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The spring soil moisture and the summer rainfall in eastern China

  • Brief Communication
  • Atmospheric Sciences
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

The relation between the soil moisture in spring and the rainfall in summer in eastern China is investigated. Results show that the summer rainfall in eastern China is closely related to the spring soil moisture in the area from North China to the lower reaches of Yangtze River (NCYR). When spring soil moisture anomalies over NCYR are positive, the summer precipitation exhibits positive anomalies in Northeast China and the lower reaches of Yangtze River, and negative anomalies in southern China and North China. The higher soil moisture over NCYR cools land surface and reduces the land-sea temperature gradient, which weakens East Asian summer monsoon. The western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) is located to the south and shifts westward, resulting in more rainfall in the lower reaches of Yangtze River and less in southern China and North China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

    Zuo ZhiYan & Zhang RenHe

Authors
  1. Zuo ZhiYan
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  2. Zhang RenHe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhang RenHe.

Additional information

Supported by the National Key Program for Developing Basic Sciences (Grant No. 2004CB418302) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40225012)

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Zuo, Z., Zhang, R. The spring soil moisture and the summer rainfall in eastern China. Chin. Sci. Bull. 52, 3310–3312 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0442-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0442-3

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