Journal Article

Summer High Temperature Extremes in Southeast China

Chen, Deliang, Wang, Weiwen, Zhou, Wen

2014

Overview

This study investigates summer high temperature extremes (HTEs) in southeast China and their linkage with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and atmospheric circulations in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). An interdecadal change in HTEs associated with the abrupt shift of the ENSO–monsoon climate in the late 1980s is demonstrated. Before this interdecadal shift, the interannual variability of HTEs was linked mainly to temperature adjustments associated with the meridional displacement of the East Asian jet stream (EAJS), whereas after the shift HTEs were found to follow an ENSO cycle, which may be due to intensified and persistent ENSO activities, tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) warming, and changes in atmospheric teleconnections. Impacts of the EAJS, the South Asian high (SAH), and the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) on HTEs are further investigated based on empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. It is found that mainly the first leading EOF mode with a homogeneous spatial pattern shows dominance before the interdecadal shift, whereas both of the first two leading EOF modes show dominance after the interdecadal shift. A possible mechanism of how HTEs in southeast China are linked to the EAJS, the SAH, and the WNPSH in the ENSO–monsoon coupled system is proposed.

• Publisher: American Meteorological Society
• Subject: Atmospheric circulation / Atmospheric oscillations / Atmospherics / Climate change / Climate cycles / Climatology / Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change / Dominance / Earth, ocean, space / East Asian monsoon / El Nino / El Nino phenomena / El Nino-Southern Oscillation event / Empirical analysis / Exact sciences and technology / External geophysics / Extreme high temperatures / Geopotential height / High temperature / Interannual variability / Jet stream / Jet streams (meteorology) / Marine / Meteorologi och atmosfärsvetenskap / Meteorology / Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences / Monsoon climates / Monsoons / Ocean warming / Oceans / Orthogonal functions / South Asian High / Southern Oscillation / Statistical analysis / Studies / Summer / Summer monsoon / Temperature / Temperature extremes / Time series / Trends