Seasonal Effects of the Tibetan Plateau on Cyclonic Transient Eddies: A System-Centered View

Abstract

Abstract Using an objective feature-tracking algorithm and the fifth major global reanalysis produced by ECMWF data (ERA5), the seasonal behaviors of cyclonic transient eddies (cyclones) at different levels around the Tibetan Plateau (TP) were examined to understand the effects of the TP on cyclones. Results show that the TP tends to change the moving directions of the remote cyclones when they are close to the TP, with only 2% of the 250-hPa eastward-moving cyclones directly passing over the TP. The sudden reductions of their moving speeds and relative vorticity intensities around the TP suggest a suppression effect of the plateau. Over 70% of these cyclones perish over the TP regardless of the altitude. This percentage decreases to around 65% during summertime, exhibiting a weaker summer suppression effect. On the other hand, the TP has a stimulation effect on local cyclones through its dynamic forcing in winter, thermodynamic forcing in summer, and both forcings in the transitional seasons. The numbers of locally generated cyclones, especially at 500 hPa, just above the TP, are significantly larger than those of the remote cyclones during all seasons. Although about one-half of the local cyclones dissipate over the TP, the cyclones moving off the plateau significantly outnumber the moving-in cyclones, with the differences ranging from 0 to 6 cyclones per month. Only the 250-hPa wintertime moving-off cyclones are fewer than the cyclones entering the TP, which may be caused by the weaker stimulation effect and stronger suppression effect of the TP on the wintertime upper-level cyclones. Significance Statement Cyclonic transient eddies (cyclones), steered by westerly jet streams, can influence climate and induce extreme weather processes under certain conditions. The Tibetan Plateau (TP), the highest and largest obstacle embedded in the westerly jet streams, suppresses remote cyclones entering the TP region, destroying over 70% of these cyclones. However, because of the excitation effect of the TP on local cyclones, the numbers of cyclones moving off the TP are still larger than or equal to those of the moving-in cyclones, except at the upper levels in winter. This feature suggests that the TP cannot significantly decrease the total cyclone numbers in most cases, but it indeed weakens the mean intensity and moving speed of the cyclones.