Abstract
Cold waves occur frequently in East China, with their cold air source in the Arctic. Changes in the Arctic are often linked with Arctic amplification. The circulation anomaly associated with Arctic amplification is often represented by Arctic Oscillation (AO). In recent years, storms have frequently invaded the central Arctic region, resulting in dramatic changes in Arctic environment. In this paper, based on correlation studies, composite analysis, and case studies, the remote effects of the old and storm-induced Arctic amplification are compared, especially with regard to their impact on cold waves in East China. The results show that the AO can shed light on the interannual variation of cold events intermittently, although it cannot explain the increasing trend of cold waves in the southern part of East China. However, this long-term trend correlates well with storm activity. Cyclones are becoming more active in the western Arctic and anticyclones are intensifying in the eastern Arctic. In this scenario, the storm-induced warm advection could enhance the ridge over northeast Eurasia, the Siberian High expands southeastward, and cold air accumulates in northeast Asia, which cools the northern part of East China directly. The circulation around the Siberian High leads to a northeast wind in the southern part of East China, which plays a vital role in snowstorms. This study could improve our understanding of the global effects of Arctic changes and could enhance the prediction skill of cold waves.
Highlights
In this century, more frequent cold extremes are observed at midlatitudes [1]
The relationship between the Arctic Oscillation (AO), Arctic storms, and cold waves in East China will be explored in in Section 4, we summarize the physical mechanisms underlying the linkage between the Arctic and cold waves in terms of a conceptual model
That would mean snow being dominant over the northern part, since the temperature is around or lower than 273.15 K, while precipitation is usually in liquid phase over the southern part during early winter, and it could transform into snow if a cold wave happens in late winter
Summary
More frequent cold extremes are observed at midlatitudes [1]. For example, bitterly cold waves occurred in Europe and the USA during the winters of 2010/2011, 2013/2014, and 2014/2015 [2,3]. Storm tracks and the associated atmospheric circulation have enhanced poleward heat and moisture transport into the Arctic Ocean and play a major role in Arctic amplification, owing to the warm advection and to the moisture-induced increases in cloudiness and downward long-wave radiation [37]. Such heating effects and the circulation around the storm interact with sea ice and deform the Ural Ridge and Siberian High [19] and can have an impact on cold waves in Eurasia.
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