Autumn Cold Surge Paths over North China and the Associated Atmospheric Circulation

Using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, we tracked the paths of 46 autumn cold surges affecting North China from 1961 to 2014, and classified them by clustering analysis, thereby investigating their changes and associated atmospheric circulation evolution....

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Main Authors: Bo Cai, Gang Zeng, Guwei Zhang, Zhongxian Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
Series:Atmosphere
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/10/3/134
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author Bo Cai
Gang Zeng
Guwei Zhang
Zhongxian Li
author_facet Bo Cai
Gang Zeng
Guwei Zhang
Zhongxian Li
author_sort Bo Cai
collection DOAJ
description Using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, we tracked the paths of 46 autumn cold surges affecting North China from 1961 to 2014, and classified them by clustering analysis, thereby investigating their changes and associated atmospheric circulation evolution. Our results indicate that autumn cold surges affecting North China can be classified into three types according to their paths: the north type, west type, and northwest type, with occurrences of 12, 16, and 18 respectively. Different types of cold surges have different atmospheric circulation characteristics. The north type is associated with a blocking type of atmospheric circulation pattern, with an enhanced stretching northeast ridge over the Ural Mountains and a transverse trough over Lake Baikal. However, the northwest type is characterized by a ridge–trough–ridge wave-train pattern that is located over the Barents Sea, West Siberian Plain, and Sakhalin Island, respectively. The west-type cold surge is related to a conversion type: a blocking system over the Ural Mountains forms four days before the cold surge occurrence, after which it becomes a wave-train type. The atmospheric signals detected prior to the occurrences of the three types of cold surges are also explored. The main signal of the north-path cold surges is that the energy propagates eastward from the Azores Islands to the Ural Mountains, and then forms a blocking high over the Urals. However, for the northwest-path cold surges, there is a weak trough over the Ural Mountains that gradually strengthens because the blocking high collapses over the Norwegian Sea. The key signal of the formation of the west-path cold surges is a blocking high over the Norwegian Sea’s continuous enhancement and extension to Novaya Zemlya, which results in a transmission of energy to the Ural Mountains and leads to the formation of a blocking system over here. When the above-mentioned different types of atmospheric circulation characteristics appear, the type of cold surge path and its impact area can be potentially forecasted in advance, which may reduce the losses that result from cold surges.
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spelling doaj.art-7e2f0c430efb471b93cf4b38de5a87672022-12-22T03:19:29ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332019-03-0110313410.3390/atmos10030134atmos10030134Autumn Cold Surge Paths over North China and the Associated Atmospheric CirculationBo Cai0Gang Zeng1Guwei Zhang2Zhongxian Li3Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster of Ministry of Education (KLME), Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaKey Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster of Ministry of Education (KLME), Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaKey Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster of Ministry of Education (KLME), Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaKey Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster of Ministry of Education (KLME), Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaUsing the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, we tracked the paths of 46 autumn cold surges affecting North China from 1961 to 2014, and classified them by clustering analysis, thereby investigating their changes and associated atmospheric circulation evolution. Our results indicate that autumn cold surges affecting North China can be classified into three types according to their paths: the north type, west type, and northwest type, with occurrences of 12, 16, and 18 respectively. Different types of cold surges have different atmospheric circulation characteristics. The north type is associated with a blocking type of atmospheric circulation pattern, with an enhanced stretching northeast ridge over the Ural Mountains and a transverse trough over Lake Baikal. However, the northwest type is characterized by a ridge–trough–ridge wave-train pattern that is located over the Barents Sea, West Siberian Plain, and Sakhalin Island, respectively. The west-type cold surge is related to a conversion type: a blocking system over the Ural Mountains forms four days before the cold surge occurrence, after which it becomes a wave-train type. The atmospheric signals detected prior to the occurrences of the three types of cold surges are also explored. The main signal of the north-path cold surges is that the energy propagates eastward from the Azores Islands to the Ural Mountains, and then forms a blocking high over the Urals. However, for the northwest-path cold surges, there is a weak trough over the Ural Mountains that gradually strengthens because the blocking high collapses over the Norwegian Sea. The key signal of the formation of the west-path cold surges is a blocking high over the Norwegian Sea’s continuous enhancement and extension to Novaya Zemlya, which results in a transmission of energy to the Ural Mountains and leads to the formation of a blocking system over here. When the above-mentioned different types of atmospheric circulation characteristics appear, the type of cold surge path and its impact area can be potentially forecasted in advance, which may reduce the losses that result from cold surges.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/10/3/134North Chinaautumn cold surge pathprior signalblockingwave-train
spellingShingle Bo Cai
Gang Zeng
Guwei Zhang
Zhongxian Li
Autumn Cold Surge Paths over North China and the Associated Atmospheric Circulation
Atmosphere
North China
autumn cold surge path
prior signal
blocking
wave-train
title Autumn Cold Surge Paths over North China and the Associated Atmospheric Circulation
title_full Autumn Cold Surge Paths over North China and the Associated Atmospheric Circulation
title_fullStr Autumn Cold Surge Paths over North China and the Associated Atmospheric Circulation
title_full_unstemmed Autumn Cold Surge Paths over North China and the Associated Atmospheric Circulation
title_short Autumn Cold Surge Paths over North China and the Associated Atmospheric Circulation
title_sort autumn cold surge paths over north china and the associated atmospheric circulation
topic North China
autumn cold surge path
prior signal
blocking
wave-train
url http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/10/3/134
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AT gangzeng autumncoldsurgepathsovernorthchinaandtheassociatedatmosphericcirculation
AT guweizhang autumncoldsurgepathsovernorthchinaandtheassociatedatmosphericcirculation
AT zhongxianli autumncoldsurgepathsovernorthchinaandtheassociatedatmosphericcirculation