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CR 78:237-247 (2019)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01542

Linkage between the Arctic Oscillation and summer climate extreme events over the middle reaches of Yangtze River Valley

Lu Liu 1,2,3, Tong Zhou1,2,3, Liang Ning 1,2,3,4,5,6,7* , Jian Liu1,2,3,4, Mi Yan1,2,3,4, Chunhan Jin1,2,3 and Weiyi Sun1,2,3

1Key Laboratory for Virtual Geographic Environment, Ministry of Education, 210023, Nanjing, China
2State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Geographical Environment Evolution of Jiangsu Province, 210023, Nanjing, China
3School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, 210023, Nanjing, China
4Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, 210023, Nanjing, China
5Open Studio for the Simulation of Ocean-Climate-Isotope, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266237, Qingdao, China
6Climate System Research Center, Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, United States
7State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100000, Beijing, China
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: The Arctic Oscillation (AO) is commonly recognized as a dominant large-scale mode influencing climate over the Northern Hemisphere. Here, the influences of May AO on summer (JJA) extreme precipitation events and summer extreme warm days over the middle reaches of Yangtze River Valley for the period 1961-2014 are investigated. Following a positive May AO, there are usually fewer summer extreme precipitation events but more summer extreme warm days over the middle reaches of Yangtze River Valley. Composite analyses show that positive May AO induces the northward displacement of the East Asian jet stream and northeastward displacement of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH), and causes a stronger, more northwestern subtropical northwest Pacific cyclone/anticyclone anomaly, as well as an anticyclonic circulation anomaly on the north side of the South China Sea, resulting in a northward shift of the rainfall belt and an enhancement of the East Asia summer monsoon. Therefore, the cumulative distribution probability of daily precipitation values shift significantly to a lower precipitation value, indicating lower probabilities of summer extreme precipitation events following positive May AO. A weakening of WPSH induces an anomalous sinking motion over the middle reaches of the Yangtze River Valley. The 850 hPa wind field shows southerly wind anomalies over the Jiang-Huai River Basin, which cause a decrease in total cloud cover, resulting in an increase in solar radiation flux. A significant shift of the daily maximum temperature probability distribution towards to higher values indicates higher probabilities of summer extreme warm day occurrences following positive May AO. This study will provide useful insights to help improve the understanding of the dynamics and projections of future regional extreme precipitation changes over the middle reaches of Yangtze River Valley.


KEY WORDS: AO · Summer extreme precipitation events · Summer extreme warm days


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Cite this article as: Liu L, Zhou T, Ning L, Liu J, Yan M, Jin C, Sun W (2019) Linkage between the Arctic Oscillation and summer climate extreme events over the middle reaches of Yangtze River Valley. Clim Res 78:237-247. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01542

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