Abstract
Based on data diagnoses, in this study the interdecadal changes in asymmetric impacts of ENSO on wintertime East Asian climate are investigated. It is found that the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) can significantly modulate the asymmetry in the responses of the East Asian climate to El Niño and La Niña events. In positive PDO phase the response is asymmetric with a strong anomalous anticyclone over western North Pacific (WNP) and significant positive rainfall anomalies over southern China during El Niño winters, but a weak anomalous cyclone over WNP and insignificant negative rainfall anomalies over southern China during La Niña winters. However, such asymmetric responses do not appear in negative PDO phase, with comparable amplitudes of anomalous circulations over WNP and rainfall over southern China in El Niño and La Niña winters. Further analyses reveal that the warm background of the tropical Pacific in positive PDO phase causes significant difference in the amplitudes of convection anomalies over tropical western Pacific, resulting in asymmetric responses of the WNP circulation and rainfall over southern China to El Niño and La Niña events. Nevertheless, the cold background in negative PDO phase reduces the amplitude difference between El Niño and La Niña winters. A comparable convection anomalies appear in tropical western Pacific in El Niño and La Niña winters and the asymmetric responses do not occur.
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This work is supported by the China National 973 Project (2015CB453203), National Key Research and Development Program (2016YFA0600602), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 41790470).
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This paper is a contribution to the special collection on ENSO Diversity. The special collection aims at improving understanding of the origin, evolution, and impacts of ENSO events that differ in amplitude and spatial patterns, in both observational and modeling contexts, and in the current as well as future climate scenarios. This special collection is coordinated by Antonietta Capotondi, Eric Guilyardi, Ben Kirtman and Sang-Wook Yeh.
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Gao, R., Zhang, R., Wen, M. et al. Interdecadal changes in the asymmetric impacts of ENSO on wintertime rainfall over China and atmospheric circulations over western North Pacific. Clim Dyn 52, 7525–7536 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-018-4282-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-018-4282-4