Abstract
Extreme cold wave (ECW) events in Southwest China (SWC) often result in considerable socioeconomic impacts. Here, cold wave (CW) events over SWC are identified and classified into ECW and ordinary CW (OCW) events according to their intensity. Before a CW event, cold air accumulates over Siberia and the northern side of the Tibetan Plateau (NTP), with the latter determining the intensity of CW events over SWC, meaning it is a key factor in identifying the differences between the evolution processes of ECW and OCW events. The accumulation of cold air over the NTP is associated with a subtropical wave train from the North Atlantic, which is likely triggered by the tripole mode of the SST anomalies in the North Atlantic (NAT). Before an ECW event, the North Atlantic SST shows a negative-phase with a “warm–cold–warm” pattern. There are two wave trains—one from the subtropical North Atlantic and the other from high latitudes, which converge over the Tibetan Plateau and contribute to the development of a strong positive height anomaly that shapes the East Asian Trough (EAT). The northeasterly wind after the trough transports cold air to the NTP. There is no subtropical wave train during OCW events, the orientation of the EAT is only influenced by the high-latitude wave train. The cold air moves eastward and southward quickly and dissipates. On the interannual scale, the NAT is also conducive to the strengthening of the CW events over SWC. In the negative–phase NAT, the intensity of CW events over SWC is much stronger, and ECW events tend to occur in this period.
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Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1902209) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA06062).
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This project is funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China, U1902209, Zi-Niu Xiao, National Key Research and Development Program of China, 2018YFA06062, Zi-Niu Xiao.
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Sun, C., Xiao, ZN. Characteristics of extreme cold wave events over Southwest China and their possible relationship with the North Atlantic SST. Clim Dyn 60, 1619–1634 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06383-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06383-1