Impacts of East Asian winter monsoon circulation on interannual variability of winter haze days in Guangdong Province

Abstract

Haze days in Guangdong Province (GD) occur mainly in winter, with the highest number of moderate/severe haze days occurring in January. The interannual variability of winter haze days in GD is closely related to the Siberian High, the Aleutian Low, the East Asian Trough, the 850-hPa meridional wind over eastern China, and the 200-hPa East Asian Jet. We construct a winter comprehensive circulation index (WCIDX) to express the joint effects of the above regional-scale circulations on haze days in GD. The positive phase of WCIDX is closely linked to the Eurasian teleconnection pattern, which induces the abnormal southerly winds, high temperatures, and enhanced precipitation over GD by modulating the regional atmospheric circulations, localized meteorological conditions (i.e., enhanced lower specific humidity, reduced planetary boundary layer height, decreased surface wind speed, and enhanced low-level atmospheric inversion) conductive to a higher haze in GD. In addition, the positive phase of the WCIDX favors enhancement of the positive 850-hPa Eady growth rate (EGR) over the mid–high-latitude areas of East Asia, which enhances atmospheric baroclinity and results in a northward shift of the East Asian Jet. Pollutants accumulated over the Indochina Peninsula are advected to GD by the southwesterly airflows. It was found that enhanced horizontal warm advection, adiabatic heating, and diabatic heating provide conditions favorable for low-level atmospheric inversion.