Dominant patterns of winter surface air temperature over Central Asia and their connection with atmospheric circulation

Abstract

The dominant patterns of the winter (December–February) surface air temperature anomalies (SATAs) over Central Asia (CA) are investigated in this study. The first two leading modes revealed by empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis represent the patterns by explaining 74% of the total variance. The positive phase of EOF1 is characterized by a monopole pattern, corresponding to cold SATAs over CA, while the positive phase of EOF2 shows a meridional dipole pattern with warm and cold SATAs over northern and southern CA. EOF1 is mainly modulated by the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) in the troposphere, and the negative AO phase may be caused by the downward propagation of the precursory anomalies of the stratospheric polar vortex. EOF2 is mainly influenced by the Ural blocking pattern and the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The SATAs associated with EOF2 can be attributed to a dipole-like pattern of geopotential height anomalies over CA. The dipole-like pattern is mainly caused by the Ural blocking pattern, and the NAO can also contribute to the northern part of the dipole.摘要本文利用经验正交函数分解方法 (Empirical orthogonal function, EOF) , 针对1979–2019年冬季 (12月–2月) 中亚地区地面气温异常进行了研究. 结果表明, 中亚地区冬季地面气温异常的前两个EOF模态解释方差总占比可达74%. 其中, 第一模态 (EOF1) 正位相为一致型变化, 对应中亚地区气温冷异常; 第二模态 (EOF2) 正位相则为南北偶极型变化, 对应于中亚地区南冷北暖型气温异常. EOF1可能受到冬季北极涛动 (Arctic Oscillation, AO) 负位相的调制, 而AO的负位相则可能来自于前期平流层极涡正位势高度异常下传. EOF2则可能受到乌拉尔山阻塞及冬季北大西洋涛动 (North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO) 的共同调制. 乌拉尔山阻塞可引起中亚区域南北偶极型气温异常, 而冬季NAO可对该偶极型气温异常的北侧产生贡献.