A new set of Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer （IASI） channels was re-selected from 314 EUMETSAT channels. In selecting channels, we calculated the impact of the individually added channel on the improvem...A new set of Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer （IASI） channels was re-selected from 314 EUMETSAT channels. In selecting channels, we calculated the impact of the individually added channel on the improvement in the analysis outputs from a one-dimensional variational analysis （1D-Var） for the Unified Model （UM） data assimilation system at the Met Office, using the channel score index （CSI） as a figure of merit. Then, 200 channels were selected in order by counting each individual channel＇s CSI contribution. Compared with the operationally used 183 channels for the UM at the Met Office, the new set shares 149 channels, while the other 51 channels are new. Also examined is the selection from the entropy reduction method with the same 1D-Var approach, Results suggest that channel selection can be made in a more objective fashion using the proposed CSI method. This is because the most important channels can be selected across the whole IASI observation spectrum. In the experimental trial runs using the UM global assimilation system, the new channels had an overall neutral impact in terms of improvement in forecasts, as compared with results from the operational channels. However, upper-tropospheric moist biases shown in the control run with operational channels were significantly reduced in the experimental trial with the newly selected channels. The reduction of moist biases was mainly due to the additional water vapor channels, which are sensitive to the upper-tropospheric water vapor.展开更多
This paper evaluates the microwave instruments onboard the latest Chinese polar-orbiting satellite, Fengyun 3D (FY- 3D). Comparing three months of observations from the Microwave Temperature Sounder 2 (MWTS-2), the Mi...This paper evaluates the microwave instruments onboard the latest Chinese polar-orbiting satellite, Fengyun 3D (FY- 3D). Comparing three months of observations from the Microwave Temperature Sounder 2 (MWTS-2), the Microwave Humidity Sounder 2 (MWHS-2), and the Microwave Radiation Imager (MWRI) to Met Office short-range forecasts, we characterize the instrumental biases, show how those biases have changed with respect to their predecessors onboard FY- 3C, and how they compare to the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) onboard NOAA-20 and the Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager (GMI). The MWTS-2 global bias is much reduced with respect to its predecessor and compares well to ATMS at equivalent channel frequencies, differing only by 0.36 ± 0.28 K (1σ) on average. A suboptimal averaging of raw digital counts is found to cause an increase in striping noise and an ascending- descending bias. MWHS-2 benefits from a new calibration method improving the 183-GHz humidity channels with respect to its predecessor and biases for these channels are within ± 1.9 K to ATMS. MWRI presents the largest improvements, with reduced global bias and standard deviation with respect to FY-3C;although, spurious, seemingly transient, brightness temperatures have been detected in the observations at 36.5 GHz (vertical polarization). The strong solar-dependent bias that affects the instrument on FY-3C has been reduced to less than 0.2 K on average for FY-3D MWRI. Experiments where radiances from these instruments were assimilated on top of a full global system demonstrated a neutral to positive impact on the forecasts, as well as on the fit to the background of independent instruments.展开更多
Microwave radiances from passive polar-orbiting radiometers have been,until recently,assimilated in the Met Office global numerical weather prediction system after the scenes significantly affected by atmospheric scat...Microwave radiances from passive polar-orbiting radiometers have been,until recently,assimilated in the Met Office global numerical weather prediction system after the scenes significantly affected by atmospheric scattering are discarded.Recent system upgrades have seen the introduction of a scattering-permitting observation operator and the development of a variable observation error using both liquid and ice water paths as proxies of scattering-induced bias.Applied to the Fengyun 3 Microwave Temperature Sounder 2(MWTS-2)and the Microwave Humidity Sounder 2(MWHS-2),this methodology increases the data usage by up to 8%at 183 GHz.It also allows for the investigation into the assimilation of MWHS-2118 GHz channels,sensitive to temperature and lower tropospheric humidity,but whose large sensitivity to ice cloud have prevented their use thus far.While the impact on the forecast is mostly neutral with small but significant short-range improvements,0.3%in terms of root mean square error,for southern winds and low-level temperature,balanced by 0.2%degradations of short-range northern and tropical low-level temperature,benefits are observed in the background fit of independent instruments used in the system.The lower tropospheric temperature sounding Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer(IASI)channels see a reduction of the standard deviation in the background departure of up to 1.2%.The Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit A(AMSU-A)stratospheric sounding channels improve by up to 0.5%and the Microwave Humidity Sounder(MHS)humidity sounding channels improve by up to 0.4%.展开更多
China＇s FengYnn 3 （FY-3） polar orbiting satellites axe set to become an important sonrce of observational data for nu- merical weather prediction （NWP）, atmospheric reanalyses, and climate monitoring studies over...China＇s FengYnn 3 （FY-3） polar orbiting satellites axe set to become an important sonrce of observational data for nu- merical weather prediction （NWP）, atmospheric reanalyses, and climate monitoring studies over the next two decades. As part of the Climate Science for Service Partnership China （CSSP China） prograln, FY-3B Microwave Humidity Sounder 1 （MWHS-1） and FY-3C MWHS-2 observations have been thoroughly assessed and prepared for operational assimilation. This represents the first time observations from China＇s polar orbiting satellites have been used in the UK＇s global NWP model. Since 2016, continuous data quality monitoring has shown occasional bias changes found to be correlated to changes in the energy supply scheme regulating the platform heating system and other transient anomalies. Nonetheless, MWHS-1 and MWHS-2 significantly contribute to the 24-h forecast error reduction by 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively, and the combination of both instruments is shown to improve the fit to the model background of independent sounders by up to 1%. The observations from the Microwave Radiation Imager （MWRI） also are a potentially significant source of benefits for NWP models, but a solar-dependent bias observed in the instrument half-orbits has prevented their assimilation. This paper presents the bases of a correction scheme developed at the Met Office for the purpose of a future assimilation of MWRI data.展开更多
Based on the empirical orthogonal function(EOF) analysis, the East Asia–Pacific(EAP) teleconnection is extracted as the leading mode of the subseasonal variability over East Asia in summer, with a meridional tripole ...Based on the empirical orthogonal function(EOF) analysis, the East Asia–Pacific(EAP) teleconnection is extracted as the leading mode of the subseasonal variability over East Asia in summer, with a meridional tripole structure and significant periods of 10–30 and 50–70 days. A two-dimensional phase–space diagram is established for the EAP index and its time tendency so as to monitor the real-time state of EAP events. Based on the phase composite analysis, the general circulation anomalies first occur over the high-latitude area of Europe centered near Novaya Zemlya at the beginning of EAP events. These general circulation anomalies then influence rainfall over Northeast China,North China, and the region south of the Yangtze River valley(YRV) as the phases of EAP event progress. The representation, predictability, and prediction skill of the EAP teleconnection are examined in the two fully coupled subseasonal prediction systems of the Beijing Climate Center(BCC) and UK Met Office(UKMO GloSea5). Both models are able to simulate the EAP meridional tripole over East Asia as the leading mode and its characteristics of evolution as well, except for the weaker precursors over Novaya Zemlya and an inconspicuous influence on precipitation over Northeast China. The actual prediction skill of the EAP teleconnection during May–September(MJJAS) is about 10 days in the BCC model and 15 days in the UKMO model based on correlation measures, but is higher when initialized from the EAP peak phases or when targeted on strong EAP scenarios. However, both of the ensemble prediction systems are under-dispersive and the predictable signals extend to 18 and 30 days in BCC and UKMO models based on signal-to-error metrics, indicating that there may be further scope for enhancing the capability of these models for the EAP teleconnection prediction and the associated impacts studies.展开更多
Previous studies have revealed a combination mode （C-mode） occurring in the Indo-Pacific region, arising from nonlinear interactions between ENSO and the western Pacific warm pool annual cycle. This paper evaluates ...Previous studies have revealed a combination mode （C-mode） occurring in the Indo-Pacific region, arising from nonlinear interactions between ENSO and the western Pacific warm pool annual cycle. This paper evaluates the simulation of this C-mode and its asymmetric SST response in HadGEM3 and its resolution sensitivity using three sets of simulations at horizontal resolutions of N96, N216 and N512. The results show that HadGEM3 can capture well the spatial pattern of the C-mode associated surface wind anomalies, as well as the asymmetric response of SST in the tropical Pacific, but it strongly overestimates the explained variability of the C-mode compared to the ENSO mode. The model with the three resolutions is able to reproduce the distinct spectral peaks of the C-mode at the near annual combination frequencies, but the performance in simulating the longer periods is not satisfactory, presumably due to the unrealistic simulation of the ENSO mode. Increasing the horizontal resolution can improve the consistency between atmospheric and oceanic representations of the C-mode, but not necessarily enhance the accuracy of C-mode simulation compared with observation.展开更多
This past year, 2024, is on track to be the warmest year, joining 2023 as the two hottest years on record. With the exceptional heat, weather and climate extremes were common across the world. In particular, 2024 has ...This past year, 2024, is on track to be the warmest year, joining 2023 as the two hottest years on record. With the exceptional heat, weather and climate extremes were common across the world. In particular, 2024 has seen a remarkable run of extreme precipitation events and resulting impacts. Here, we provide an overview of the most notable extreme events of the year, including extreme precipitation and floods, tropical cyclones, and droughts. The characteristics and impacts of these extreme events are summarized, followed by discussion on the physical drivers and the role of global warming.Finally, we also discuss the future prospects in extreme event studies, including impact-based perspectives, challenges in attribution of precipitation extremes, and the existing gap to minimize impacts from climate extremes.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
The inter-model difference in the tropical Pacific SST warming pattern is a big stumbling block for reliable projections of global climate change. Here by conducting an inter-model Empirical Orthogonal Function(EOF) a...The inter-model difference in the tropical Pacific SST warming pattern is a big stumbling block for reliable projections of global climate change. Here by conducting an inter-model Empirical Orthogonal Function(EOF) analysis as well as an ocean mixed-layer heat budget, we find that the first two modes of inter-model difference in the SST warming pattern projected by 30 CMIP6 models, explaining more than three-quarters of the total inter-model variance, are both tied to different cloud–radiation feedbacks. The EOF1 mode that captures the different magnitudes of El Ni?o-like warming as well as the largest inter-model variance in the far eastern equatorial Pacific, is likely driven by highly diverse cloud–radiation feedbacks in the east and, to a lesser extent, by differing changes in the oceanic vertical temperature gradient. The EOF2 mode that mainly represents the different magnitudes of SST warming in the western equatorial Pacific, is associated with differing levels of negative cloud–radiation feedback over the central equatorial Pacific through a dynamic air–sea coupled process involving both the Bjerknes feedback and the wind–evaporation–SST feedback.Considering in isolation the robust common model bias of a weak negative cloud–radiation feedback over the central equatorial Pacific, the projected SST warming in the western equatorial Pacific is likely to be smaller than the multi-model ensemble mean, thereby presenting a more weakeened zonal SST gradient than expected, implying the potential for more severe climate extremes under global warming.展开更多
We demonstrate that there is significant skill in the GloSea5 operational seasonal forecasting system for predicting June mean rainfall in the middle/lower Yangtze River basin up to four months in advance.Much of the ...We demonstrate that there is significant skill in the GloSea5 operational seasonal forecasting system for predicting June mean rainfall in the middle/lower Yangtze River basin up to four months in advance.Much of the rainfall in this region during June is contributed by the mei-yu rain band.We find that similar skill exists for predicting the East Asian summer monsoon index(EASMI)on monthly time scales,and that the latter could be used as a proxy to predict the regional rainfall.However,there appears to be little to be gained from using the predicted EASMI as a proxy for regional rainfall on monthly time scales compared with predicting the rainfall directly.Although interannual variability of the June mean rainfall is affected by synoptic and intraseasonal variations,which may be inherently unpredictable on the seasonal forecasting time scale,the major influence of equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures from the preceding winter on the June mean rainfall is captured by the model through their influence on the western North Pacific subtropical high.The ability to predict the June mean rainfall in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin at a lead time of up to 4 months suggests the potential for providing early information to contingency planners on the availability of water during the summer season.展开更多
This study examined the impact of tropical cyclone (TC) landfalls on the spatiotemporal variations in the rainfall over South China for the period 1957–2005. The target region was selected to show the noteworthy cont...This study examined the impact of tropical cyclone (TC) landfalls on the spatiotemporal variations in the rainfall over South China for the period 1957–2005. The target region was selected to show the noteworthy contribution of TC landfalls to the total rainfall during the typhoon season (July–October). Two prevailing spatial variations in the rainfall were obtained from an EOF analysis. The first EOF mode displays singlesign variability over South China with an explained variance of 23.4%. The associated time series of this mode fluctuates on a decadal timescale and was found to be correlated with TC genesis in the South China Sea. The second EOF mode shows a seesaw pattern between Hainan Island/Guangdong Province and the remaining regions with an explained variance of 11.4%. This seesaw pattern results from an anti-correlation in seasonal TC landfalls between the two regions, which was found in previous studies. This is related to the strengthening (weakening) of the upper tropospheric jets and the corresponding development of a massive anticyclonic (cyclonic) circulation over East Asia. The EOF analysis was also conducted using just the data for rainfall caused by landfalling TCs. This revealed that the first EOF mode using just the TC-induced rainfall is nearly identical to the second mode from the total rainfall. The obvious seesaw pattern of the first mode when employing just the TC-induced rainfall in the EOF analysis implies that this pattern has larger temporal variability than the single-signed pattern (i.e., the first EOF mode using the total rainfall) in terms of TC landfalls. This study suggests that TC landfalls over South China and the accompanying rainfall significantly modulate the spatial variation of the typhoon season rainfall there.展开更多
Ecosystems have increasingly been subject to the challenge of heavy drought under global warming. To quantitatively evaluate the impacts of drought on ecosystems, it is necessary to develop a drought index that can se...Ecosystems have increasingly been subject to the challenge of heavy drought under global warming. To quantitatively evaluate the impacts of drought on ecosystems, it is necessary to develop a drought index that can sensitively depict the response of vegetation to drought evolution at a biological time scale. For the ability of direct connection between climate and ecosystem by deficit of evapotranspiration, in the present study, a drought index was defined based on standardized evapotranspiration deficit (SEDI), according to the difference between actual and potential evapotranspiration, to meet the need for highlighting drought impacts on ecological processes. Comparisons with traditional indices show that SEDI can reasonably detect droughts and climatic dry and wet transitions, especially at a monthly time scale, and can also regenerate long-term trends. Moreover, SEDI can more sensitively capture the biological changes of ecosystems in response to the dynamics of drought intensity, compared with the indices of precipitation and temperature. SEDI is more practical than the precipitation and temperature indices to highlight signals of biological effects in climate droughts. Hence, it has potential for use in assessments of climate change and its impact on ecosystems.展开更多
Predicting monsoon onset is crucial for agriculture and socioeconomic planning in countries where millions rely on the timely arrival of monsoon rains for their livelihoods. In this study we demonstrate useful skill i...Predicting monsoon onset is crucial for agriculture and socioeconomic planning in countries where millions rely on the timely arrival of monsoon rains for their livelihoods. In this study we demonstrate useful skill in predicting year-to-year variations in South China Sea summer monsoon onset at up to a three-month lead time using the GloSea5 seasonal forecasting system. The main source of predictability comes from skillful prediction of Pacific sea surface temperatures associated with El Ni?no and La Ni?na. The South China Sea summer monsoon onset is a known indicator of the broadscale seasonal transition that represents the first stage of the onset of the Asian summer monsoon as a whole. Subsequent development of rainfall across East Asia is influenced by subseasonal variability and synoptic events that reduce predictability, but interannual variability in the broadscale monsoon onset for East Asian summer monsoon still provides potentially useful information for users about possible delays or early occurrence of the onset of rainfall over East Asia.展开更多
The spring of 2018 was the hottest on record since 1951 over eastern China based on station observations,being 2.5°C higher than the 1961−90 mean and with more than 900 stations reaching the record spring mean te...The spring of 2018 was the hottest on record since 1951 over eastern China based on station observations,being 2.5°C higher than the 1961−90 mean and with more than 900 stations reaching the record spring mean temperature.This event exerted serious impacts in the region on agriculture,plant phenology,electricity transmission systems,and human health.In this paper,the contributions of human-induced climate change and anomalous anticyclonic circulation to this event are investigated using the newly homogenized observations and updated Met Office Hadley Centre system for attribution of extreme events,as well as CanESM2(Second Generation Canadian Earth System Model)simulations.Results indicate that both anthropogenic influences and anomalous anticyclonic circulation played significant roles in increasing the probability of the 2018 hottest spring.Quantitative estimates of the probability ratio show that anthropogenic forcing may have increased the chance of this event by ten-fold,while the anomalous circulation increased it by approximately two-fold.The persistent anomalous anticyclonic circulation located on the north side of China blocked the air with lower temperature from high latitudes into eastern China.Without anthropogenic forcing or without the anomalous circulation in northern China,the occurrence probability of the extreme warm spring is significantly reduced.展开更多
The year 2021 was recorded as the 6th warmest since 1880.In addition to large-scale warming,2021 will be remembered for its unprecedented climate extremes.Here,a review of selected high-impact climate extremes in 2021...The year 2021 was recorded as the 6th warmest since 1880.In addition to large-scale warming,2021 will be remembered for its unprecedented climate extremes.Here,a review of selected high-impact climate extremes in 2021,with a focus on China,along with an extension to extreme events in North America and Europe is presented.Nine extreme events that occurred in 2021 in China are highlighted,including a rapid transition from cold to warm extremes and sandstorms in spring,consecutive drought in South China and severe thunderstorms in eastern China in the first half of the year,extremely heavy rainfall over Henan Province and Hubei Province during summer,as well as heatwaves,persistent heavy rainfall,and a cold surge during fall.Potential links of extremes in China to four global-scale climate extremes and the underlying physical mechanisms are discussed here,providing insights to understand climate extremes from a global perspective.This serves as a reference for climate event attribution,process understanding,and high-resolution modeling of extreme events.展开更多
Extreme weather events and their consequential impacts have been a key feature of the climate in recent years in many parts of the world,with many partly attributed to ongoing global-scale warming.The past year,2022,h...Extreme weather events and their consequential impacts have been a key feature of the climate in recent years in many parts of the world,with many partly attributed to ongoing global-scale warming.The past year,2022,has been no exception,with further records being broken.The year was marked by unprecedented heatwaves and droughts with highly unusual spatial extent,duration and intensity,with one measure indicating an aggregated and overall intensity of extreme heat events worldwide not seen since at least 1950.The extreme drought measured by surface soil moisture covered 47.3%of global land areas in 2022,which was the second most widespread year since 1980.Here,we examine notable events of the year in five major regions of the world:China’s Yangtze River region,western Europe,the western U.S.,the Horn of Africa and central South America.For each event,we review the potential roles of circulation,oceanic forcing(especially the“triple-dip”La Niña)and anthropogenic climate change,with an aim of understanding the extreme events in 2022 from a global perspective.This will serve as a reference for mechanism understanding,prediction and attribution of extreme events.展开更多
During June and July of 2020,the Yangtze River basin suffered from extreme mei-yu rainfall and catastrophic flooding.This study explores the seasonal predictability and associated dynamical causes for this extreme Yan...During June and July of 2020,the Yangtze River basin suffered from extreme mei-yu rainfall and catastrophic flooding.This study explores the seasonal predictability and associated dynamical causes for this extreme Yangtze River rainfall event,based on forecasts from the Met Office GloSea5 operational forecast system.The forecasts successfully predicted above-average rainfall over the Yangtze River basin,which arose from the successful reproduction of the anomalous western North Pacific subtropical high(WNPSH).Our results indicate that both the Indian Ocean warm sea surface temperature(SST)and local WNP SST gradient were responsible for the westward extension of the WNPSH,and the forecasts captured these tropical signals well.We explore extratropical drivers but find a large model spread among the forecast members regarding the meridional displacements of the East Asian mid-latitude westerly jet(EAJ).The forecast members with an evident southward displacement of the EAJ favored more extreme Yangtze River rainfall.However,the forecast Yangtze River rainfall anomaly was weaker compared to that was observed and no member showed such strong rainfall.In observations,the EAJ displayed an evident acceleration in summer 2020,which could lead to a significant wind convergence in the lower troposphere around the Yangtze River basin,and favor more mei-yu rainfall.The model forecast failed to satisfactorily reproduce these processes.This difference implies that the observed enhancement of the EAJ intensity gave a large boost to the Yangtze River rainfall,hindering a better forecast of the intensity of the event and disaster mitigation.展开更多
Seasonal forecasts for Yangtze River basin rainfall in June,May–June–July(MJJ),and June–July–August(JJA)2020 are presented,based on the Met Office GloSea5 system.The three-month forecasts are based on dynamical pr...Seasonal forecasts for Yangtze River basin rainfall in June,May–June–July(MJJ),and June–July–August(JJA)2020 are presented,based on the Met Office GloSea5 system.The three-month forecasts are based on dynamical predictions of an East Asian Summer Monsoon(EASM)index,which is transformed into regional-mean rainfall through linear regression.The June rainfall forecasts for the middle/lower Yangtze River basin are based on linear regression of precipitation.The forecasts verify well in terms of giving strong,consistent predictions of above-average rainfall at lead times of at least three months.However,the Yangtze region was subject to exceptionally heavy rainfall throughout the summer period,leading to observed values that lie outside the 95%prediction intervals of the three-month forecasts.The forecasts presented here are consistent with other studies of the 2020 EASM rainfall,whereby the enhanced mei-yu front in early summer is skillfully forecast,but the impact of midlatitude drivers enhancing the rainfall in later summer is not captured.This case study demonstrates both the utility of probabilistic seasonal forecasts for the Yangtze region and the potential limitations in anticipating complex extreme events driven by a combination of coincident factors.展开更多
Highly unusual amounts of rainfall were seen in the 2020 summer in many parts of China,Japan,and South Korea.At the intercontinental scale,case studies have attributed this exceptional event to a displacement of the c...Highly unusual amounts of rainfall were seen in the 2020 summer in many parts of China,Japan,and South Korea.At the intercontinental scale,case studies have attributed this exceptional event to a displacement of the climatological western North Pacific subtropical anticyclone,potentially associated Indian Ocean sea surface temperature patterns and a mid-latitude wave train emanating from the North Atlantic.Using clusters of spatial patterns of sea level pressure,we show that an unprecedented 80%of the 2020 summer days in East Asia were dominated by clusters of surface pressure greater than normal over the South China Sea.By examining the rainfall and water vapor fluxes in other years when these clusters were also prevalent,we find that the frequency of these types of clusters was likely to have been largely responsible for the unusual rainfall of 2020.From two ensembles of future climate projections,we show that summers like 2020 in East Asia may become more frequent and considerably wetter in a warmer world with an enhanced moisture supply.展开更多
基金supported by the KMA Research and Development Program under Grant No.KMIPA 20151060supported by the BK21 Plus Project of the Korean government
文摘A new set of Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer （IASI） channels was re-selected from 314 EUMETSAT channels. In selecting channels, we calculated the impact of the individually added channel on the improvement in the analysis outputs from a one-dimensional variational analysis （1D-Var） for the Unified Model （UM） data assimilation system at the Met Office, using the channel score index （CSI） as a figure of merit. Then, 200 channels were selected in order by counting each individual channel＇s CSI contribution. Compared with the operationally used 183 channels for the UM at the Met Office, the new set shares 149 channels, while the other 51 channels are new. Also examined is the selection from the entropy reduction method with the same 1D-Var approach, Results suggest that channel selection can be made in a more objective fashion using the proposed CSI method. This is because the most important channels can be selected across the whole IASI observation spectrum. In the experimental trial runs using the UM global assimilation system, the new channels had an overall neutral impact in terms of improvement in forecasts, as compared with results from the operational channels. However, upper-tropospheric moist biases shown in the control run with operational channels were significantly reduced in the experimental trial with the newly selected channels. The reduction of moist biases was mainly due to the additional water vapor channels, which are sensitive to the upper-tropospheric water vapor.
基金This work was supported by the UK-China Research&Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)China as part of the Newton Fund.
文摘This paper evaluates the microwave instruments onboard the latest Chinese polar-orbiting satellite, Fengyun 3D (FY- 3D). Comparing three months of observations from the Microwave Temperature Sounder 2 (MWTS-2), the Microwave Humidity Sounder 2 (MWHS-2), and the Microwave Radiation Imager (MWRI) to Met Office short-range forecasts, we characterize the instrumental biases, show how those biases have changed with respect to their predecessors onboard FY- 3C, and how they compare to the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) onboard NOAA-20 and the Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager (GMI). The MWTS-2 global bias is much reduced with respect to its predecessor and compares well to ATMS at equivalent channel frequencies, differing only by 0.36 ± 0.28 K (1σ) on average. A suboptimal averaging of raw digital counts is found to cause an increase in striping noise and an ascending- descending bias. MWHS-2 benefits from a new calibration method improving the 183-GHz humidity channels with respect to its predecessor and biases for these channels are within ± 1.9 K to ATMS. MWRI presents the largest improvements, with reduced global bias and standard deviation with respect to FY-3C;although, spurious, seemingly transient, brightness temperatures have been detected in the observations at 36.5 GHz (vertical polarization). The strong solar-dependent bias that affects the instrument on FY-3C has been reduced to less than 0.2 K on average for FY-3D MWRI. Experiments where radiances from these instruments were assimilated on top of a full global system demonstrated a neutral to positive impact on the forecasts, as well as on the fit to the background of independent instruments.
基金This work was supported by the UK-China Research&Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)China as part of the Newton Fund.
文摘Microwave radiances from passive polar-orbiting radiometers have been,until recently,assimilated in the Met Office global numerical weather prediction system after the scenes significantly affected by atmospheric scattering are discarded.Recent system upgrades have seen the introduction of a scattering-permitting observation operator and the development of a variable observation error using both liquid and ice water paths as proxies of scattering-induced bias.Applied to the Fengyun 3 Microwave Temperature Sounder 2(MWTS-2)and the Microwave Humidity Sounder 2(MWHS-2),this methodology increases the data usage by up to 8%at 183 GHz.It also allows for the investigation into the assimilation of MWHS-2118 GHz channels,sensitive to temperature and lower tropospheric humidity,but whose large sensitivity to ice cloud have prevented their use thus far.While the impact on the forecast is mostly neutral with small but significant short-range improvements,0.3%in terms of root mean square error,for southern winds and low-level temperature,balanced by 0.2%degradations of short-range northern and tropical low-level temperature,benefits are observed in the background fit of independent instruments used in the system.The lower tropospheric temperature sounding Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer(IASI)channels see a reduction of the standard deviation in the background departure of up to 1.2%.The Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit A(AMSU-A)stratospheric sounding channels improve by up to 0.5%and the Microwave Humidity Sounder(MHS)humidity sounding channels improve by up to 0.4%.
基金supported by the UK-China Research&Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)China as part of the Newton Fund
文摘China＇s FengYnn 3 （FY-3） polar orbiting satellites axe set to become an important sonrce of observational data for nu- merical weather prediction （NWP）, atmospheric reanalyses, and climate monitoring studies over the next two decades. As part of the Climate Science for Service Partnership China （CSSP China） prograln, FY-3B Microwave Humidity Sounder 1 （MWHS-1） and FY-3C MWHS-2 observations have been thoroughly assessed and prepared for operational assimilation. This represents the first time observations from China＇s polar orbiting satellites have been used in the UK＇s global NWP model. Since 2016, continuous data quality monitoring has shown occasional bias changes found to be correlated to changes in the energy supply scheme regulating the platform heating system and other transient anomalies. Nonetheless, MWHS-1 and MWHS-2 significantly contribute to the 24-h forecast error reduction by 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively, and the combination of both instruments is shown to improve the fit to the model background of independent sounders by up to 1%. The observations from the Microwave Radiation Imager （MWRI） also are a potentially significant source of benefits for NWP models, but a solar-dependent bias observed in the instrument half-orbits has prevented their assimilation. This paper presents the bases of a correction scheme developed at the Met Office for the purpose of a future assimilation of MWRI data.
基金Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFC1505906)National Natural Science Foundation of China(41905067 and 41775066)+1 种基金National(Key)Basic Research and Development(973)Program of China(2015CB453203)UK–China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)China as part of the Newton Fund。
文摘Based on the empirical orthogonal function(EOF) analysis, the East Asia–Pacific(EAP) teleconnection is extracted as the leading mode of the subseasonal variability over East Asia in summer, with a meridional tripole structure and significant periods of 10–30 and 50–70 days. A two-dimensional phase–space diagram is established for the EAP index and its time tendency so as to monitor the real-time state of EAP events. Based on the phase composite analysis, the general circulation anomalies first occur over the high-latitude area of Europe centered near Novaya Zemlya at the beginning of EAP events. These general circulation anomalies then influence rainfall over Northeast China,North China, and the region south of the Yangtze River valley(YRV) as the phases of EAP event progress. The representation, predictability, and prediction skill of the EAP teleconnection are examined in the two fully coupled subseasonal prediction systems of the Beijing Climate Center(BCC) and UK Met Office(UKMO GloSea5). Both models are able to simulate the EAP meridional tripole over East Asia as the leading mode and its characteristics of evolution as well, except for the weaker precursors over Novaya Zemlya and an inconspicuous influence on precipitation over Northeast China. The actual prediction skill of the EAP teleconnection during May–September(MJJAS) is about 10 days in the BCC model and 15 days in the UKMO model based on correlation measures, but is higher when initialized from the EAP peak phases or when targeted on strong EAP scenarios. However, both of the ensemble prediction systems are under-dispersive and the predictable signals extend to 18 and 30 days in BCC and UKMO models based on signal-to-error metrics, indicating that there may be further scope for enhancing the capability of these models for the EAP teleconnection prediction and the associated impacts studies.
基金jointly supported by the China Meteorological Administration Special Public Welfare Research Fund(Grant No.GYHY201506013)the China National Science Foundation(Grant No.41606019)the UK-China Research & Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP) China as part of the Newton Fund
文摘Previous studies have revealed a combination mode （C-mode） occurring in the Indo-Pacific region, arising from nonlinear interactions between ENSO and the western Pacific warm pool annual cycle. This paper evaluates the simulation of this C-mode and its asymmetric SST response in HadGEM3 and its resolution sensitivity using three sets of simulations at horizontal resolutions of N96, N216 and N512. The results show that HadGEM3 can capture well the spatial pattern of the C-mode associated surface wind anomalies, as well as the asymmetric response of SST in the tropical Pacific, but it strongly overestimates the explained variability of the C-mode compared to the ENSO mode. The model with the three resolutions is able to reproduce the distinct spectral peaks of the C-mode at the near annual combination frequencies, but the performance in simulating the longer periods is not satisfactory, presumably due to the unrealistic simulation of the ENSO mode. Increasing the horizontal resolution can improve the consistency between atmospheric and oceanic representations of the C-mode, but not necessarily enhance the accuracy of C-mode simulation compared with observation.
基金jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.42422502 and 42275038)the China Meteorological Administration Climate Change Special Program (Grant No.QBZ202306)funded by the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) China project under the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF)。
文摘This past year, 2024, is on track to be the warmest year, joining 2023 as the two hottest years on record. With the exceptional heat, weather and climate extremes were common across the world. In particular, 2024 has seen a remarkable run of extreme precipitation events and resulting impacts. Here, we provide an overview of the most notable extreme events of the year, including extreme precipitation and floods, tropical cyclones, and droughts. The characteristics and impacts of these extreme events are summarized, followed by discussion on the physical drivers and the role of global warming.Finally, we also discuss the future prospects in extreme event studies, including impact-based perspectives, challenges in attribution of precipitation extremes, and the existing gap to minimize impacts from climate extremes.
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supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.42227901, 42476020)the Scientific Research Fund of the Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources (Grant No.QNYC2001)+4 种基金the Oceanic Interdisciplinary Program of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Project No.SL2023MS020)the Innovation Group Project of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) (No.311024001)supported by the Natural Environment Research Council grant NE/W005239/1supported by the open fund of the State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR (No.QNHX2328)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.42222502)。
文摘The inter-model difference in the tropical Pacific SST warming pattern is a big stumbling block for reliable projections of global climate change. Here by conducting an inter-model Empirical Orthogonal Function(EOF) analysis as well as an ocean mixed-layer heat budget, we find that the first two modes of inter-model difference in the SST warming pattern projected by 30 CMIP6 models, explaining more than three-quarters of the total inter-model variance, are both tied to different cloud–radiation feedbacks. The EOF1 mode that captures the different magnitudes of El Ni?o-like warming as well as the largest inter-model variance in the far eastern equatorial Pacific, is likely driven by highly diverse cloud–radiation feedbacks in the east and, to a lesser extent, by differing changes in the oceanic vertical temperature gradient. The EOF2 mode that mainly represents the different magnitudes of SST warming in the western equatorial Pacific, is associated with differing levels of negative cloud–radiation feedback over the central equatorial Pacific through a dynamic air–sea coupled process involving both the Bjerknes feedback and the wind–evaporation–SST feedback.Considering in isolation the robust common model bias of a weak negative cloud–radiation feedback over the central equatorial Pacific, the projected SST warming in the western equatorial Pacific is likely to be smaller than the multi-model ensemble mean, thereby presenting a more weakeened zonal SST gradient than expected, implying the potential for more severe climate extremes under global warming.
基金supported by the UK–China ResearchInnovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) China as part of the Newton Fund
文摘We demonstrate that there is significant skill in the GloSea5 operational seasonal forecasting system for predicting June mean rainfall in the middle/lower Yangtze River basin up to four months in advance.Much of the rainfall in this region during June is contributed by the mei-yu rain band.We find that similar skill exists for predicting the East Asian summer monsoon index(EASMI)on monthly time scales,and that the latter could be used as a proxy to predict the regional rainfall.However,there appears to be little to be gained from using the predicted EASMI as a proxy for regional rainfall on monthly time scales compared with predicting the rainfall directly.Although interannual variability of the June mean rainfall is affected by synoptic and intraseasonal variations,which may be inherently unpredictable on the seasonal forecasting time scale,the major influence of equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures from the preceding winter on the June mean rainfall is captured by the model through their influence on the western North Pacific subtropical high.The ability to predict the June mean rainfall in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin at a lead time of up to 4 months suggests the potential for providing early information to contingency planners on the availability of water during the summer season.
基金funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under grant CATER 2006-4204supported by the BK21 project of the Korean government
文摘This study examined the impact of tropical cyclone (TC) landfalls on the spatiotemporal variations in the rainfall over South China for the period 1957–2005. The target region was selected to show the noteworthy contribution of TC landfalls to the total rainfall during the typhoon season (July–October). Two prevailing spatial variations in the rainfall were obtained from an EOF analysis. The first EOF mode displays singlesign variability over South China with an explained variance of 23.4%. The associated time series of this mode fluctuates on a decadal timescale and was found to be correlated with TC genesis in the South China Sea. The second EOF mode shows a seesaw pattern between Hainan Island/Guangdong Province and the remaining regions with an explained variance of 11.4%. This seesaw pattern results from an anti-correlation in seasonal TC landfalls between the two regions, which was found in previous studies. This is related to the strengthening (weakening) of the upper tropospheric jets and the corresponding development of a massive anticyclonic (cyclonic) circulation over East Asia. The EOF analysis was also conducted using just the data for rainfall caused by landfalling TCs. This revealed that the first EOF mode using just the TC-induced rainfall is nearly identical to the second mode from the total rainfall. The obvious seesaw pattern of the first mode when employing just the TC-induced rainfall in the EOF analysis implies that this pattern has larger temporal variability than the single-signed pattern (i.e., the first EOF mode using the total rainfall) in terms of TC landfalls. This study suggests that TC landfalls over South China and the accompanying rainfall significantly modulate the spatial variation of the typhoon season rainfall there.
基金sponsored by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFA0606002)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41575087 and 41875082)the UK–China Research & Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) China as part of the Newton Fund
文摘Ecosystems have increasingly been subject to the challenge of heavy drought under global warming. To quantitatively evaluate the impacts of drought on ecosystems, it is necessary to develop a drought index that can sensitively depict the response of vegetation to drought evolution at a biological time scale. For the ability of direct connection between climate and ecosystem by deficit of evapotranspiration, in the present study, a drought index was defined based on standardized evapotranspiration deficit (SEDI), according to the difference between actual and potential evapotranspiration, to meet the need for highlighting drought impacts on ecological processes. Comparisons with traditional indices show that SEDI can reasonably detect droughts and climatic dry and wet transitions, especially at a monthly time scale, and can also regenerate long-term trends. Moreover, SEDI can more sensitively capture the biological changes of ecosystems in response to the dynamics of drought intensity, compared with the indices of precipitation and temperature. SEDI is more practical than the precipitation and temperature indices to highlight signals of biological effects in climate droughts. Hence, it has potential for use in assessments of climate change and its impact on ecosystems.
基金supported by the UK–China Research & Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) China as part of the Newton Fundsupported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41605078)
文摘Predicting monsoon onset is crucial for agriculture and socioeconomic planning in countries where millions rely on the timely arrival of monsoon rains for their livelihoods. In this study we demonstrate useful skill in predicting year-to-year variations in South China Sea summer monsoon onset at up to a three-month lead time using the GloSea5 seasonal forecasting system. The main source of predictability comes from skillful prediction of Pacific sea surface temperatures associated with El Ni?no and La Ni?na. The South China Sea summer monsoon onset is a known indicator of the broadscale seasonal transition that represents the first stage of the onset of the Asian summer monsoon as a whole. Subsequent development of rainfall across East Asia is influenced by subseasonal variability and synoptic events that reduce predictability, but interannual variability in the broadscale monsoon onset for East Asian summer monsoon still provides potentially useful information for users about possible delays or early occurrence of the onset of rainfall over East Asia.
基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2018YFC1507702)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41775082)+3 种基金Y.SUN was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2016YFA0600701)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41790471)N.CHRISTIDIS and P.A.STOTT were supported by the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme funded by BEIS,Defrathe UK−China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)China as part of the Newton Fund,China.
文摘The spring of 2018 was the hottest on record since 1951 over eastern China based on station observations,being 2.5°C higher than the 1961−90 mean and with more than 900 stations reaching the record spring mean temperature.This event exerted serious impacts in the region on agriculture,plant phenology,electricity transmission systems,and human health.In this paper,the contributions of human-induced climate change and anomalous anticyclonic circulation to this event are investigated using the newly homogenized observations and updated Met Office Hadley Centre system for attribution of extreme events,as well as CanESM2(Second Generation Canadian Earth System Model)simulations.Results indicate that both anthropogenic influences and anomalous anticyclonic circulation played significant roles in increasing the probability of the 2018 hottest spring.Quantitative estimates of the probability ratio show that anthropogenic forcing may have increased the chance of this event by ten-fold,while the anomalous circulation increased it by approximately two-fold.The persistent anomalous anticyclonic circulation located on the north side of China blocked the air with lower temperature from high latitudes into eastern China.Without anthropogenic forcing or without the anomalous circulation in northern China,the occurrence probability of the extreme warm spring is significantly reduced.
基金supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP)program(Grant No.2019QZKK0102)the K.C.WONG Education Foundation.This work also contributes to the U.K.-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)China as part of the Newton Fund.
文摘The year 2021 was recorded as the 6th warmest since 1880.In addition to large-scale warming,2021 will be remembered for its unprecedented climate extremes.Here,a review of selected high-impact climate extremes in 2021,with a focus on China,along with an extension to extreme events in North America and Europe is presented.Nine extreme events that occurred in 2021 in China are highlighted,including a rapid transition from cold to warm extremes and sandstorms in spring,consecutive drought in South China and severe thunderstorms in eastern China in the first half of the year,extremely heavy rainfall over Henan Province and Hubei Province during summer,as well as heatwaves,persistent heavy rainfall,and a cold surge during fall.Potential links of extremes in China to four global-scale climate extremes and the underlying physical mechanisms are discussed here,providing insights to understand climate extremes from a global perspective.This serves as a reference for climate event attribution,process understanding,and high-resolution modeling of extreme events.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42075037 and 42275033)the UK–China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)-China programme as part of the Newton Fund.
文摘Extreme weather events and their consequential impacts have been a key feature of the climate in recent years in many parts of the world,with many partly attributed to ongoing global-scale warming.The past year,2022,has been no exception,with further records being broken.The year was marked by unprecedented heatwaves and droughts with highly unusual spatial extent,duration and intensity,with one measure indicating an aggregated and overall intensity of extreme heat events worldwide not seen since at least 1950.The extreme drought measured by surface soil moisture covered 47.3%of global land areas in 2022,which was the second most widespread year since 1980.Here,we examine notable events of the year in five major regions of the world:China’s Yangtze River region,western Europe,the western U.S.,the Horn of Africa and central South America.For each event,we review the potential roles of circulation,oceanic forcing(especially the“triple-dip”La Niña)and anthropogenic climate change,with an aim of understanding the extreme events in 2022 from a global perspective.This will serve as a reference for mechanism understanding,prediction and attribution of extreme events.
基金This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2018YFC1506005)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41721004 and 41775083)This work and its contributors were also supported by the UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)China as part of the Newton Fund.
文摘During June and July of 2020,the Yangtze River basin suffered from extreme mei-yu rainfall and catastrophic flooding.This study explores the seasonal predictability and associated dynamical causes for this extreme Yangtze River rainfall event,based on forecasts from the Met Office GloSea5 operational forecast system.The forecasts successfully predicted above-average rainfall over the Yangtze River basin,which arose from the successful reproduction of the anomalous western North Pacific subtropical high(WNPSH).Our results indicate that both the Indian Ocean warm sea surface temperature(SST)and local WNP SST gradient were responsible for the westward extension of the WNPSH,and the forecasts captured these tropical signals well.We explore extratropical drivers but find a large model spread among the forecast members regarding the meridional displacements of the East Asian mid-latitude westerly jet(EAJ).The forecast members with an evident southward displacement of the EAJ favored more extreme Yangtze River rainfall.However,the forecast Yangtze River rainfall anomaly was weaker compared to that was observed and no member showed such strong rainfall.In observations,the EAJ displayed an evident acceleration in summer 2020,which could lead to a significant wind convergence in the lower troposphere around the Yangtze River basin,and favor more mei-yu rainfall.The model forecast failed to satisfactorily reproduce these processes.This difference implies that the observed enhancement of the EAJ intensity gave a large boost to the Yangtze River rainfall,hindering a better forecast of the intensity of the event and disaster mitigation.
基金This work and its contributors(Philip BETT,Gill MARTIN,Nick DUNSTONE,Adam SCAIFE,and Hazel THORNTON)were supported by the UK-China Research&Innovation Partnership Fund through the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership(CSSP)China as part of the Newton FundChaofan LI was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2018YFC1506005)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41775083).
文摘Seasonal forecasts for Yangtze River basin rainfall in June,May–June–July(MJJ),and June–July–August(JJA)2020 are presented,based on the Met Office GloSea5 system.The three-month forecasts are based on dynamical predictions of an East Asian Summer Monsoon(EASM)index,which is transformed into regional-mean rainfall through linear regression.The June rainfall forecasts for the middle/lower Yangtze River basin are based on linear regression of precipitation.The forecasts verify well in terms of giving strong,consistent predictions of above-average rainfall at lead times of at least three months.However,the Yangtze region was subject to exceptionally heavy rainfall throughout the summer period,leading to observed values that lie outside the 95%prediction intervals of the three-month forecasts.The forecasts presented here are consistent with other studies of the 2020 EASM rainfall,whereby the enhanced mei-yu front in early summer is skillfully forecast,but the impact of midlatitude drivers enhancing the rainfall in later summer is not captured.This case study demonstrates both the utility of probabilistic seasonal forecasts for the Yangtze region and the potential limitations in anticipating complex extreme events driven by a combination of coincident factors.
基金Lixia ZHANG was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.42075037the Innovative Team Project of Lanzhou Institute of Arid Meteorology(GHSCXTD-2020-2)Chaofan LI was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFC1506005).
文摘Highly unusual amounts of rainfall were seen in the 2020 summer in many parts of China,Japan,and South Korea.At the intercontinental scale,case studies have attributed this exceptional event to a displacement of the climatological western North Pacific subtropical anticyclone,potentially associated Indian Ocean sea surface temperature patterns and a mid-latitude wave train emanating from the North Atlantic.Using clusters of spatial patterns of sea level pressure,we show that an unprecedented 80%of the 2020 summer days in East Asia were dominated by clusters of surface pressure greater than normal over the South China Sea.By examining the rainfall and water vapor fluxes in other years when these clusters were also prevalent,we find that the frequency of these types of clusters was likely to have been largely responsible for the unusual rainfall of 2020.From two ensembles of future climate projections,we show that summers like 2020 in East Asia may become more frequent and considerably wetter in a warmer world with an enhanced moisture supply.
