The Synoptic to Decadal Variability in the Winter Surface Wind Speed Over China by the Weather Regime View

Abstract

AbstractThe observed surface wind speed (SWS) has declined over the past 4 decades over China, which have has been examined from a climatological perspective. However, the SWS is highly variable and is dependent on the weather regime (WR). This study investigates the variability of winter SWS under six typical WRs and assesses the variability at the synoptic to decadal time scales. Our results reveal that the WRs impose important impacts on the spatial pattern and inter‐annual variability of SWS over China. The Siberian high pressure exerts an important influence on the WR occurrence over Eastern Asia and affects the SWS variations, with more prominent impacts at the decadal time scale. The Aleutian low pressure exhibits weak inter‐annual correlations with the SWS under all WRs but reveals closer decadal connections under certain WRs. However, WRs cannot sufficiently explain the decreasing trend of SWS from 1980 to 2017.