Observational and modeling studies of impacts of the South China Sea monsoon on the monsoon rainfall in the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River during summer

Abstract

Based on the ERA-40 and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s merged analysis of precipitation (CMAP), and the fifth-generation PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model version 3 (MM5v3), we defined a monsoon intensity index over the East Asian tropical region and analyzed the impacts of summer (June–July) South China Sea (SCS) monsoon anomaly on monsoon precipitation over the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLRYR) using both observational data analysis and numerical simulation methods. The results from the data analysis show that the interannual variations of the tropical monsoon over the SCS are negatively correlated with the southwesterly winds and precipitation over the MLRYR during June–July. Corresponding to stronger (weaker) tropical monsoon and precipitation, the southwesterly winds are weaker (stronger) over the MLRYR, with less (more) local precipitation. The simulation results further exhibit that when changing the SCS monsoon intensity, there are significant variations of monsoon and precipitation over the MLRYR. The simulated anomalies generally consist with the observations, which verifies the impact of the tropical monsoon on the monsoon precipitation over the MLRYR. This impact might be supported by certain physical processes. Moreover, when the tropical summer monsoon is stronger, the tropical anomalous westerly winds and positive precipitation anomalies usually maintain in the tropics and do not move northward into the MLRYR, hence the transport of water vapor toward southern China is weakened and the southwest flow and precipitation over southern China are also attenuated. On the other hand, the strengthened tropical monsoon may result in the weakening and southward shift of the western Pacific subtropical high through self-adjustment of the atmospheric circulation, leading to the weakening of the monsoon flows and precipitation over the MLRYR.