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Siberian high variability and its teleconnections with tropical circulations and surface air temperature over Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

Based on a generated time series for the central pressure of the Siberian High, and on defining a robust Siberian High Index (SHI), the behavior of this atmospheric center of action is examined from 1949 to 2010 with regard to inter-annual variations, persistence, trends, abrupt changes, spectral analysis and interactions. The interannual variability in the central pressure of the Siberian High is considerable. The mean downward linear and non-linear trend over the entire period (1949–2010) is estimated and is found to be statistically significant at the 95 % confidence level. Low frequency variation and linearity within the SHI time series are found from the persistence analysis. Using spectral analysis, the center of action of the Siberian High is characterized by non-periodic behavior; the peaks occur only at the lowest frequency and may be related to the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) over the El Niño region. The Siberian High is affected by the Hadley circulation cell; there is no detectable connection between the Walker circulation cell and the Siberian High. SSTs over the El Niño region may affect the Siberian High. Interactions between the Siberian High and the SSTs over the tropical Atlantic Ocean are absent. The SHI is positively correlated to surface air temperatures over Saudi Arabia, and this is statistically significant in the western and north-western regions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, under grant No. 2-155-D1432. The authors, therefore, acknowledge with thanks the DSR for their technical and financial support. The authors also thanks to the NCEP/NCAR for providing the SLP and vertical velocity data, and the Climate Prediction Center (NOAA, USA) for providing the atmospheric and oceanic circulation indices through their website. The authors are grateful for being granted permission to use the monthly mean KSA station temperature series from the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

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  1. Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research, Department of Meteorology, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. Box 80208, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    H. M. Hasanean, M. Almazroui, P. D. Jones & A. A. Alamoudi

  2. Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

    P. D. Jones

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  1. H. M. Hasanean
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Hasanean, H.M., Almazroui, M., Jones, P.D. et al. Siberian high variability and its teleconnections with tropical circulations and surface air temperature over Saudi Arabia. Clim Dyn 41, 2003–2018 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-012-1657-9

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