Air-sea Interaction Processes Research Articles

Evaluation of Ocean Currents Observed from Autonomous Surface Vehicles

Abstract The development of autonomous surface vehicles, such as the Boeing Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, has revolutionized our ability to collect surface ocean–lower atmosphere observations, a crucial step toward developing better physical understanding of upper-ocean and air–sea interaction processes. However, due to the wave-following nature of these vehicles, they experience rapid shifting, rolling, and pitching under the action of surface waves, making motion compensation of observations of ocean currents particularly challenging. We present an evaluation of the accuracy of Wave Glider–based ADCP measurements by comparing them with coincident and collocated observations collected from a bottom-mounted ADCP over the course of a week-long experiment. A novel motion compensation method, tailored to wave-following surface vehicles, is presented and compared with standard approaches. We show that the use of an additional position and attitude sensor (GPS/IMU) significantly improves the accuracy of the observed currents.

Intraseasonal oscillations of the Andaman Sea thermocline

Variations in the upper ocean thermal structure have significant implications for air-sea interaction and upper-ocean ecosystem processes. Vertical profiles of temperature measured by a moored buoy located at 10.5°N, 94°E in the Andaman Sea and simulation by an Indian Ocean model are used in this study to characterise the intraseasonal variations (ISV) in the Andaman Sea (AndS) thermal structure and identify their sources. The seasonal variations in the upper ocean thermal structure show a strong semi-annual cycle driven by monsoons. The sub-surface temperature shows significant intraseasonal oscillations within a band of 40–110 days, which are de-coupled from that in the mixed layer, which has dominant periodicity in the band of 90–120 days. Thermocline ISV are seasonally modulated with a primary peak during August–September and a secondary peak during February–March, with significant year-to-year variations. A cross-wavelet analysis shows that ISV in the 40–60 days period is in phase with that at the eastern boundary and they are locally forced by the passage of eddies. The 60–110 day band is out of phase with the eastern boundary and is forced by Rossby waves radiated from the equatorially generated intraseasonal coastal Kelvin waves.

Observing Tropical Cyclone Morphology Using RADARSAT-2 and Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar Images

Abstract Since the 1960s, meteorological satellites have been able to monitor tropical cyclones and typhoons. Their images have been acquired by passive remote sensing instruments that operate in the visible and infrared bands, where they only display the cloud-top structure of tropical cyclones and make it a challenge to study the air–sea interaction near the sea surface. On the other hand, active remote sensors, such as spaceborne microwave scatterometers and synthetic aperture radars (SARs), can “see” through clouds and facilitate observations of the air–sea interaction processes. However, SAR acquires images and provides the wind field at a much higher resolution, where the eye of a tropical cyclone at surface level can be identified. The backscattered signals received by the SAR can be processed into a high-resolution image and calibrated to represent the normalized radar cross section (NRCS) of the sea surface. In this study, 33 RADARSAT-2 and 102 Sentinel-1 SAR images of Atlantic and Indian Ocean tropical cyclones and Pacific typhoons from 2016 to 2021, which display eye structure, have been statistically analyzed with ancillary tropical cyclone intensity information. To measure the size of the eye, a 34-kt (∼17 m s−1) contour is defined around it and the amount and size of pixels within the eye is utilized to provide its area in square kilometers. Additionally, an azimuthal wavenumber for each shape of the eye was assigned. Results showed that eye areas increase with decreasing wind speed and increasing wavenumber and demonstrate that SAR-derived data are useful for studying tropical cyclones at the air–sea interface and provide results of these behaviors closely to data derived from best track archives.

Trend of annual and semiannual harmonics of sea surface temperature in the tropical Indian Ocean, 1979–2018

In the Indian Ocean (IO), the annual and semiannual oscillations of the sea surface temperature (SST) contribute more than 80% of the total variance. It is known that the SST in the tropical IO has warmed at a rate of 0.15 °C/decade since 1979. However, such an estimate of the decadal trend of the annual and semiannual harmonics of SST remains unknown, despite being a strong component of the SST signal. Here we use a widely accepted data product (TropFlux) to quantify the annual and semiannual harmonics in the tropical IO for the first time. The northern IO has a distinctly strong semiannual cycle (1–1.8 °C), which is showing an amplifying trend (∼ 0.04 °C/decade) since 1979. Furthermore, a damping trend in annual amplitude exists over much of the IO, except along the northwestern Bay of Bengal, the Seychelles-Chagos thermocline ridge, the Persian Gulf, and the Indonesian throughflow region. The estimated damping of the annual amplitude is highest over the Arabian Sea. In contrast, the southern tropical IO has a predominant annual cycle, the amplitude of which has weakened during 1979–2018. In the north IO, net air-sea heat flux and vertical processes show a dominant semiannual harmonic oscillation similar to SST. Additionally, the annual amplitude is influential over southern IO. Horizontal advection contributes significantly along the boundary-current regions and the western equatorial IO. Our analysis of combined annual and semiannual cycles shows significant warming in the tropical IO during October–November and cooling during July–August owing to the amplification of semiannual oscillation. These changes in the SST can influence air-sea interaction processes such as cyclogenesis and monsoon.

The Roles of Atmospheric and Air–Sea Interaction Processes in Causing the Eastward Extension of the Western North Pacific Monsoon Trough in Boreal Summer

What causes the eastward extension of the climatological monsoon trough over the western North Pacific in the boreal summer was investigated through both observational analyses and numerical simulations. It was found that the highest SST is always located to the east of maximum precipitation, and this asymmetric SST pattern favors the eastward extension of the monsoon trough through SST induced boundary layer convergence. A mixed-layer heat budget analysis further indicates that the SST asymmetry arises primarily from the asymmetric pattern of cloud-modified downward shortwave radiation. In addition, two internal atmospheric mechanisms are identified. Firstly, there is a zonal asymmetry in the lower-tropospheric moisture advection. Southeasterlies to the east of the convection, in association with the subtropical high advect high mean moisture from south, leads to low-level moistening to the east of the convective center. Secondly, the heating-induced Kelvin wave response leads to a boundary layer convergence ahead of the convection. Both the processes lead to the setup of a convectively unstable stratification to the east, favoring the eastward extension of the monsoon trough. Two sets of the WRF model experiments that specify a fixed and a time-dependent SST field confirm the roles of the aforementioned atmospheric internal processes as well as the air–sea interaction process in causing the eastward progression of the climatological monsoon trough over the western North Pacific.

Ocean Mesoscale and Frontal-Scale Ocean–Atmosphere Interactions and Influence on Large-Scale Climate: A Review

Abstract Two decades of high-resolution satellite observations and climate modeling studies have indicated strong ocean–atmosphere coupled feedback mediated by ocean mesoscale processes, including semipermanent and meandrous SST fronts, mesoscale eddies, and filaments. The air–sea exchanges in latent heat, sensible heat, momentum, and carbon dioxide associated with this so-called mesoscale air–sea interaction are robust near the major western boundary currents, Southern Ocean fronts, and equatorial and coastal upwelling zones, but they are also ubiquitous over the global oceans wherever ocean mesoscale processes are active. Current theories, informed by rapidly advancing observational and modeling capabilities, have established the importance of mesoscale and frontal-scale air–sea interaction processes for understanding large-scale ocean circulation, biogeochemistry, and weather and climate variability. However, numerous challenges remain to accurately diagnose, observe, and simulate mesoscale air–sea interaction to quantify its impacts on large-scale processes. This article provides a comprehensive review of key aspects pertinent to mesoscale air–sea interaction, synthesizes current understanding with remaining gaps and uncertainties, and provides recommendations on theoretical, observational, and modeling strategies for future air–sea interaction research. Significance Statement Recent high-resolution satellite observations and climate models have shown a significant impact of coupled ocean–atmosphere interactions mediated by small-scale (mesoscale) ocean processes, including ocean eddies and fronts, on Earth’s climate. Ocean mesoscale-induced spatial temperature and current variability modulate the air–sea exchanges in heat, momentum, and mass (e.g., gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide), altering coupled boundary layer processes. Studies suggest that skillful simulations and predictions of ocean circulation, biogeochemistry, and weather events and climate variability depend on accurate representation of the eddy-mediated air–sea interaction. However, numerous challenges remain in accurately diagnosing, observing, and simulating mesoscale air–sea interaction to quantify its large-scale impacts. This article synthesizes the latest understanding of mesoscale air–sea interaction, identifies remaining gaps and uncertainties, and provides recommendations on strategies for future ocean–weather–climate research.

Interannual Variability of Barrier Layer in the Tropical Atlantic and Its Relationship with the Tropical Atlantic Modes

Abstract This study reveals the role of the tropical Atlantic variability in modulating barrier layer thickness (BLT) in peak seasons. Based on reanalysis data during 1980–2016, statistical and dynamical analyses are performed to investigate the mechanism of BLT variability associated with the tropical Atlantic modes. The regions with significant correlation between BLT and tropical Atlantic modes are located on the northwest and southeast coasts of the tropical Atlantic, which are consistent with BLT maximum variability regions. In boreal spring, BLT decreases in the northwest because less latent heat release affected by weak trade wind related to the Atlantic meridional mode (AMM) shoals the isothermal layer depth (ITLD). In the south equatorial Atlantic, deepened mixed layer depth (MLD) is controlled by the decreasing freshwater input brought by a northward shift of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and further leads to a thinner barrier layer (BL). However, a shoaling MLD appears in the north equatorial Atlantic, which results from excessive freshwater input, causing a thick BL there. In boreal summer, positive runoff anomaly caused by the Atlantic equatorial mode (AEM) leads to upper warming of the tropical northwest Atlantic and a shallowing ITLD, favoring a thinner BL there. However, a southward shift of ITCZ brings more freshwater into the south equatorial Atlantic, inducing a shallowing MLD as well as a thicker BL. AEM-driven horizontal heat advection of the south equatorial current contributes to a thick ITLD in the central southern tropical Atlantic and thus increases BLT. Significance Statement This research aims to reveal how the tropical Atlantic meridional and equatorial interannual climatic modes affect barrier layer thickness (BLT). These two climate modes can affect the wind field, ocean current, and precipitation through air–sea interaction processes, and further affect mixing, heat–salt transport, and stratification in the upper ocean and thus BLT. This finding is important because the barrier layer restricts the exchange of heat, momentum, mass, and nutrients between the mixed layer and the thermocline, thereby impacting local and remote weather events, the ecological environment, and the climate. Our results provide guidance for interpreting the interannual variability of BLT in the tropical Atlantic.

Tropical instability waves in a high-resolution oceanic and coupled GCM

Tropical instability waves (TIWs) are the dominant mesoscale variability in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. TIWs have direct impacts on the local hydrology, biochemistry and atmospheric boundary layer, and feedback on ocean circulations and climate variability. In this study, the basic characteristics of Pacific Ocean TIWs simulated by an eddy-resolving ocean model and a coupled general circulation model are evaluated. The simulated TIW biases mainly result from the mean climatology state, as TIWs extract eddy energy from the mean potential and kinetic energy. Both the oceanic and coupled models reproduce the observed westward propagating large-scale Rossby waves between approximately 2°–8°N, but the simulated TIWs have shorter wavelengths than the observed waves due to the shallower thermocline. Meanwhile, the weak meridional shears of background zonal currents and the less-tilted pycnocline in these two models compared to the observations causes weak barotropic and baroclinic instability, which decreases the intensity of the simulated TIWs. We then contrast the TIWs from these two models and identify the roles of atmospheric feedback in modulating TIWs. The latent heat flux feedback is similar to observation in the coupled model but absent in the ocean model, contributing to the stronger standard deviation (STD) of the TIW SST in the ocean model. The ocean model is not able to capture realistic air–sea interaction processes when forced with prescribed atmospheric forcing. However, the misrepresented atmospheric feedback in the ocean model tends to decrease the sea surface height (SSH) variability, and the current feedback damping effect is stronger in the ocean model than in the coupled model. Combined with weaker barotropic conversion rate and baroclinic conversion rate in the ocean model than in the coupled model, the STD of the TIW SSH in the ocean model is weaker.

Asymmetric Impacts of El Niño and La Niña on Equatorial Atlantic Warming

Abstract Despite an insignificant linear relation between the boreal summer equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature anomaly (EA SSTA) and preceding winter El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), an EA warming event was found to be mostly preceded by either phase of ENSO. Physical mechanisms of this asymmetric impact of El Niño and La Niña on EA warming were investigated through observational and modeling analyses. For the El Niño–induced EA warming group, the El Niño–related SSTA induces a warm SSTA in the South Atlantic during developing fall and winter via the Pacific–South American (PSA) pattern. The induced extratropical SSTA extends to the equator through local air–sea interaction processes and favors EA warming development. In contrast, for the La Niña–induced EA warming group, there is no significant SSTA in the South Atlantic from developing fall to winter. It is not until La Niña decaying spring that a significant westerly anomaly is generated and thus an EA warming through the remote Gill-type response. The asymmetric South Atlantic response is attributed to the stronger (weaker) heating strength over the central Pacific and Maritime Continent for El Niño (La Niña). The distinctive evolutions of El Niño (fast transition) and La Niña (long persistence) also contribute to the asymmetric EA response. The persistent La Niña makes a stronger equatorial Atlantic response during ENSO decaying spring. Our results suggest that the South Atlantic SSTA and ENSO temporal evolution are important in explaining the asymmetric impacts of the El Niño and La Niña on EA warming. Furthermore, the Indian Ocean SSTA is also suggested to contribute to the asymmetric impacts.

Blending Sea Surface Winds from the HY-2 Satellite Scatterometers Based on a 2D-Var Method

The launch of the Haiyang-2 (HY-2) satellite constellation fosters the quick acquisition of global sea surface vector winds from the perspective of remote sensing. This study intends to develop a six-hourly mesoscale analysis of sea surface winds based on the microwave scatterometers onboard the HY-2 satellite series, with the objective of meeting the considerable demand for accurate and gap-free ocean wind forcing products. First, the accuracy of HY-2 scatterometers (HSCATs) in measuring wind is evaluated. In particular, the standard deviation (SD) errors of HSCATs data are assessed using the collocated buoy measurements with different temporal windows in order to account for the temporal representativeness errors in the blending analysis. Afterwards, a two-dimensional variational (2D-Var) method is implemented to blend the HSCATs measured winds and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis winds over the global ocean surface. This approach is different from existing methods in that it takes both wind error and background error correlation into account. The results show that the blended wind product is of a promising quality compared with independent wind references. Interestingly, the blended winds derived from 2D-Var in combination with an empirical background error correlation show smaller SD errors than those using a Gaussian error correlation function. Overall, the blended wind product should be valuable for forcing global ocean models or describing air-sea interaction processes on a scale close to the scatterometer measurements.

The southwestern Atlantic Ocean mesoscale eddies: A review of their role in the air-sea interaction processes

This study presents an overview of oceanic mesoscale eddies and their influence on the overlying atmosphere and surrounding waters, with a focus on the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. The high values of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in this region are related to the mesoscale eddies observed, which transport dynamic and thermodynamic specific properties away from their origin point, during their life cycle. This transport capacity interferes with several atmospheric and oceanic processes, such as the local marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) stability, heat fluxes, and primary production. In the Southern Hemisphere, cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddies are related to clockwise (counterclockwise) circulation and negative (positive) anomalies of the sea surface temperature (SST) and the latent and sensible heat fluxes. It has been observed that over the clockwise and cold (counterclockwise and warm) eddies, there is a decrease (increase) in the near-surface wind, as well as stable (unstable) conditions on the MABL, vertical downward (upward) movements in the atmosphere, and decreased (increased) precipitation. SST anomalies influence the curl, divergence, and magnitude of the surface wind and wind stress, while mesoscale surface oceanic currents mainly affect the stress and wind curls. The atmospheric response to SST anomalies can be explained using two main mechanisms: hydrostatic adjustment and vertical mixing. However, as will be shown, the feedback among the SST anomalies, wind, and oceanic currents is far more complex. This work compiles and provides a theoretical basis for future work concerning air-sea interactions of mesoscale oceanic structures.

Diversity of MJO Initiation Regions and Processes

Abstract The diversity of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) initiation (i.e., initial onset of active convection before moving eastward) regions was explored using a clustering method. Regions favorable for MJO initiations are grouped into four longitude zones: the Atlantic and Africa (AA), the Indian Ocean (IO), the Maritime Continent (MC), and the western Pacific (WP). The region-dependent dominant initiation mechanisms are explored using a composite procedure. The AA initiation is attributed to a circumnavigating process associated with a preceding MJO. As upper-tropospheric westerly anomalies move into the AA region, the associated descending motion leads to suppressed convection over the IO, which further triggers convection onset to its west through anomalous westward moisture advection. The IO initiation arises from the downstream forcing of a preceding suppressed phase of MJO. A delayed air–sea interaction process also plays a role. The MC initiation is triggered by a westward-propagating dry equatorial Rossby wave in the Pacific. The low-level poleward flows associated with the anticyclonic Rossby wave gyres advect high mean moisture, promoting the convection onset over the MC. The WP initiation is triggered by a preceding suppressed phase of MJO that moves eastward, in a way similar to the downstream scenario in the IO. The AA initiation is usually associated with a La Niña–like background sea surface temperature pattern, which favors the decoupling of upper-tropospheric westerly anomalies from the preceding MJO. The MC and WP initiations are more frequent during El Niño, as the relevant meridional moisture gradient is sharper and the eastern Pacific is moister.

Skill Assessment of NCEP Three-Way Coupled HWRF–HYCOM–WW3 Modeling System: Hurricane Laura Case Study

Abstract In this research, we develop a three-way coupled prediction system to advance the realization of air–sea interaction processes. This study considers the sea-state-dependent momentum flux and nonlinear interactions between waves, winds, and ocean currents using the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction’s operational Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF)-Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) coupled modeling system. Wave feedback is performed through the air–sea interaction module (ASIM) added to WAVEWATCH III (WW3), which employs the wave boundary layer to parameterize unresolved high-frequency tail spectra by using the mean flux profile constructed from the conservation of total momentum and wave energy. The atmospheric momentum flux is updated using the sea-state-dependent Charnock coefficient, wave-induced stress, and ocean surface currents before being passed to HYCOM. Wave coupling in HYCOM includes Coriolis–Stokes forcing to simulate wave–current interactions and to enhance mixing to account for Langmuir turbulence. The fully coupled system is tested for Hurricane Laura (2020). This paper examines the forecast skills of the individual component models by comparing simulations with observations. Without skill degradation of HYCOM and WW3, the three-way coupling method improves the track and intensity forecast skills by 5% each over those of HWRF-HYCOM coupling, and 27% and 17% over those of uncoupling, respectively. Importantly, this fully coupled system outperforms rapid intensification by reducing the intensification magnitude and matching the occurrence and duration. Overall, the forecast performance evaluated in the study establishes a baseline for the next-generation hurricane prediction system. Significance Statement This study is the documentation of the numerical advancement of tropical cyclone (TC) forecasting and the demonstration of the improvement of the TC intensity forecast. A key asset is the importance of wave coupling and inclusion of the nonlinear interactions in the air–sea interaction zone, and is to advance the current U.S. NCEP operational coupled hurricane modeling system. By assessing simulations for Hurricane Laura (2020), we demonstrate skill improvement of the storm structure, and intensity forecasts, especially for rapid intensification (RI) by correcting the timing and the magnitude of RI simulated by uncoupling and two-way coupling.

Air-sea interaction processes during hurricane Sandy: Coupled WRF-FVCOM model simulations

A fully-coupled atmospheric-ocean model was developed by coupling WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting Model) with FVCOM (the unstructured-grid, Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model) through the Earth System Model Framework (ESMF). The coupled WRF-FVCOM is configured with either hydrostatic or non-hydrostatic oceanic dynamics and can run with wave-current interactions. We applied this model to simulate the 2012 Hurricane Sandy in the western Atlantic Ocean. The experiments examined the impact of air-sea interactions on Sandy’s intensity/path and oceanic responses under hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic conditions. The results showed that the increased storm wind rapidly deepened the mixed layer depth when ocean processes were included. Intense vertical mixing brought cold water in the deep ocean towards the surface, producing a cold wake within the maximum wind zone underneath the storm. This process led to a sizeable latent heat loss from the ocean within the storm, and hence rapid air temperature and vapor mixing ratio drop above the sea surface. The storm intensified as the central sea-level pressure dropped. Improving air pressure simulation with ocean processes tended to reduce the storm size and strengthen its intensity, providing a better simulation of hurricane path and landfall. Turning on the non-hydrostatic process slightly improved the hurricane central sea-level pressure simulation and intensified the winds on the right side of the hurricane center. Hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic coupled WRF-FVCOMs captured Sandy-induced rapidly-varying flow over the shelf and the wind-induced surge level at the coast. The coupled models predicted a higher water elevation around the coastal areas where Sandy made landfall than the uncoupled model. The uncoupled and coupled models both showed more significant oceanic responses on the right side of the hurricane center, with a maximum during the Sandy crossing period when the clockwise-rotating frequency of Sandy wind was close to the local inertial frequency. The area with a maximum response varied with Sandy’s translation speed, more prominent in the deep region than over the slope, and more substantial under the non-hydrostatic condition. The simulated ocean responses agreed with the theoretical work of Price (1981). The nonhydrostatic experiments suggest that to resolve a fully storm-induced convection process, the oceanic model grid configuration should meet the O(1) criterion for the ratio of local water depth to the model horizontal resolution.

Influence of oceanic mesoscale eddy on the atmospheric boundary layer based on an idealized model

Often, numerical models rely on parameterization schemes to represent currently unresolved or insufficiently understood phenomena.The influence of ocean mesoscale eddies on the overlying atmosphere is such a phenomenon. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) modelling system, this study investigates the influence of idealized oceanic mesoscale eddies on the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The idealized model is horizontally homogeneous and set on an f-plane at 35°N. The cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddy causes sea level pressure (SLP) to increase (decrease) and reduces (increases) latent and sensible heat fluxes, surface winds, marine ABL, and atmospheric precipitable water in the coupled and uncoupled cases. Moreover, a momentum budget analysis of the model output shows that the pressure gradient term is the primary contributor to atmospheric momentum balance. Additionally, it should be noted that the SLP adjustment mechanism is important when advection is weak. Comparing the uncoupled and coupled WRF cases, the eddy's effect on atmospheric parameters is more intense in the uncoupled than in the coupled case, which can increase precipitation by 50% and wind speed and heat flux by 20–30%. These results may be potentially important for future parameterizations of mesoscale air-sea interaction processes in numerical model development.

The downward spiralling nature of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) regulates the heat distribution and climate of Earth. Here we identify a new feature of the circulation within the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre that is associated with the northward flowing component of the AMOC. We find that 70% of the water that flows northwards as part of the AMOC circulates the Gyre at least once before it can continue northwards. These circuits are needed to achieve an increase of density and depth through a combination of air-sea interaction and interior mixing processes, before water can escape the latitudes of the Gyre and join the northern upper branch of the AMOC. This points towards an important role of the Gyre circulation in determining the strength and variability of the AMOC and the northward heat transport. Understanding this newly identified role of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre is needed to properly represent future changes of the AMOC.

Distinct evolutions of haze pollution from winter to the following spring over the North China Plain: role of the North Atlantic sea surface temperature anomalies

Abstract. This study reveals that haze pollution (HP) over the North China Plain (NCP) in winter can persist to the following spring during most years. The persistence of haze pollution over the NCP (HPNCP) is attributed to the maintenance of an anticyclonic anomaly (AA) over northeast Asia and southerly wind anomalies over the NCP. Southerly wind anomalies over the NCP reduce surface wind speed and increase relative humidity, which are conducive to above-normal HPNCP both in winter and spring. However, there exist several years when above-normal HPNCP in winter are followed by below-normal HPNCP in the following spring. The reversed HPNCP in winter and spring in these years is due to the inverted atmospheric anomalies over northeast Asia. In particular, AA over northeast Asia in winter is replaced by a cyclonic anomaly (CA) in the following spring. The resultant spring northerly wind anomalies over the NCP are conducive to below-normal HPNCP. These two distinctive evolutions of HPNCP and atmospheric anomalies over northeast Asia from winter to spring are attributed to the different evolutions of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the North Atlantic. In the persistent years, warm North Atlantic SSTAs in winter persist to the following spring via a positive air–sea interaction process and induce a negative spring North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like pattern, which contributes to the AA over northeast Asia via an atmospheric wave train. By contrast, in the reverse years, cold SSTAs in the North Atlantic are maintained from winter to spring, which induce a positive spring NAO-like pattern and lead to a CA over northeast Asia via an atmospheric wave train. Hence, this study improves our understanding of the characteristics of haze pollution evolution from winter to the following spring and suggests the potential role of North Atlantic SSTAs to serve as an important preceding signal for haze pollution prediction one season ahead over the North China Plain.

The spatial hydrological structure of the western tropical Pacific derived from δ18O and δD signatures

Lack the connection between the air-sea interaction and deep hydrological processes hinders to clarify the response of Western Pacific warm pool (WPWP) to recent global warming. In this paper, δ18O, δD, combined with other properties of seawater collecting during the 37th and 47th Chinese Research Expedition cruises, were measured to trace the potential hydrological processes in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The change in δ18O and d-excess signatures of surface water revealed that two different zones were separated at 155° E along the transect. This coincided with the spatial evaporation–precipitation pattern of the Pacific Walker circulation (PWC). At station CTD03, 18O-enriched water (salinity ∼ 35 psu, δ18O ∼ 0.20‰ in average) at a depth of 100 ∼ 150 m was potentially attributed to the recirculation of the Kuroshio Extension Flow (KEF). In contrast, the deep water with low δ18O (− 0.60‰ in average from 2000 m to 5680 m) indicated the dominant Lower Circumpolar Pacific Water (LCPW). These contributions of water mass sources to the hydrological structure of western Pacific warm pool (WPWP) were confirmed by a mass balance model. Furthermore, significant linear correlations between chlorophyll and δ18O, as well as chlorophyll and d-excess within the upper 200 m at station CTD03, indicated that the seawater δ18O signature could be impacted by biogenic fractionation. The research highlights the validity of δ18O and d-excess to indicate both hydrological processes and watermass structure in WPWP. Further proofs based on investigation and experiments are required.

The Variability of Summer Atmospheric Water Cycle over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Response to the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool

The Tibetan Plateau (TP), atmosphere, and Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) together constitute a regional land–atmosphere–ocean water vapor transport system. This study uses remote sensing data, reanalysis data, and observational data to explore the spatiotemporal variations of the summer atmospheric water cycle over the TP and its possible response to the air-sea interaction in the IPWP during the period 1958–2019. The results reveal that the atmospheric water cycle process over the TP presented an interannual and interdecadal strengthening trend. The climatic precipitation recycle ratio (PRR) over the TP was 18%, and the stronger the evapotranspiration, the higher the PRR. On the interdecadal scale, the change in evapotranspiration has a significant negative correlation with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index. The variability of the water vapor transport (WVT) over the TP was controlled by the dynamic and thermal conditions inside the plateau and the external air-sea interaction processes of the IPWP. When the summer monsoon over the TP was strong, there was an anomalous cyclonic WVT, which increased the water vapor budget (WVB) over the TP. The central and eastern tropical Pacific, the maritime continent and the western Indian Ocean together constituted the triple Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomaly, which enhanced the convective activity over the IPWP and induced a significant easterly wind anomaly in the middle and lower troposphere, and then generated pronounced easterly WVT anomalies from the tropical Pacific to the maritime continent and the Bay of Bengal. Affected by the air-sea changes in the IPWP, the combined effects of the upstream strengthening and the downstream weakening in the water vapor transport process, directly and indirectly, increased the water vapor transport and budget of TP.

Comparative Analysis of Two Approaches for Correcting the Systematic Ocean Temperature Bias of CAS-ESM-C

Currently, several ocean data assimilation methods have been adopted to increase the performance of air–sea coupled models, but inconsistent adjustments between the sea temperature with other oceanic fields can be introduced. In the coupled model CAS-ESM-C, inconsistent adjustments for ocean currents commonly occur in the tropical western Pacific and the eastern Indian Ocean. To overcome this problem, a new ensemble-based bias correction approach—a simple modification of the Ensemble Optimal Interpolation (EnOI) approach for multi-variable into a direct approach for a single variable—is proposed to minimize the model biases. Compared with the EnOI approach, this new approach can effectively avoid inconsistent adjustments. Meanwhile, the comparisons suggest that inconsistent adjustment mainly results from the unreasonable correlations between temperature and ocean current in the background matrix. In addition, the ocean current can be directly corrected in the EnOI approach, which can additionally generate biases for the upper ocean. These induced ocean biases can produce unreasonable ocean heat sinking and heat storage in the tropical western Pacific. It will generate incorrect ocean heat transmission toward the east, further amplifying the inconsistency introduced through the tropical air–sea interaction process.