Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The influence of moderate ENSO on summer rainfall in eastern China and its comparison with strong ENSO

  • Articles
  • Atmospheric Sciences
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

The 6 major ENSO events since 1979 are classified into the strong and moderate ENSO based on intensity. The composite analysis is performed to reveal the influence of ENSO on East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and summer rainfall in eastern China. It is shown that the influence is changed with the seasonal cycle in summer, with a weaker influence in June and a stronger influence in August, indicating a long lagged effect of ENSO on EASM. Besides, the circulation and rainfall anomalies caused by the strong ENSO are also stronger with an earlier starting time, while the influence of the moderate ENSO is evident in August. The composite summer rainfall in eastern China for the moderate ENSO exhibits a northern rainfall pattern, which is totally different from the classical ENSO-type rainfall pattern. Based on the composite analysis, two moderate ENSO years with a similar intensity (i.e., 1995 and 2003) are compared. The result shows that, the response of EASM to the moderate ENSO during June and July is, to a certain degree, modulated by the circulation systems in mid-high latitudes of Eurasia and in the Southern Hemisphere, thereby inducing a different rainfall distribution in eastern China. In comparison with the strong ENSO in 1983, it is further revealed that, the strong ENSO plays a dominant role in summer rainfall anomalies in eastern China as well as in controlling the influence of the other factors on EASM. The strong ENSO is therefore different with the moderate ENSO.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Tu C W. Linkages between weather in China and the global atmospheric oscillations and applications in long-range forecast of summer drought and flood in China. J Meteorol (in Chinese), 1937, 13: 647–697

    Google Scholar 

  2. Xu Q. A correlation analysis of the south oscillation and the activities of the western Pacific subtropical high during the flood period in China (June to October). Chin Sci Bull (in Chinese), 1986, 31: 1567–1569

    Google Scholar 

  3. Fu C B, Teng X L. Relationship between summer climate in China and El Niño/southern oscillation phenomenon. Chin J Atmos Sci (in Chinese), 1988, 12(special Issue): 133–141

    Google Scholar 

  4. Huang R H, Wu Y F. The influence of ENSO on the summer climate change in China and its mechanism. Adv Atmos Sci, 1989, 6: 21–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Zhang R, Sumi A, Kimoto M. A diagnostic study of the impact of El Niño on the precipitation in China. Adv Atmos Sci, 1999, 16: 229–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Gong D Y, Wang S W. Impacts of ENSO on rainfall of global land and China precipitation. Chin Sci Bull, 1999, 44: 852–856

    Google Scholar 

  7. Zhao Z G. Summer Drought and Flood in China and Environmental Background (in Chinese). Beijing: China Meteorological Press, 1999. 1–297

    Google Scholar 

  8. Lu R Y. Interannual variation of North China rainfall in rainy season and SSTs in the equatorial eastern Pacific. Chin Sci Bull, 2005, 50: 2069–2073

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Zhang R H, Akimasa S, Masahide K. Impact of El Niño on the East Asian Monsoon: A diagnostic study of the’ 86/87 and’ 91/92 events. J Meteor Soc Japan, 1996, 74: 49–62

    Google Scholar 

  10. Zhang R H, Akimasa S. Moisture circulation over East Asian during El Niño episode in northern winter, spring and autumn. J Meteor Soc Japan, 2002, 80: 213–227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Zeng Q C, Lin Z H, Zhou G Q. Dynamical extraseasonal climate prediction system IAP DCP-II. Chin J Atmos Sci (in Chinese), 2003, 27: 289–303

    Google Scholar 

  12. Ding Y H, Li Q Q, Li W J et al. Advance in seasonal dynamical prediction operation in China. Acta Meteorol Sin (in Chinese), 2004, 62: 598–612

    Google Scholar 

  13. Tao S Y, Xu S Y. Some aspects of the circulation during the periods of —the persistent drought and flood in the Yangtze Huaihe valleys in summer. Acta Meteorol Sin (in Chinese), 1962, 32: 1–10

    Google Scholar 

  14. Zhang Q Y, Tao S Y. Influence of Asian mid—high latitude circulation on East Asian summer rainfall. Acta Meteorol Sina (in Chinese), 56: 199–211

  15. Tao S Y, Wei J. The westward, northward advance of the subtropical high over the west Pacific in summer. J Appl Meteor Sci (in Chinese), 2006, 17: 513–524

    Google Scholar 

  16. Xue F, Wang H J, He J H. Interannual variability of Mascarene High and Auatralian High and their influence on the East Asian summer rainfall over East Asia. Chin Sci Bull, 2003, 48: 492–497

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Gao H, Xue F, Wang H J. Influence of interannual variability of Antarctic oscillation on Meiyu along the Yangtze and Huaihe River valley and its importance to prediction. Chin Sci Bull, 2003, 48: 61–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Xue F, Wang H J, He J H. Interannual variability of Mascarene high and Australian high and their influences on East Asian summer monsoon. J Meteor Soc Japan, 2004, 82: 1173–1186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Xue F, He J X. Influence of the southern hemispheric circulation on east-west oscillation of the western Pacific subtropical high. Chin Sci Bull, 2005, 50: 1532–1536

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Ping F, Luo Z X, Ju J H. Differences between dynamics factors for interannual and decadal variations of rainfall over the Yangtze River valley during flood seasons. Chin Sci Bull, 2006, 51: 994–999

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Gao H, Wang Y G. On the weakening relationship between summer precipitation in China and ENSO. Acta Meteorol Sin (in Chinese), 2007, 65: 131–136

    Google Scholar 

  22. Kalnay E, Kanamitsu M, Kistler R, et al. The NCEP/NCAR 40—year reanalysis project. Bull Amer Meteor Soc, 1996, 77: 437–471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Smith T M, Reynolds R W. Improved extended reconstruction of SST (1854–1997). J Climate, 2004, 17: 2466–2477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Wang B, R G Wu, Fu X H. Pacific East-Asian teleconnection: how does ENSO affect East Asian climate. J Climate, 1999, 13, 1517–1536

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Chen H. IAP extra-seasonal and annual rolling dynamical prediction system and the practical prediction experiments. Dissertation for the Doctoral Degree. Beijing: Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2003. 1–126

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

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

    Feng Xue & ChangZheng Liu

  2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    ChangZheng Liu

Authors
  1. Feng Xue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. ChangZheng Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Feng Xue.

Additional information

Supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-217) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40475036 and 40221503)

About this article

Cite this article

Xue, F., Liu, C. The influence of moderate ENSO on summer rainfall in eastern China and its comparison with strong ENSO. Chin. Sci. Bull. 53, 791–800 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-008-0002-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-008-0002-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation