Atmos. Oceanic Sci. Lett.
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Relationship between the Late Spring NAO and Summer Extreme Precipitation Frequency in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River
TIAN Bao-Qiang,FAN Ke
Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment for East Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100029, China

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Abstract  

The relationship between the late spring North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the summer extreme precipitation frequency (EPF) in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley (MLYRV) is examined using an NECP/NCAR reanalysis dataset and daily precipitation data from 74 stations in the MLYRV. The results show a significant negative correlation between the May NAO index and the EPF over the MLYRV in the subsequent summer. In positive EPF index years, the East Asian westerly jet shifts farther southward, and two blocking high positive anomalies appear over the Sea of Okhotsk and the Ural Mountains. These anomalies are favorable to the cold air from the mid-high latitudes invading the Yangtze River Valley (YRV). The moisture convergence and the ascending motion dominate the MLYRV. The above patterns are reversed in negative EPF index years. A wave train pattern that originates from the North Atlantic extends eastward to the Mediterranean and then moves to the Tibetan Plateau and from there to the YRV, which is an important link in the May NAO and the summer extreme precipitation in the MLYRV. The wave train may be aroused by the tripole pattern of the SST, which can explain why the May NAO affects the summer EPF in the MLYRV.

Key wordsNorth Atlantic Oscillation      summer extreme precipitation frequency      the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley      East Asian westerly jet     
Received: 25 April 2012      Revised: 30 May 2012      Accepted: 30 May 2012
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TIAN Bao-Qiang
FAN Ke
Cite this article:   
TIAN Bao-Qiang,FAN Ke, 2012: Relationship between the Late Spring NAO and Summer Extreme Precipitation Frequency in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River . Atmos. Oceanic Sci. Lett., 5(6), 455-460, doi: 10.1080/16742834.2012.11447038.
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http://journal22.magtechjournal.com/Jwk_aosl/EN/10.1080/16742834.2012.11447038     OR     http://journal22.magtechjournal.com/Jwk_aosl/EN/Y2012/V5/I6/455