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Interdecadal variations of cold air activities in Northeast China during springtime

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Abstract

Based on the daily mean temperature data of CN05.2 from 1961 to 2012, cold events (CEs) are first divided into two categories according to their duration: strong cold events (SCEs) and weak cold events (WCEs). Then, the characteristics of CEs, SCEs, and WCEs during springtime are investigated. The results indicate that in the pre-1990s epoch, ENSO and Arctic Oscillation events in the previous winter are closely related to SCEs in the following spring. The multidecadal variations of CEs, SCEs, and WCEs are obvious. The intensity trend for SCEs is significantly negative, but it seems less apparent for WCEs. Further analysis reveals that when both SCEs and WCEs occur, a typical East Asian trough in the 850- hPa wind field, whose northwesterly wind component invades Northeast China (NEC) and causes freezing days, can be found in every decade. For the SCEs, a cold vortex, with its center located over Okhotsk and northeasterly current affecting NEC, is found as an additional feature. For the WCEs, the cold vortex is located in Karafuto and its northwesterly airflow intrudes into NEC. As for the difference between SCEs and WCEs, the northwestern flow is weaker while the northeastern counterpart is stronger during the SCEs, in all decades. In the Takaya–Nakamura flux and divergence fields, for the SCEs, a divergence center exists over NEC; and over its downstream regions, a stronger divergence center appears, not like a wave train. However, the opposite is the case for the WCEs; moreover, the wave train appears clearly during the WCEs, which means that the wave energy can propagate and dissipate more easily during WCEs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Shangfeng Li  (李尚锋) & Dabang Jiang  (姜大膀)

  2. Laboratory of Research for Middle–High Latitude Circulation and East Asian Monsoon, Institute of Meteorological Sciences of Jilin Province, Changchun, 130062, China

    Shangfeng Li  (李尚锋) & Yi Lian  (廉 毅)

  3. Jilin Meteorological Bureau, Changchun, 130062, China

    Yaoxian Yao  (姚耀显)

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Shangfeng Li  (李尚锋)

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  1. Shangfeng Li  (李尚锋)
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  2. Dabang Jiang  (姜大膀)
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  3. Yi Lian  (廉 毅)
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  4. Yaoxian Yao  (姚耀显)
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Correspondence to Shangfeng Li  (李尚锋).

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Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41630424, 41175083, 41275096, and 41305059) and Science and Technology Development Plan of Jilin Province, China (20130204053SF).

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Li, S., Jiang, D., Lian, Y. et al. Interdecadal variations of cold air activities in Northeast China during springtime. J Meteorol Res 30, 645–661 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-016-5912-6

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