Interannual and interdecadal variations of the South Asian and western Pacific subtropical highs and their relationships with Asian-Pacific summer climate

Abstract

In this study, interdecadal and interannual variations of the South Asian high (SAH) and the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH), as well as their relationships with the summer climate over Asian and Pacific regions, are addressed. The variations of SAH and WPSH are objectively measured by the first singular value decomposition (SVD) mode of geopotential heights at the 100- and 500-hPa levels. The first SVD mode of summertime 100- and 500-hPa geopotential heights represents well the relationship between the variations of SAH and WPSH. Both SAH and WPSH exhibit large interannual variability and experienced an apparent long-term change in 1987. The WPSH intensifies and extends westward when SAH intensifies and extends eastward, and vice versa. The India–Burma trough weakens when WPSH intensifies. The changes in SAH and WPSH at various levels are linked to broad-scale increases in tropical tropospheric temperature and geopotential height. When SAH and WPSH strengthen, monsoon flow becomes weaker over eastern Asia. In the meantime, precipitation decreases over eastern South China Sea, Philippines, the Philippine Sea and northeastern Asia, but increases over China, Korea, Japan and the ocean domain east of Japan. Similar features are mostly found on both interdecadal and interannual timescales, but are more evident on interannual timescale.