We analyze statistically different definitions of the South China Sea summer monsoon(SCSSM) onset are to establish a SCSSM onset time series that is more recognizable by a majority of indicators.With the acknowledged index,we determine a key area(105°E-112.5°E,7.5°N-12.5°N) and define the zonal wind component in this key area as a new SCSSM onset index,using daily mean reanalysis data of the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research.The atmospheric circulations before and after the onset of the SCSSM determined using the index defined in this paper are preliminarily studied.Results show that the Somalia cross-equatorial flow is enhanced,the strongest westerly wind in the tropical Indian Ocean shifts northward,the cyclone couple in the Bay of Bengal and the Southern Hemisphere weaken and move eastward,convection over the South China Sea increases,and the subtropical high retreats from the South China Sea after the outbreak of the SCSSM.By analyzing the atmospheric circulation,it is found that in 1984 and 1999,the SCSSM broke out in pentads 29 and 23,respectively,which is consistent with the onset times determined using our index.
A 1.5-layer reduced-gravity model forced by wind stress is used to study the bifurcations of the North Equatorial Current(NEC).The authors found that after removing the Ekman drift,the modelled circulations can serve well as a proxy of the SODA circulations on the σθ=25.0 kg m～-3 potential density surface based on available long-term reanalysis wind stress data.The modelled results show that the location of the western boundary bifurcation of the NEC depends on both zonal averaged and local zero wind stress curl latitude.The effects of the anomalous wind stress curl added in different areas are also investigated and it is found that they can change the strength of the Mindanao Eddy(ME),and then influence the interior pathway.
LIU YulongWANG QiSONG JunZHU XiandeGONG XiaoqingWU Fang
In this study,the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University-National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU-NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5) is used to simulate Typhoon Mindulle (2004) at high resolution (3-km grid size).The data from measurements show that in the upper atmosphere the existence of an upper jet is important to the transition cyclone.When Mindulle moved to the area of the upper jet entrance,where high-altitude divergence existed, the pumping of the high-altitude divergence would enhance the vertical motion and low-level cyclone convergence. The enhanced vertical motion was confirmed by the simulation results and indicated that the existence of upper divergence enhanced the vertical motion which was favorable for the maintenance of Typhoon Mindulle.The process of extratropical transition (ET) and re-intensification always accompanies the process of cold air invasion. This process enhances the baroclinicity of the atmosphere and the formation of front at high altitudes, which converts baroclinic potential energy into kinetic energy and strengthens the cyclone vortex.The distributions of equivalent potential temperature (θe) and temperature anomalies show that the warm-core of the typhoon at the tropopause aids the re-intensification of the system. As the typhoon reenters the ocean, latent heat flux (LHF) increases in the north and west and the strong reflectivity and vertical motion occur in the east and southeast,and the west.With the re-intensification of the typhoon the wind field evolves from an oval to a circle at the lower atmosphere, the area coverage by high winds increases, and the distribution of the tangential wind shows an asymmetric pattern.
