Abstract
Characteristics of the spatiotemporal distributions of precipitation anomalies in the reaches of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River (YHR) were studied using EOF method. Four main precipitation patterns for the YHR in summer identified by the first two modes: a region-wide flood over the entire YHR (RWF); a region-wide drought over the entire YHR (RWD); a flood in the south with a drought in the northern region of the Yangtze River (FS-DN); and a drought in the south with a flood in the northern region of the Yangtze River (DS-FN). Based on the first two modes and the actual precipitation departure percentage, a new precipitation index is defined in this paper. The typical flood/drought years associated with the various rainfall patterns defined by this precipitation index are more representative and closer to reality compared to some existing precipitation indexes which just use the area-mean precipitation or the EOF time components individually.
The characteristics of atmospheric circulation in summer corresponding to the four main precipitation patterns over the YHR in summer show the features of atmospheric circulation differ in different precipitation pattern years. Although the different patterns share a common main influential circulation system, such as the blocking high over northeastern Asia, the low trough of westerly flows in the mid latitudes, the West Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH), and the high ridge over the Tibet Plateau, the difference in location and intensity of these systems can lead to different distributions of precipitation anomalies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chen, L. T., 2001: The role of the anomalous snow cover over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and ENSO in the great floods of 1998 in the Changjiang River valley. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 25, 184–192. (in Chinese)
Chen, L. T., and R. G. Wu, 1998a: Relationship between summer rainbelt patterns in the eastern China and 500 hPa circulation anomalies over the Northern Hemisphere. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 22, 849–857. (in Chinese)
Chen, L. T., and R. G. Wu, 1998b: The joint effects of SST anomalies over different Pacific regions on summer rainbelt patterns in Eastern China. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 22, 718–726. (in Chinese)
Chen, L. T., H. F. Zong, and Q. Q. Zhang, 2007: The dominant modes of intraseasonal variability of summer monsoon rain belt over eastern China. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 31, 1212–1222. (in Chinese)
Kalnay, E., M. Kanamitsu, R. Kistler, and W. Collins, 1996: The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 437–470.
Liang, P., L. X. Chen, and J. H. He, 2008: Features of low frequency oscillation for moisture transport during typical drought/flood year over Yangtze-Huaihe Basins. Plateau Meteorology, 27, 84–91. (in Chinese)
Lu, J., J. Zhang, N. Shi, M. Tao, and L. L. Hu, 2003: The study of the variational character of Jiangsu summer drought and flood distribution. Scientia Meteorologica Sinica, 23, 467–471. (in Chinese)
Lu, J. M., J. H. Ju, Q. Y. Zhang, and S. Y. Tao, 2006: Differences of influences of tropical western Pacific SST anomaly and Rossby wave propagation on East Asian monsoon in the summers of 1993 and 1994. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 30, 977–987. (in Chinese)
Qian, W. H., J. Zhu, Y. G. Wang, and J. L. Fu, 2009: Regional relationship between the Jiang-Huai Meiyu and the equatorial surface-subsurface temperature anomalies. Chinese Sci. Bull., 54, 113–119.
Qian, Y. F., Q. Q. Wang, and D. Q. Hu, 2007: Studies of floods and droughts in the Yangtze-Huaihe River basin. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 31, 1279–1289. (in Chinese)
Si, D., Y. H. Ding, and Y. J. Liu, 2009: Decadal northward shift of the Meiyu belt and the possible cause Chinese Sci. Bull., 54, 4742–4748.
Song, Z. S., and H. Yang, 2001: Vector EOF expansion of summer monthly anomalous wind fields at 500 hPa over East Asia relation to rainfall over China. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 25, 401–410. (in Chinese)
Sun, L., G. An, and X. L. Tang, 2003: Relationship between the Northeast Asian summer south wind anomaly and the precipitation in Northeast China. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 27, 425–434. (in Chinese)
Sun, S. Q., and B. M. Sun, 1995: The relationship between the anomalous winter monsoon circulation over East Asia and summer drought/flooding in the Yangtze and Huaihe River valley. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 53, 440–450. (in Chinese)
Sun, Y., and Y. H. Ding, 2003: A study on physical mechanisms of anomalous activities of East Asian summer monsoon during 1999. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 61, 406–420. (in Chinese)
Tao, S. Y., and S. Y. Xu, 1962: Some aspects of the circulation during the periods of the persistent drought and flood in Yangtze and Huai-He valleys in summer. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 32, 1–10. (in Chinese)
Wei, F. Y., 2006: Relationships between precipitation anomaly over the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang River in summer and several forcing factors. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 30, 202–211. (in Chinese)
Wei, F. Y., 2007: Modern Technology of Statistical Diagnosis and Prediction for Climate. China Meteorological Press, Beijing, 296pp. (in Chinese)
Yang, H., and C. Y. Li, 2003: The relation between atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation and summer sever flood and drought in the Changjiang-Huaihe River basin. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 20, 540–553.
Yin, Y. H., Y. Q. Ni, and L. Shi, 2001: Diagnostic study of summer rainfall anomaly in Changjiang-Huaihe valley and its relationship with the global mid-low latitude sea surface temperature anomaly. Journal of Nanjing University (Natural Sciences), 37, 358–368. (in Chinese)
Yu, S. Q., and X. C. Lin, 2006: Characteristics of two general circulation patterns during floods over the Changjiang Huaihe River Valley. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 64, 605–613. (in Chinese)
Zhang, Q. Y., and S. Y. Tao, 1998: Tropical and subtropical monsoon over East Asia and its influence on the rainfall over Eastern China in summer. Quarterly Journal of Applied Meteorology, 9, 17–24. (in Chinese)
Zhang, Q. Y., S. Y. Tao, and S. L. Zhang, 2003: The persistent heavy rainfall over the Yangtze River valley and its associations with the circulations over East Asian during summer. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 27, 1018–1030. (in Chinese)
Zhao, P., and X. J. Zhou, 2006: Decadal variability of rainfall persistence time and rainbelt shif t over eastern China in recent 40 years. Journal of Applied Meteorological Science, 17, 548–556. (in Chinese)
Zhao, S. R., Z. S. Song, and L. R. Ji, 2003: Heating effect of the Tibetan Plateau on rainfall anomalies over North China during rainy season. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 27, 881–893. (in Chinese)
Zhao, T. B., and C. B. Fu, 2009: Intercomparison of the summertime subtropical high from the ERA-40 and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis over East Eurasia and the western North Pacific. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 26, 119–131.
Zhao, Y., and Y. F. Qian, 2008: Relationships between the anomalies of sea-land thermal contrast in the northern Africa areas and the flood and drought in the Changjiang and Huaihe river areas in summer. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 66, 203–212. (in Chinese)
Zhuo, D. Q., Y. Q. Zheng, W. Li, and X. Y. Li, 2006: The disquisition of atmospheric water vapor transports and income and expenses in the typical drought and flood summer in the Jiang-Huai valley. Scientia Meteologica Sinica, 26, 245–252. (in Chinese)
Zong, H. F., Q. Y. Zhang, and L. T. Chen, 2006: Temporal and spatial variations of precipitation in eastern China during the Meiyu period and their relationships with circulation and sea surface temperature. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 30, 1189–1197. (in Chinese)
Zong, H. F., Q. Y. Zhang, and L. T. Chen, 2008: A study of the processes of East Asia-Pacific teleconnection pattern formation and the relationship to ENSO. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 32, 220–230. (in Chinese)
Zong, H. F., L. T. Chen, and Q. Y. Zhang, 2010: The instability of the interannual relationship between ENSO and the summer rainfall in China. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 34, 184–192. (in Chinese)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zong, H., Zhang, Q. A new precipitation index for the spatiotemporal distribution of drought and flooding in the reaches of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers and related characteristics of atmospheric circulation. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 28, 375–386 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-9223-z
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-9223-z