused by strong convection,whereas the predictability of rainfall caused by topography was high.Compared with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Ensemble Prediction System,GRAPES-REPS exhibits a better forecast ability for heavy rainfall,with some ensemble members able to better predict extreme precipitation.展开更多
The practical predictability of hail precipitation rates is significantly influenced by initial meteorological perturbations,stemming from various uncertainty sources.This study thoroughly assessed the predictability ...The practical predictability of hail precipitation rates is significantly influenced by initial meteorological perturbations,stemming from various uncertainty sources.This study thoroughly assessed the predictability of hail precipitation rates in both climatologically and flow-dependent perturbed ensembles(CEns and FEns).These ensembles incorporated initial meteorological uncertainties derived separately from two operational ensembles.Leveraging the Weather Research and Forecasting model,we conducted cloud-resolving simulations of an idealized hailstorm.The practical predictability of hail responded comparably to both climatological and flow-dependent uncertainties,which was revealed across the entire ensemble of 50 members.However,a notable difference emerged when comparing the peak hail precipitation rates among the top 10 and bottom 10 members.From a thermodynamic perspective,the primary source of uncertainty in hail precipitation lay in the significant variations in temperature stratification,particularly at-20℃and-40℃.On the microphysical front,perturbations within CEns generated greater uncertainty in the process of rainwater collection by hail,contributing significantly to the microphysical growth mechanisms of hail.Furthermore,the findings reveal a stronger dependency of hail precipitation uncertainty on thermodynamic perturbations compared to kinematic perturbations.These insights enhance the comprehension of the practical predictability of hail and contribute significantly to the understanding of ensemble forecasting for hail events.展开更多
The inherent asymmetry and diversity of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)pose substantial challenges to its prediction.Potential predictability measures the upper limit of predictability for a certain event....The inherent asymmetry and diversity of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)pose substantial challenges to its prediction.Potential predictability measures the upper limit of predictability for a certain event.Assessing the potential predictability of ENSO across varying phases and intensities with sophisticated climate models is crucial for understanding the upper limits of forecasting capabilities and identifying room for future enhancement.Based on the hindcast dataset with a recently developed ensemble forecasting system(the community earth system model,CESM),this study comprehensively investigates potential predictability for ENSO across different phases and intensities.The findings reveal that La Niña events possess higher potential predictability relative to their El Niño counterparts.Strong events exhibit significantly higher potential predictability than weak events within the same phase.The potential predictability of distinct ENSO types is primarily influenced by the seasonal variation inherent to their predictability.Regardless of the event classification,the potential predictability is characterized by a rapid decline from spring onwards,with the apex of this decline occurring in summer.The intensity of the seasonal predictability barrier inversely correlates with the upper limit of potential predictability.Specifically,a weaker(stronger)seasonal barrier is associated with a higher(lower)potential predictability.In addition,there is significant interdecadal variability both in the predictability of warm and cold ENSO events.The potential predictability for La Niña events decreases more slowly with increasing lead months,particularly in recent decades,resulting in an overall higher upper limit of potential predictability for La Niña events than for El Niño events over the past century.Nevertheless,El Niño events have also maintained a high potential predictability.This suggests substantial potential for improvement in future prediction for both.展开更多
This paper provides a robust test of predictability under the predictive regression model with possible heavy-tailed innovations assumption,in which the predictive variable is persistent and its innovations are highly...This paper provides a robust test of predictability under the predictive regression model with possible heavy-tailed innovations assumption,in which the predictive variable is persistent and its innovations are highly correlated with returns.To this end,we propose a robust test which can capture empirical phenomena such as heavy tails,stationary,and local to unity.Moreover,we develop related asymptotic results without the second-moment assumption between the predictive variable and returns.To make the proposed test reasonable,we propose a generalized correlation and provide theoretical support.To illustrate the applicability of the test,we perform a simulation study for the impact of heavy-tailed innovations on predictability,as well as direct and/or indirect implementation of heavy-tailed innovations to predictability via the unit root phenomenon.Finally,we provide an empirical study for further illustration,to which the proposed test is applied to a U.S.equity data set.展开更多
The Yangtze River Valley(YRV) of China experienced record-breaking heatwaves in July and August 2022. The characteristics, causes, and impacts of this extreme event have been widely explored, but its seasonal predicta...The Yangtze River Valley(YRV) of China experienced record-breaking heatwaves in July and August 2022. The characteristics, causes, and impacts of this extreme event have been widely explored, but its seasonal predictability remains elusive. This study assessed the real-time one-month-lead prediction skill of the summer 2022 YRV heatwaves using 12operational seasonal forecast systems. Results indicate that most individual forecast systems and their multi-model ensemble(MME) mean exhibited limited skill in predicting the 2022 YRV heatwaves. Notably, after the removal of the linear trend, the predicted 2-m air temperature anomalies were generally negative in the YRV, except for the Met Office Glo Sea6 system, which captured a moderate warm anomaly. While the models successfully simulated the influence of La Ni?a on the East Asian–western North Pacific atmospheric circulation and associated YRV temperature anomalies, only Glo Sea6 reasonably captured the observed relationship between the YRV heatwaves and an atmospheric teleconnection extending from the North Atlantic to the Eurasian mid-to-high latitudes. Such an atmospheric teleconnection plays a crucial role in intensifying the YRV heatwaves. In contrast, other seasonal forecast systems and the MME predicted a distinctly different atmospheric circulation pattern, particularly over the Eurasian mid-to-high latitudes, and failed to reproduce the observed relationship between the YRV heatwaves and Eurasian mid-to-high latitude atmospheric circulation anomalies.These findings underscore the importance of accurately representing the Eurasian mid-to-high latitude atmospheric teleconnection for successful YRV heatwave prediction.展开更多
ABSTRACT The impact of both initial and parameter errors on the spring predictability barrier （SPB） is investigated using the Zebiak Cane model （ZC model）. Previous studies have shown that initial errors contribu...ABSTRACT The impact of both initial and parameter errors on the spring predictability barrier （SPB） is investigated using the Zebiak Cane model （ZC model）. Previous studies have shown that initial errors contribute more to the SPB than parameter errors in the ZC model. Although parameter errors themselves are less important, there is a possibility that nonlinear interactions can occur between the two types of errors, leading to larger prediction errors compared with those induced by initial errors alone. In this case, the impact of parameter errors cannot be overlooked. In the present paper, the optimal combination of these two types of errors [i.e., conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation （CNOP） errors] is calculated to investigate whether this optimal error combination may cause a more notable SPB phenomenon than that caused by initial errors alone. Using the CNOP approach, the CNOP errors and CNOP-I errors （optimal errors when only initial errors are considered） are calculated and then three aspects of error growth are compared： （1） the tendency of the seasonal error growth; （2） the prediction error of the sea surface temperature anomaly; and （3） the pattern of error growth. All three aspects show that the CNOP errors do not cause a more significant SPB than the CNOP-I errors. Therefore, this result suggests that we could improve the prediction of the E1 Nifio during spring by simply focusing on reducing the initial errors in this model.展开更多
Using the sea surface temperature （SST） predicted for the equatorial Pacific Ocean by the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System Model-gamil （FGOALS-g）, an analysis of the prediction errors was performed for...Using the sea surface temperature （SST） predicted for the equatorial Pacific Ocean by the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System Model-gamil （FGOALS-g）, an analysis of the prediction errors was performed for the seasonally dependent predictability of SST anomalies both for neutral years and for the growth/decay phase of El Nino/La Nina events. The study results indicated that for the SST predictions relating to the growth phase and the decay phase of El Nino events, the prediction errors have a seasonally dependent evolution. The largest increase in errors occurred in the spring season, which indicates that a prominent spring predictability barrier （SPB） occurs during an El Nino-Southern Oscillation （ENSO） warming episode. Furthermore, the SPB associated with the growth-phase prediction is more prominent than that associated with the decay-phase prediction. However, for the neutral years and for the growth and decay phases of La Nifia events, the SPB phenomenon was less prominent. These results indicate that the SPB phenomenon depends extensively on the ENSO events themselves. In particular, the SPB depends on the phases of the ENSO events. These results may provide useful knowledge for improving ENSO forecasting.展开更多
Since the last International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly (1999), the predictability studies in China have made further progress during the period of 1999-2002. Firstly, three predictability...Since the last International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly (1999), the predictability studies in China have made further progress during the period of 1999-2002. Firstly, three predictability sub-problems in numerical weather and climate prediction are classified, which are concerned with the maximum predictability time, the maximum prediction error, and the maximum allowable initial error, and then they are reduced into three nonlinear optimization problems. Secondly, the concepts of the nonlinear singular vector (NSV) and conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) are proposed, which have been utilized to study the predictability of numerical weather and climate prediction. The results suggest that the nonlinear characteristics of the motions of atmosphere and oceans can be revealed by NSV and CNOP. Thirdly, attention has also been paid to the relations between the predictability and spatial-temporal scale, and between the modei predictability and the machine precision, of which the investigations disclose the importance of the spatial-temporal scale and machine precision in the study of predictability. Also the cell-to-cell mapping is adopted to analyze globally the predictability of climate, which could provide a new subject to the research workers. Furthermore, the predictability of the summer rainfall in China is investigated by using the method of correlation coefficients. The results demonstrate that the predictability of summer rainfall is different in different areas of China. Analysis of variance, which is one of the statistical methods applicable to the study of predictability, is also used to study the potential predictability of monthly mean temperature in China, of which the conclusion is that the monthly mean temperature over China is potentially predictable at a statistical significance Ievel of 0.10. In addition, in the analysis of the predictability of the T106 objective analysis/forecasting field, the variance and the correlation coemcient are calculated to explore the distribution characteristics of the mean-square errors. Finally, the predictability of short-term climate prediction is investigated by using statistical methods or numerical simulation methods. It is demonstrated that the predictability of short-terrn climate in China depends not only on the region of China being investigated, but also on the time scale and the atmospheric internai dynamical process.展开更多
Within a theoretical ENSO model, the authors investigated whether or not the errors superimposed on model parameters could cause a significant ＂spring predictability barrier＂ （SPB） for El Nio events. First, sensit...Within a theoretical ENSO model, the authors investigated whether or not the errors superimposed on model parameters could cause a significant ＂spring predictability barrier＂ （SPB） for El Nio events. First, sensitivity experiments were respectively performed to the air-sea coupling parameter, α and the thermocline effect coefficient μ. The results showed that the uncertainties superimposed on each of the two parameters did not exhibit an obvious season-dependent evolution; furthermore, the uncertainties caused a very small prediction error and consequently failed to yield a significant SPB. Subsequently, the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation （CNOP） approach was used to study the effect of the optimal mode （CNOP-P） of the uncertainties of the two parameters on the SPB and to demonstrate that the CNOP-P errors neither presented a unified season-dependent evolution for different El Nio events nor caused a large prediction error, and therefore did not cause a significant SPB. The parameter errors played only a trivial role in yielding a significant SPB. To further validate this conclusion, the authors investigated the effect of the optimal combined mode （i.e. CNOP error） of initial and model errors on SPB. The results illustrated that the CNOP errors tended to have a significant season-dependent evolution, with the largest error growth rate in the spring, and yielded a large prediction error, inducing a significant SPB. The inference, therefore, is that initial errors, rather than model parameter errors, may be the dominant source of uncertainties that cause a significant SPB for El Nio events. These results indicate that the ability to forecast ENSO could be greatly increased by improving the initialization of the forecast model.展开更多
The uncertainties caused by the errors of the initial states and the parameters in the numerical model are investigated. Three problems of predictability in numerical weather and climate prediction are proposed, which...The uncertainties caused by the errors of the initial states and the parameters in the numerical model are investigated. Three problems of predictability in numerical weather and climate prediction are proposed, which are related to the maximum predictable time, the maximum prediction error, and the maximum admissible errors of the initial values and the parameters in the model respectively. The three problems are then formulated into nonlinear optimization problems. Effective approaches to deal with these nonlinear optimization problems are provided. The Lorenz’ model is employed to demonstrate how to use these ideas in dealing with these three problems.展开更多
A reduced-gravity barotropic shallow-water model was used to simulate the Kuroshio path variations. The results show that the model was able to capture the essential features of these path variations. We used one simu...A reduced-gravity barotropic shallow-water model was used to simulate the Kuroshio path variations. The results show that the model was able to capture the essential features of these path variations. We used one simulation of the model as the reference state and investigated the effects of errors in model parameters on the prediction of the transition to the Kuroshio large meander （KLM） state using the conditional nonlinear optimal parameter perturbation （CNOP-P） method. Because of their relatively large uncertainties, three model parameters were considered： the interracial friction coefficient, the wind-stress amplitude, and the lateral friction coefficient. We determined the CNOP-Ps optimized for each of these three parameters independently, and we optimized all three parameters simultaneously using the Spectral Projected Gradient 2 （SPG2） algorithm. Similarly, the impacts caused by errors in initial conditions were examined using the conditional nonlinear optimal initial perturbation （CNOP-I） method. Both the CNOP-I and CNOP-Ps can result in significant prediction errors of the KLM over a lead time of 240 days. But the prediction error caused by CNOP-I is greater than that caused by CNOP-P. The results of this study indicate not only that initial condition errors have greater effects on the prediction of the KLM than errors in model parameters but also that the latter cannot be ignored. Hence, to enhance the forecast skill of the KLM in this model, the initial conditions should first be improved, the model parameters should use the best possible estimates.展开更多
Ensemble techniques have been used to generate daily numerical weather forecasts since the 1990s in numerical centers around the world due to the increase in computation ability. One of the main purposes of numerical ...Ensemble techniques have been used to generate daily numerical weather forecasts since the 1990s in numerical centers around the world due to the increase in computation ability. One of the main purposes of numerical ensemble forecasts is to try to assimilate the initial uncertainty （initial error） and the forecast uncertainty （forecast error） by applying either the initial perturbation method or the multi-model/multiphysics method. In fact, the mean of an ensemble forecast offers a better forecast than a deterministic （or control） forecast after a short lead time （3-5 days） for global modelling applications. There is about a 1-2-day improvement in the forecast skill when using an ensemble mean instead of a single forecast for longer lead-time. The skillful forecast （65% and above of an anomaly correlation） could be extended to 8 days （or longer） by present-day ensemble forecast systems. Furthermore, ensemble forecasts can deliver a probabilistic forecast to the users, which is based on the probability density function （PDF） instead of a single-value forecast from a traditional deterministic system. It has long been recognized that the ensemble forecast not only improves our weather forecast predictability but also offers a remarkable forecast for the future uncertainty, such as the relative measure of predictability （RMOP） and probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecast （PQPF）. Not surprisingly, the success of the ensemble forecast and its wide application greatly increase the confidence of model developers and research communities.展开更多
This study investigated the regime-dependent predictability using convective-scale ensemble forecasts initialized with different initial condition perturbations in the Yangtze and Huai River basin(YHRB)of East China.T...This study investigated the regime-dependent predictability using convective-scale ensemble forecasts initialized with different initial condition perturbations in the Yangtze and Huai River basin(YHRB)of East China.The scale-dependent error growth(ensemble variability)and associated impact on precipitation forecasts(precipitation uncertainties)were quantitatively explored for 13 warm-season convective events that were categorized in terms of strong forcing and weak forcing.The forecast error growth in the strong-forcing regime shows a stepwise increase with increasing spatial scale,while the error growth shows a larger temporal variability with an afternoon peak appearing at smaller scales under weak forcing.This leads to the dissimilarity of precipitation uncertainty and shows a strong correlation between error growth and precipitation across spatial scales.The lateral boundary condition errors exert a quasi-linear increase on error growth with time at the larger scale,suggesting that the large-scale flow could govern the magnitude of error growth and associated precipitation uncertainties,especially for the strong-forcing regime.Further comparisons between scale-based initial error sensitivity experiments show evident scale interaction including upscale transfer of small-scale errors and downscale cascade of larger-scale errors.Specifically,small-scale errors are found to be more sensitive in the weak-forcing regime than those under strong forcing.Meanwhile,larger-scale initial errors are responsible for the error growth after 4 h and produce the precipitation uncertainties at the meso-β-scale.Consequently,these results can be used to explain underdispersion issues in convective-scale ensemble forecasts and provide feedback for ensemble design over the YHRB.展开更多
This article summarizes the progress made in predictability studies of weather and climate in recent years in China,with a main focus on advances in methods to study error growth dynamics and reduce uncertainties in t...This article summarizes the progress made in predictability studies of weather and climate in recent years in China,with a main focus on advances in methods to study error growth dynamics and reduce uncertainties in the forecasting of weather and climate.Specifically,it covers(a)advances in methods to study weather and climate predictability dynamics,especially those in nonlinear optimal perturbation methods associated with initial errors and model errors and their applications to ensemble forecasting and target observations,(b)new data assimilation algorithms for initialization of predictions and novel assimilation approaches to neutralize the combined effects of initial and model errors for weather and climate,(c)applications of new statistical approaches to climate predictions,and(d)studies on meso-to small-scale weather system predictability dynamics.Some of the major frontiers and challenges remaining in predictability studies are addressed in this context.展开更多
This study investigated the predictability of a squall line associated with a quasi-stationary front on 23 April 2007 in South China through deterministic and probabilistic forecasts. Our results show that the squalll...This study investigated the predictability of a squall line associated with a quasi-stationary front on 23 April 2007 in South China through deterministic and probabilistic forecasts. Our results show that the squallline simulation was very sensitive to model error from horizontal resolution and uncertainties in physical parameterization schemes. At least a 10-km grid size was necessary to decently capture this squall line. The simulated squall line with a grid size of 4.5 km was most sensitive to long-wave radiation parameterization schemes relative to other physical schemes such as microphysics and planetary boundary layer. For a grid size from 20 to 5 km, a cumulus parameterization scheme degraded the squall-line simulation （relative to turning it off）, with a more severe degradation to grid size -10 km than 〉10 km. The sensitivity of the squall-line simulation to initial error was investigated through ensemble forecast. The performance of the ensemble simulation of the squall line was very sensitive to the initial error. Approximately 15% of the ensemble members decently captured the evolution of the squall line, 25% failed, and 60% dislocated the squall line. Using different combinations of physical parameterization schemes for different members can improve the probabilistic forecast. The lead time of this case was only a few hours. Error growth was clearly associated with moist convection development. A linear improvement in the performance of the squall line simulation was observed when the initial error was decreased gradually, with the largest contribution from initial moisture field.展开更多
Three extreme cold events invaded China during the early winter period between December 2020 to mid-January 2021 and caused drastic temperature drops,setting new low-temperature records at many stations during 6−8 Jan...Three extreme cold events invaded China during the early winter period between December 2020 to mid-January 2021 and caused drastic temperature drops,setting new low-temperature records at many stations during 6−8 January 2021.These cold events occurred under background conditions of low Arctic sea ice extent and a La Niña event.This is somewhat expected since the coupled effect of large Arctic sea ice loss in autumn and sea surface temperature cooling in the tropical Pacific usually favors cold event occurrences in Eurasia.Further diagnosis reveals that the first cold event is related to the southward movement of the polar vortex and the second one is related to a continent-wide ridge,while both the southward polar vortex and the Asian blocking are crucial for the third event.Here,we evaluate the forecast skill for these three events utilizing the operational forecasts from the ECMWF model.We find that the third event had the highest predictability since it achieves the best skill in forecasting the East Asian cooling among the three events.Therefore,the predictability of these cold events,as well as their relationships with the atmospheric initial conditions,Arctic sea ice,and La Niña deserve further investigation.展开更多
Both seasonal potential predictability and the impact of SST in the Pacific on the forecast skill over China are investigated by using a 9-level global atmospheric general circulation model developed at the Institute ...Both seasonal potential predictability and the impact of SST in the Pacific on the forecast skill over China are investigated by using a 9-level global atmospheric general circulation model developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP9L-AGCM). For each year during 1970 to 1999, the ensemble consists of seven integrations started from consecutive observational daily atmospheric fields and forced by observational monthly SST. For boreal winter, spring and summer, the variance ratios of the SST-forced variability to the total variability and the differences in the spatial correlation coefficients of seasonal mean fields in special years versus normal years are computed respectively. It follows that there are slightly inter-seasonal differences in the model potential predictability in the Tropics. At northern middle and high latitudes, prediction skill is generally low in spring and relatively high either in summer for surface air temperature and middle and upper tropospheric geopotential height or in winter for wind and precipitation. In general, prediction skill rises notably in western China, especially in northwestern China, when SST anomalies (SSTA) in the Nino-3 region are significant. Moreover, particular attention should be paid to the SSTA in the North Pacific (NP) if one aims to predict summer climate over the eastern part of China, i.e., northeastern China, North China and southeastern China.展开更多
Considering the limitation of the linear theory of singular vector （SV）, the authors and their collabora- tors proposed conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation （CNOP） and then applied it in the predictability s...Considering the limitation of the linear theory of singular vector （SV）, the authors and their collabora- tors proposed conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation （CNOP） and then applied it in the predictability study and the sensitivity analysis of weather and climate system. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Chinese National Committee for World Climate Research Programme （WCRP）, this paper is devoted to reviewing the main results of these studies. First, CNOP represents the initial perturbation that has largest nonlinear evolution at prediction time, which is different from linear singular vector （LSV） for the large magnitude of initial perturbation or/and the long optimization time interval. Second, CNOP, rather than linear singular vector （LSV）, represents the initial anomaly that evolves into ENSO events most probably. It is also the CNOP that induces the most prominent seasonal variation of error growth for ENSO predictability; furthermore, CNOP was applied to investigate the decadal variability of ENSO asymmetry. It is demonstrated that the changing nonlinearity causes the change of ENSO asymmetry. Third, in the studies of the sensitivity and stability of ocean＇s thermohaline circulation （THC）, the nonlinear asymmetric response of THC to finite amplitude of initial perturbations was revealed by CNOP. Through this approach the passive mechanism of decadal variation of THC was demonstrated; Also the authors studies the instability and sensitivity analysis of grassland ecosystem by using CNOP and show the mechanism of the transitions between the grassland and desert states. Finally, a detailed discussion on the results obtained by CNOP suggests the applicability of CNOP in predictability studies and sensitivity analysis.展开更多
Recently reported results indicate that small amplitude and small scale initial errors grow rapidly and subsequently contaminate short-term deterministic mesoscale forecasts. This rapid error growth is dependent on no...Recently reported results indicate that small amplitude and small scale initial errors grow rapidly and subsequently contaminate short-term deterministic mesoscale forecasts. This rapid error growth is dependent on not only moist convection but also the flow regime. In this study, the mesoscale predictability and error growth of mei-yu heavy rainfall is investigated by simulating a particular precipitation event along the mei-yu front on 4- 6 July 2003 in eastern China. Due to the multi-scale character of the mei-yu front and scale interactions, the error growth of mei-yu heavy rainfall forecasts is markedly different from that in middle-latitude moist baroclinic systems. The optimal growth of the errors has a relatively wide spectrum, though it gradually migrates with time from small scale to mesoscale. During the whole period of this heavy rainfall event, the error growth has three different stages, which similar to the evolution of 6-hour accumulated precipitation. Multi-step error growth manifests as an increase of the amplitude of errors, the horizontal scale of the errors, or both. The vertical profile of forecast errors in the developing convective instability and the moist physics convective system indicates two peaks, which correspond with inside the mei-yu front, and related to moist The error growth for the mei-yu heavy rainfall is concentrated convective instability and scale interaction.展开更多
基金in part supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42288101,42405147 and 42475054)in part by the China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents(Grant No.BX20230071)。
文摘Conducting predictability studies is essential for tracing the source of forecast errors,which not only leads to the improvement of observation and forecasting systems,but also enhances the understanding of weather and climate phenomena.In the past few decades,dynamical numerical models have been the primary tools for predictability studies,achieving significant progress.Nowadays,with the advances in artificial intelligence(AI)techniques and accumulations of vast meteorological data,modeling weather and climate events using modern data-driven approaches is becoming trendy,where FourCastNet,Pangu-Weather,and GraphCast are successful pioneers.In this perspective article,we suggest AI models should not be limited to forecasting but be expanded to predictability studies,leveraging AI's advantages of high efficiency and self-contained optimization modules.To this end,we first remark that AI models should possess high simulation capability with fine spatiotemporal resolution for two kinds of predictability studies.AI models with high simulation capabilities comparable to numerical models can be considered to provide solutions to partial differential equations in a data-driven way.Then,we highlight several specific predictability issues with well-determined nonlinear optimization formulizations,which can be well-studied using AI models,holding significant scientific value.In addition,we advocate for the incorporation of AI models into the synergistic cycle of the cognition–observation–model paradigm.Comprehensive predictability studies have the potential to transform“big data”to“big and better data”and shift the focus from“AI for forecasts”to“AI for science”,ultimately advancing the development of the atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U2242213)the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2017YFC1502000).
文摘A heavy rainstorm occurred in Henan Province,China,between 19 and 21 July,2021,with a record-breaking 201.9 mm of precipitation in 1 h.To explore the key factors that led to forecasting errors for this extreme rainstorm,as well as the dominant contributor affecting its predictability,we employed the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System-Regional Ensemble Prediction System(GRAPES-REPS)to investigate the impact of the upper tropospheric cold vortex,middle-low vortex,and low-level jet on predictability and forecasting errors.The results showed that heavy rainfall was influenced by the following stable atmospheric circulation systems:subtropical highs,continental highs,and Typhoon In-Fa.Severe convection was caused by abundant water vapor,orographic uplift,and mesoscale vortices.Multiscale weather systems contributed to maintaining extreme rainfall in Henan for a long duration.The prediction ability of the optimal member of GRAPES-REPS was attributed to effective prediction of the intensity and evolution characteristics of the upper tropospheric cold vortex,middle-low vortex,and low-level jet.Conversely,the prediction deviation of unstable and dynamic conditions in the lower level of the worst member led to a decline in the forecast quality of rainfall intensity and its rainfall area.This indicates that heavy rainfall was strongly related to the short-wave throughput,upper tropospheric cold vortex,vortex,and boundary layer jet.Moreover,we observed severe uncertainty in GRAPES-REPS forecasts for rainfall caused by strong convection,whereas the predictability of rainfall caused by topography was high.Compared with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Ensemble Prediction System,GRAPES-REPS exhibits a better forecast ability for heavy rainfall,with some ensemble members able to better predict extreme precipitation.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42005005 and 42030607)the Science and Technology Department of Shaanxi Province(Grant No.2024JC-YBQN-0248)+2 种基金the Education Department of Shaanxi Province(Grant No.23JK0686)a Xi'an Science and Technology Project(Grant No.22GXFW0131)the Young Talent fund of the University Association for Science and Technology in Shaanxi(Grant No.20210706)。
文摘The practical predictability of hail precipitation rates is significantly influenced by initial meteorological perturbations,stemming from various uncertainty sources.This study thoroughly assessed the predictability of hail precipitation rates in both climatologically and flow-dependent perturbed ensembles(CEns and FEns).These ensembles incorporated initial meteorological uncertainties derived separately from two operational ensembles.Leveraging the Weather Research and Forecasting model,we conducted cloud-resolving simulations of an idealized hailstorm.The practical predictability of hail responded comparably to both climatological and flow-dependent uncertainties,which was revealed across the entire ensemble of 50 members.However,a notable difference emerged when comparing the peak hail precipitation rates among the top 10 and bottom 10 members.From a thermodynamic perspective,the primary source of uncertainty in hail precipitation lay in the significant variations in temperature stratification,particularly at-20℃and-40℃.On the microphysical front,perturbations within CEns generated greater uncertainty in the process of rainwater collection by hail,contributing significantly to the microphysical growth mechanisms of hail.Furthermore,the findings reveal a stronger dependency of hail precipitation uncertainty on thermodynamic perturbations compared to kinematic perturbations.These insights enhance the comprehension of the practical predictability of hail and contribute significantly to the understanding of ensemble forecasting for hail events.
基金The fund from Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Zhuhai)under contract No.SML2021SP310the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 42227901 and 42475061the Key R&D Program of Zhejiang Province under contract No.2024C03257.
文摘The inherent asymmetry and diversity of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)pose substantial challenges to its prediction.Potential predictability measures the upper limit of predictability for a certain event.Assessing the potential predictability of ENSO across varying phases and intensities with sophisticated climate models is crucial for understanding the upper limits of forecasting capabilities and identifying room for future enhancement.Based on the hindcast dataset with a recently developed ensemble forecasting system(the community earth system model,CESM),this study comprehensively investigates potential predictability for ENSO across different phases and intensities.The findings reveal that La Niña events possess higher potential predictability relative to their El Niño counterparts.Strong events exhibit significantly higher potential predictability than weak events within the same phase.The potential predictability of distinct ENSO types is primarily influenced by the seasonal variation inherent to their predictability.Regardless of the event classification,the potential predictability is characterized by a rapid decline from spring onwards,with the apex of this decline occurring in summer.The intensity of the seasonal predictability barrier inversely correlates with the upper limit of potential predictability.Specifically,a weaker(stronger)seasonal barrier is associated with a higher(lower)potential predictability.In addition,there is significant interdecadal variability both in the predictability of warm and cold ENSO events.The potential predictability for La Niña events decreases more slowly with increasing lead months,particularly in recent decades,resulting in an overall higher upper limit of potential predictability for La Niña events than for El Niño events over the past century.Nevertheless,El Niño events have also maintained a high potential predictability.This suggests substantial potential for improvement in future prediction for both.
基金The research of WONG Hsin-Chieh is partially supported by the NSTC(111-2118-M-305-004-MY2)the research of PANG Tian-xiao is partially supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China(21BTJ067)。
文摘This paper provides a robust test of predictability under the predictive regression model with possible heavy-tailed innovations assumption,in which the predictive variable is persistent and its innovations are highly correlated with returns.To this end,we propose a robust test which can capture empirical phenomena such as heavy tails,stationary,and local to unity.Moreover,we develop related asymptotic results without the second-moment assumption between the predictive variable and returns.To make the proposed test reasonable,we propose a generalized correlation and provide theoretical support.To illustrate the applicability of the test,we perform a simulation study for the impact of heavy-tailed innovations on predictability,as well as direct and/or indirect implementation of heavy-tailed innovations to predictability via the unit root phenomenon.Finally,we provide an empirical study for further illustration,to which the proposed test is applied to a U.S.equity data set.
基金jointly supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFC3007503)the Joint Research Project for Meteorological Capacity Improvement (22NLTSZ002)+4 种基金the National Natural Science Foundations of China (Grant Nos.42375064, 41975102, 41730964, 42175047)the China Meteorological Administration Key Innovation Team for Climate Prediction (CMA2023ZD03)the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) China project under the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF)the Special Project of Innovation and Development of China Meteorological Administration (CXFZ2024J004)the China Yangtze Power Co.,Ltd.Research Project (Grant No.2423020054)。
文摘The Yangtze River Valley(YRV) of China experienced record-breaking heatwaves in July and August 2022. The characteristics, causes, and impacts of this extreme event have been widely explored, but its seasonal predictability remains elusive. This study assessed the real-time one-month-lead prediction skill of the summer 2022 YRV heatwaves using 12operational seasonal forecast systems. Results indicate that most individual forecast systems and their multi-model ensemble(MME) mean exhibited limited skill in predicting the 2022 YRV heatwaves. Notably, after the removal of the linear trend, the predicted 2-m air temperature anomalies were generally negative in the YRV, except for the Met Office Glo Sea6 system, which captured a moderate warm anomaly. While the models successfully simulated the influence of La Ni?a on the East Asian–western North Pacific atmospheric circulation and associated YRV temperature anomalies, only Glo Sea6 reasonably captured the observed relationship between the YRV heatwaves and an atmospheric teleconnection extending from the North Atlantic to the Eurasian mid-to-high latitudes. Such an atmospheric teleconnection plays a crucial role in intensifying the YRV heatwaves. In contrast, other seasonal forecast systems and the MME predicted a distinctly different atmospheric circulation pattern, particularly over the Eurasian mid-to-high latitudes, and failed to reproduce the observed relationship between the YRV heatwaves and Eurasian mid-to-high latitude atmospheric circulation anomalies.These findings underscore the importance of accurately representing the Eurasian mid-to-high latitude atmospheric teleconnection for successful YRV heatwave prediction.
基金jointly sponsored by the National Nature Scientific Foundation of China (Grant Nos.41230420 and 41006015)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No.2012CB417404)the Basic Research Program of Science and Technology Projects of Qingdao (Grant No11-1-4-95-jch)
文摘ABSTRACT The impact of both initial and parameter errors on the spring predictability barrier （SPB） is investigated using the Zebiak Cane model （ZC model）. Previous studies have shown that initial errors contribute more to the SPB than parameter errors in the ZC model. Although parameter errors themselves are less important, there is a possibility that nonlinear interactions can occur between the two types of errors, leading to larger prediction errors compared with those induced by initial errors alone. In this case, the impact of parameter errors cannot be overlooked. In the present paper, the optimal combination of these two types of errors [i.e., conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation （CNOP） errors] is calculated to investigate whether this optimal error combination may cause a more notable SPB phenomenon than that caused by initial errors alone. Using the CNOP approach, the CNOP errors and CNOP-I errors （optimal errors when only initial errors are considered） are calculated and then three aspects of error growth are compared： （1） the tendency of the seasonal error growth; （2） the prediction error of the sea surface temperature anomaly; and （3） the pattern of error growth. All three aspects show that the CNOP errors do not cause a more significant SPB than the CNOP-I errors. Therefore, this result suggests that we could improve the prediction of the E1 Nifio during spring by simply focusing on reducing the initial errors in this model.
基金sponsored by the Knowledge Innovation Programof the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-QN203)the National Basic Research Program of China (GrantNos. 2010CB950400 and 2007CB411800)
文摘Using the sea surface temperature （SST） predicted for the equatorial Pacific Ocean by the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System Model-gamil （FGOALS-g）, an analysis of the prediction errors was performed for the seasonally dependent predictability of SST anomalies both for neutral years and for the growth/decay phase of El Nino/La Nina events. The study results indicated that for the SST predictions relating to the growth phase and the decay phase of El Nino events, the prediction errors have a seasonally dependent evolution. The largest increase in errors occurred in the spring season, which indicates that a prominent spring predictability barrier （SPB） occurs during an El Nino-Southern Oscillation （ENSO） warming episode. Furthermore, the SPB associated with the growth-phase prediction is more prominent than that associated with the decay-phase prediction. However, for the neutral years and for the growth and decay phases of La Nifia events, the SPB phenomenon was less prominent. These results indicate that the SPB phenomenon depends extensively on the ENSO events themselves. In particular, the SPB depends on the phases of the ENSO events. These results may provide useful knowledge for improving ENSO forecasting.
基金supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.KZCX2-208)the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China(Nos.40233029,40075015,and 40221503).
文摘Since the last International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly (1999), the predictability studies in China have made further progress during the period of 1999-2002. Firstly, three predictability sub-problems in numerical weather and climate prediction are classified, which are concerned with the maximum predictability time, the maximum prediction error, and the maximum allowable initial error, and then they are reduced into three nonlinear optimization problems. Secondly, the concepts of the nonlinear singular vector (NSV) and conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) are proposed, which have been utilized to study the predictability of numerical weather and climate prediction. The results suggest that the nonlinear characteristics of the motions of atmosphere and oceans can be revealed by NSV and CNOP. Thirdly, attention has also been paid to the relations between the predictability and spatial-temporal scale, and between the modei predictability and the machine precision, of which the investigations disclose the importance of the spatial-temporal scale and machine precision in the study of predictability. Also the cell-to-cell mapping is adopted to analyze globally the predictability of climate, which could provide a new subject to the research workers. Furthermore, the predictability of the summer rainfall in China is investigated by using the method of correlation coefficients. The results demonstrate that the predictability of summer rainfall is different in different areas of China. Analysis of variance, which is one of the statistical methods applicable to the study of predictability, is also used to study the potential predictability of monthly mean temperature in China, of which the conclusion is that the monthly mean temperature over China is potentially predictable at a statistical significance Ievel of 0.10. In addition, in the analysis of the predictability of the T106 objective analysis/forecasting field, the variance and the correlation coemcient are calculated to explore the distribution characteristics of the mean-square errors. Finally, the predictability of short-term climate prediction is investigated by using statistical methods or numerical simulation methods. It is demonstrated that the predictability of short-terrn climate in China depends not only on the region of China being investigated, but also on the time scale and the atmospheric internai dynamical process.
基金sponsored by the Knowl-edge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX2-YW-QN203)the National Basic Re-search Program of China (No. 2007CB411800)the GYHY200906009 of the China Meteorological Administra-tion
文摘Within a theoretical ENSO model, the authors investigated whether or not the errors superimposed on model parameters could cause a significant ＂spring predictability barrier＂ （SPB） for El Nio events. First, sensitivity experiments were respectively performed to the air-sea coupling parameter, α and the thermocline effect coefficient μ. The results showed that the uncertainties superimposed on each of the two parameters did not exhibit an obvious season-dependent evolution; furthermore, the uncertainties caused a very small prediction error and consequently failed to yield a significant SPB. Subsequently, the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation （CNOP） approach was used to study the effect of the optimal mode （CNOP-P） of the uncertainties of the two parameters on the SPB and to demonstrate that the CNOP-P errors neither presented a unified season-dependent evolution for different El Nio events nor caused a large prediction error, and therefore did not cause a significant SPB. The parameter errors played only a trivial role in yielding a significant SPB. To further validate this conclusion, the authors investigated the effect of the optimal combined mode （i.e. CNOP error） of initial and model errors on SPB. The results illustrated that the CNOP errors tended to have a significant season-dependent evolution, with the largest error growth rate in the spring, and yielded a large prediction error, inducing a significant SPB. The inference, therefore, is that initial errors, rather than model parameter errors, may be the dominant source of uncertainties that cause a significant SPB for El Nio events. These results indicate that the ability to forecast ENSO could be greatly increased by improving the initialization of the forecast model.
基金the National Key Basic Research Project Research on the Formation Mechanism and Prediction Theory of Severe Synoptic Disasters i
文摘The uncertainties caused by the errors of the initial states and the parameters in the numerical model are investigated. Three problems of predictability in numerical weather and climate prediction are proposed, which are related to the maximum predictable time, the maximum prediction error, and the maximum admissible errors of the initial values and the parameters in the model respectively. The three problems are then formulated into nonlinear optimization problems. Effective approaches to deal with these nonlinear optimization problems are provided. The Lorenz’ model is employed to demonstrate how to use these ideas in dealing with these three problems.
基金provided by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No. KZCX2-EW-201)the Basic Research Program of Science and Technology Projects of Qingdao (Grant No.11-1-4-95-jch)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40821092)
文摘A reduced-gravity barotropic shallow-water model was used to simulate the Kuroshio path variations. The results show that the model was able to capture the essential features of these path variations. We used one simulation of the model as the reference state and investigated the effects of errors in model parameters on the prediction of the transition to the Kuroshio large meander （KLM） state using the conditional nonlinear optimal parameter perturbation （CNOP-P） method. Because of their relatively large uncertainties, three model parameters were considered： the interracial friction coefficient, the wind-stress amplitude, and the lateral friction coefficient. We determined the CNOP-Ps optimized for each of these three parameters independently, and we optimized all three parameters simultaneously using the Spectral Projected Gradient 2 （SPG2） algorithm. Similarly, the impacts caused by errors in initial conditions were examined using the conditional nonlinear optimal initial perturbation （CNOP-I） method. Both the CNOP-I and CNOP-Ps can result in significant prediction errors of the KLM over a lead time of 240 days. But the prediction error caused by CNOP-I is greater than that caused by CNOP-P. The results of this study indicate not only that initial condition errors have greater effects on the prediction of the KLM than errors in model parameters but also that the latter cannot be ignored. Hence, to enhance the forecast skill of the KLM in this model, the initial conditions should first be improved, the model parameters should use the best possible estimates.
文摘Ensemble techniques have been used to generate daily numerical weather forecasts since the 1990s in numerical centers around the world due to the increase in computation ability. One of the main purposes of numerical ensemble forecasts is to try to assimilate the initial uncertainty （initial error） and the forecast uncertainty （forecast error） by applying either the initial perturbation method or the multi-model/multiphysics method. In fact, the mean of an ensemble forecast offers a better forecast than a deterministic （or control） forecast after a short lead time （3-5 days） for global modelling applications. There is about a 1-2-day improvement in the forecast skill when using an ensemble mean instead of a single forecast for longer lead-time. The skillful forecast （65% and above of an anomaly correlation） could be extended to 8 days （or longer） by present-day ensemble forecast systems. Furthermore, ensemble forecasts can deliver a probabilistic forecast to the users, which is based on the probability density function （PDF） instead of a single-value forecast from a traditional deterministic system. It has long been recognized that the ensemble forecast not only improves our weather forecast predictability but also offers a remarkable forecast for the future uncertainty, such as the relative measure of predictability （RMOP） and probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecast （PQPF）. Not surprisingly, the success of the ensemble forecast and its wide application greatly increase the confidence of model developers and research communities.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2017YFC1502103)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41430427 and 41705035)+1 种基金the China Scholarship Councilthe Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.KYCX17_0876)。
文摘This study investigated the regime-dependent predictability using convective-scale ensemble forecasts initialized with different initial condition perturbations in the Yangtze and Huai River basin(YHRB)of East China.The scale-dependent error growth(ensemble variability)and associated impact on precipitation forecasts(precipitation uncertainties)were quantitatively explored for 13 warm-season convective events that were categorized in terms of strong forcing and weak forcing.The forecast error growth in the strong-forcing regime shows a stepwise increase with increasing spatial scale,while the error growth shows a larger temporal variability with an afternoon peak appearing at smaller scales under weak forcing.This leads to the dissimilarity of precipitation uncertainty and shows a strong correlation between error growth and precipitation across spatial scales.The lateral boundary condition errors exert a quasi-linear increase on error growth with time at the larger scale,suggesting that the large-scale flow could govern the magnitude of error growth and associated precipitation uncertainties,especially for the strong-forcing regime.Further comparisons between scale-based initial error sensitivity experiments show evident scale interaction including upscale transfer of small-scale errors and downscale cascade of larger-scale errors.Specifically,small-scale errors are found to be more sensitive in the weak-forcing regime than those under strong forcing.Meanwhile,larger-scale initial errors are responsible for the error growth after 4 h and produce the precipitation uncertainties at the meso-β-scale.Consequently,these results can be used to explain underdispersion issues in convective-scale ensemble forecasts and provide feedback for ensemble design over the YHRB.
基金sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41930971,42105061 and 42030604).
文摘This article summarizes the progress made in predictability studies of weather and climate in recent years in China,with a main focus on advances in methods to study error growth dynamics and reduce uncertainties in the forecasting of weather and climate.Specifically,it covers(a)advances in methods to study weather and climate predictability dynamics,especially those in nonlinear optimal perturbation methods associated with initial errors and model errors and their applications to ensemble forecasting and target observations,(b)new data assimilation algorithms for initialization of predictions and novel assimilation approaches to neutralize the combined effects of initial and model errors for weather and climate,(c)applications of new statistical approaches to climate predictions,and(d)studies on meso-to small-scale weather system predictability dynamics.Some of the major frontiers and challenges remaining in predictability studies are addressed in this context.
基金supported by National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB430104)National Natural Science Foundation (Grant Nos. NSFC41075031and NSFC40921160380)the R&D Special Fund for Public Welfare Industry (meteorology) (Grant No.GYHY200906025)
文摘This study investigated the predictability of a squall line associated with a quasi-stationary front on 23 April 2007 in South China through deterministic and probabilistic forecasts. Our results show that the squallline simulation was very sensitive to model error from horizontal resolution and uncertainties in physical parameterization schemes. At least a 10-km grid size was necessary to decently capture this squall line. The simulated squall line with a grid size of 4.5 km was most sensitive to long-wave radiation parameterization schemes relative to other physical schemes such as microphysics and planetary boundary layer. For a grid size from 20 to 5 km, a cumulus parameterization scheme degraded the squall-line simulation （relative to turning it off）, with a more severe degradation to grid size -10 km than 〉10 km. The sensitivity of the squall-line simulation to initial error was investigated through ensemble forecast. The performance of the ensemble simulation of the squall line was very sensitive to the initial error. Approximately 15% of the ensemble members decently captured the evolution of the squall line, 25% failed, and 60% dislocated the squall line. Using different combinations of physical parameterization schemes for different members can improve the probabilistic forecast. The lead time of this case was only a few hours. Error growth was clearly associated with moist convection development. A linear improvement in the performance of the squall line simulation was observed when the initial error was decreased gradually, with the largest contribution from initial moisture field.
基金support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos:41790475,42005046,and 41790473)。
文摘Three extreme cold events invaded China during the early winter period between December 2020 to mid-January 2021 and caused drastic temperature drops,setting new low-temperature records at many stations during 6−8 January 2021.These cold events occurred under background conditions of low Arctic sea ice extent and a La Niña event.This is somewhat expected since the coupled effect of large Arctic sea ice loss in autumn and sea surface temperature cooling in the tropical Pacific usually favors cold event occurrences in Eurasia.Further diagnosis reveals that the first cold event is related to the southward movement of the polar vortex and the second one is related to a continent-wide ridge,while both the southward polar vortex and the Asian blocking are crucial for the third event.Here,we evaluate the forecast skill for these three events utilizing the operational forecasts from the ECMWF model.We find that the third event had the highest predictability since it achieves the best skill in forecasting the East Asian cooling among the three events.Therefore,the predictability of these cold events,as well as their relationships with the atmospheric initial conditions,Arctic sea ice,and La Niña deserve further investigation.
基金This research was jointly sup-ported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Project under contract KZCX3-SW-221by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.40125014 and 40221503.
文摘Both seasonal potential predictability and the impact of SST in the Pacific on the forecast skill over China are investigated by using a 9-level global atmospheric general circulation model developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP9L-AGCM). For each year during 1970 to 1999, the ensemble consists of seven integrations started from consecutive observational daily atmospheric fields and forced by observational monthly SST. For boreal winter, spring and summer, the variance ratios of the SST-forced variability to the total variability and the differences in the spatial correlation coefficients of seasonal mean fields in special years versus normal years are computed respectively. It follows that there are slightly inter-seasonal differences in the model potential predictability in the Tropics. At northern middle and high latitudes, prediction skill is generally low in spring and relatively high either in summer for surface air temperature and middle and upper tropospheric geopotential height or in winter for wind and precipitation. In general, prediction skill rises notably in western China, especially in northwestern China, when SST anomalies (SSTA) in the Nino-3 region are significant. Moreover, particular attention should be paid to the SSTA in the North Pacific (NP) if one aims to predict summer climate over the eastern part of China, i.e., northeastern China, North China and southeastern China.
文摘Considering the limitation of the linear theory of singular vector （SV）, the authors and their collabora- tors proposed conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation （CNOP） and then applied it in the predictability study and the sensitivity analysis of weather and climate system. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Chinese National Committee for World Climate Research Programme （WCRP）, this paper is devoted to reviewing the main results of these studies. First, CNOP represents the initial perturbation that has largest nonlinear evolution at prediction time, which is different from linear singular vector （LSV） for the large magnitude of initial perturbation or/and the long optimization time interval. Second, CNOP, rather than linear singular vector （LSV）, represents the initial anomaly that evolves into ENSO events most probably. It is also the CNOP that induces the most prominent seasonal variation of error growth for ENSO predictability; furthermore, CNOP was applied to investigate the decadal variability of ENSO asymmetry. It is demonstrated that the changing nonlinearity causes the change of ENSO asymmetry. Third, in the studies of the sensitivity and stability of ocean＇s thermohaline circulation （THC）, the nonlinear asymmetric response of THC to finite amplitude of initial perturbations was revealed by CNOP. Through this approach the passive mechanism of decadal variation of THC was demonstrated; Also the authors studies the instability and sensitivity analysis of grassland ecosystem by using CNOP and show the mechanism of the transitions between the grassland and desert states. Finally, a detailed discussion on the results obtained by CNOP suggests the applicability of CNOP in predictability studies and sensitivity analysis.
基金supported by the National Key Scientific and Technological Project 2006BAC02B03,2004CB418300under the FANEDD 200325+1 种基金The Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (20080284019)National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.40325014
文摘Recently reported results indicate that small amplitude and small scale initial errors grow rapidly and subsequently contaminate short-term deterministic mesoscale forecasts. This rapid error growth is dependent on not only moist convection but also the flow regime. In this study, the mesoscale predictability and error growth of mei-yu heavy rainfall is investigated by simulating a particular precipitation event along the mei-yu front on 4- 6 July 2003 in eastern China. Due to the multi-scale character of the mei-yu front and scale interactions, the error growth of mei-yu heavy rainfall forecasts is markedly different from that in middle-latitude moist baroclinic systems. The optimal growth of the errors has a relatively wide spectrum, though it gradually migrates with time from small scale to mesoscale. During the whole period of this heavy rainfall event, the error growth has three different stages, which similar to the evolution of 6-hour accumulated precipitation. Multi-step error growth manifests as an increase of the amplitude of errors, the horizontal scale of the errors, or both. The vertical profile of forecast errors in the developing convective instability and the moist physics convective system indicates two peaks, which correspond with inside the mei-yu front, and related to moist The error growth for the mei-yu heavy rainfall is concentrated convective instability and scale interaction.
