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The upper-level circulation anomaly over Central Asia and its relationship to the Asian monsoon and mid-latitude wave train in early summer

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Abstract

A large intraseasonal variation in geopotential height over the Central Asia region, where the Asian subtropical jet is located, occurs between May and June, and the most dominant variation has a wave-like distribution. This variation in geopotential height influences precipitation across South and Southeast Asia. In this paper, we use composite analysis to determine the causes of this intraseasonal variation over Central Asia. The wave train propagates from the northern Atlantic Ocean to Central Asia over a period of a week, and generates an anomaly in geopotential height over the region. The tropical disturbance, which is similar to the Madden–Julian oscillation, appears a few days before the maximum of the anticyclonic anomaly over Central Asia, and is accompanied by active convection over the Indian Ocean and suppressed convection over Central America. Results of numerical experiments using a linear baroclinic model show that the active convection over the northern Indian Ocean causes the anticyclonic anomaly over Central Asia. The wave train that extends from the northern Atlantic Ocean to Central Asia is generated by negative thermal forcing over Central America, and the phase distribution of this wave train is similar to that observed in the composite analysis. Central Asia is the region where the effects of the tropics and middle latitudes overlap, and it is an important connection point between the Asian monsoon and middle latitudes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. F. Hasebe, Dr. M. Inatsu, and Dr. T. Sato for constructive comments on the manuscript, and Prof. M. Watanabe for kindly providing the LBM code. This study was partly supported by the ‘Green Network of Excellence’ Program (GRENE Program) of the Arctic Climate Change Research Project, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan

    Takeshi Watanabe

  2. Research and Information Center, Tokai University, Tokyo, Japan

    Takeshi Watanabe

  3. Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

    Koji Yamazaki

  4. National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Japan

    Koji Yamazaki

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  1. Takeshi Watanabe
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  2. Koji Yamazaki
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Correspondence to Takeshi Watanabe.

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Watanabe, T., Yamazaki, K. The upper-level circulation anomaly over Central Asia and its relationship to the Asian monsoon and mid-latitude wave train in early summer. Clim Dyn 42, 2477–2489 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-013-1888-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-013-1888-4

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