scholarly journals Structure and Maintenance Mechanisms of the Mascarene High in Austral Winter

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhao ◽  
Zhiping Wen ◽  
Xiuzhen Li ◽  
Ruidan Chen ◽  
Guixing Chen
Keyword(s):  
Austral Winter ◽  
Mascarene High

scholarly journals Structure and Maintenance Mechanisms of the Mascarene High in Austral Winter

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhao ◽  
Zhiping Wen ◽  
Xiuzhen Li ◽  
Ruidan Chen ◽  
Guixing Chen
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Diabatic Heating ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
Static Stability ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
South Indian Ocean ◽  
Mascarene High ◽  
South Indian

Abstract The Mascarene High (MH), is a key component of the Asian-Africa-Australia monsoon system in austral winter (JJA). Its three-dimensional structures and maintenance mechanisms are examined in this study. It is a low-level subtropical high dominating the southern Africa and South Indian Ocean, characterized by a northwestward tilt with height, which is attributed to its spatially inhomogeneous thermal structure. Large-scale subsidence characterizes the main body of the MH, with the stronger subsidence to the east than to the west. Diagnosis using the complete form of the vertical vorticity tendency equation shows that the anticyclonic structure of the MH, which can be described by the distribution of meridional wind, is maintained mainly by the vertical gradient of diabatic heating, change in static stability, and friction dissipation. In particular, a combination of sensible heating and longwave radiative cooling results in a vertical decreasing gradient of diabatic heating in the lower troposphere. It generates the stronger southerlies over the subtropical South Indian Ocean than over the southern Africa. Meanwhile, over the South Indian Ocean, the increasing static stability as a result of the downward transport of a more stable atmosphere partly offsets the effect of the vertical gradient of diabatic heating, and southerlies still prevail there. Over the southern Africa, topographic friction dissipation induces northerlies, balancing the effect of the vertical gradient of diabatic heating with a stronger magnitude, and northerlies prevail.

scholarly journals Cloud Cover and Aurora Contamination at Dome A in 2017 from KLCAM

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Yang ◽  
Zhaohui Shang ◽  
Keliang Hu ◽  
Yi Hu ◽  
Bin Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
Site Testing ◽  
Dome A ◽  
Astronomical Observations ◽  
Auroral Emission ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

Abstract Dome A in Antarctica has many characteristics that make it an excellent site for astronomical observations, from the optical to the terahertz. Quantitative site testing is still needed to confirm the site’s properties. In this paper, we present a statistical analysis of cloud cover and aurora contamination from the Kunlun Cloud and Aurora Monitor (KLCAM). KLCAM is an automatic, unattended all-sky camera aiming for long-term monitoring of the usable observing time and optical sky background at Dome A. It was installed at Dome A in January 2017, worked through the austral winter, and collected over 47,000 images over 490 days. A semi-quantitative visual data analysis of cloud cover and auroral contamination was carried out by five individuals. The analysis shows that the night sky was free of clouds for 83 per cent of the time, which ranks Dome A highly in a comparison with other observatory sites. Although aurorae were detected somewhere on an image for nearly 45 per cent of the time, the chance of a point on the sky being affected by an aurora is small. The strongest auroral emission lines can be filtered out with customized filters.

scholarly journals Variability in the Mozambique Channel Trough and Impacts on Southeast African Rainfall

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 749-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rondrotiana Barimalala ◽  
Ross C. Blamey ◽  
Fabien Desbiolles ◽  
Chris J. C. Reason
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Ocean Basin ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
South Indian Ocean ◽  
Mozambique Channel ◽  
Mascarene High ◽  
South Indian

AbstractThe Mozambique Channel trough (MCT) is a cyclonic region prominent in austral summer in the central and southern Mozambique Channel. It first becomes evident in December with a peak in strength in February when the Mozambique Channel is warmest and the Mascarene high (MH) is located farthest southeast in the Indian Ocean basin. The strength and the timing of the mean MCT are linked to that of the cross-equatorial northeasterly monsoon in the tropical western Indian Ocean, which curves as northwesterlies toward northern Madagascar. The interannual variability in the MCT is associated with moist convection over the Mozambique Channel and is modulated by the location of the warm sea surface temperatures in the south Indian Ocean. Variability of the MCT shows a strong relationship with the equatorial westerlies north of Madagascar and the latitudinal extension of the MH. Summers with strong MCT activity are characterized by a prominent cyclonic circulation over the Mozambique Channel, extending to the midlatitudes. These are favorable for the development of tropical–extratropical cloud bands over the southwestern Indian Ocean and trigger an increase in rainfall over the ocean but a decrease over the southern African mainland. Most years with a weak MCT are associated with strong positive south Indian Ocean subtropical dipole events, during which the subcontinent tends to receive more rainfall whereas Madagascar and northern Mozambique are anomalously dry.

scholarly journals Dissolved Methane Distribution in the Reloncaví Fjord and Adjacent Marine System During Austral Winter (41°–43° S)

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1592-1606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Farías ◽  
Karen Sanzana ◽  
Sandra Sanhueza-Guevara ◽  
Mariela A. Yevenes
Keyword(s):  
Austral Winter ◽  
Dissolved Methane ◽  
Marine System ◽  
Methane Distribution

scholarly journals Salinity-induced mixed and barrier layers in the southwestern tropical Atlantic Ocean off the northeast of Brazil

Ocean Science ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Araujo ◽  
C. Limongi ◽  
J. Servain ◽  
M. Silva ◽  
F. S. Leite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Barrier Layer ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
Surface Salinity ◽  
Barrier Layer Thickness ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Mixed Layers

Abstract. High-resolution hydrographic observations of temperature and salinity are used to analyze the formation and distribution of isothermal depth (ZT), mixed depth (ZM) and barrier layer thickness (BLT) in a section of the southwestern Atlantic (0°30´ N–14°00´ S; 31°24´–41°48´ W), adjacent to the northeastern Brazilian coast. Analyzed data consists of 279 CTD casts acquired during two cruises under the Brazilian REVIZEE Program. One occurred in late austral winter (August–October 1995) and another in austral summer (January–April 1997). Oceanic observations are compared to numerical modeling results obtained from the French Mercator-Coriolis Program. Results indicate that the intrusion of subtropical Salinity Maximum Waters (SMW) is the major process contributing to the seasonal barrier layer formation. These waters are brought by the South Equatorial Current (SEC), from the subtropical region, into the western tropical Atlantic boundary. During late austral winter southeastern trade winds are more intense and ITCZ precipitations induce lower surface salinity values near the equator. During this period a 5–90 m thick BLT (median = 15 m) is observed and BLT > 30 m is restricted to latitudes higher than 8° S, where the intrusion of salty waters between 8°–12.3° S creates shallow mixed layers over deep (ZT ≥ 90 m) isothermal layers. During austral summer, shallow isothermal and mixed layers prevail, when northeasterly winds are predominant and evaporation overcomes precipitation, causing saltier waters at the surface/subsurface layers. During that period observed BLT varies from 5 to 70 m and presents thicker median value of 35 m, when comparing to the winter. Furthermore, BLT ≥ 30 m is observed not only in the southernmost part of the study area, as verified during late winter, but in the latitude range 2°–14° S, where near-surface salty waters are transported westward by the SEC flow. These results indicate that the inclusion of salinity dynamics and its variability are necessary for studying mixed and barrier layer behaviors in the tropical Atlantic, where ocean-atmosphere coupling is known to be stronger.

scholarly journals Understanding the Australian Monsoon change during the Last Glacial Maximum with multi-model ensemble

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mi Yan ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
Jian Liu ◽  
Axing Zhu ◽  
Liang Ning
Keyword(s):  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Moisture Convergence ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
Upward Motion ◽  
Thermal Contrast ◽  
Australian Monsoon ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Annual Range ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

Abstract. The response of Australian monsoon to the external forcings and the relative mechanisms during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is investigated by multi-models in CMIP5/PMIP3. Although the annual mean precipitation over Australian monsoon region decreases, the annual range, or the monsoonality, is enhanced. The precipitation increases in early austral summer and decreases in austral winter, causing the annual range or monsoonality to amplify. The decreased precipitation in austral winter has a large contribution to the strengthened monsoonality. It is primarily caused by the weakened upward motion, although the reduced water vapor has also a moderate contribution. The weakened upward motion in austral winter is induced by the enhanced land–sea thermal contrast, which intensifies the divergence over northern Australia. The increased Australian monsoon rainfall in early summer is an integrated result of the positive effect of local dynamic processes (enhanced moisture convergence) and the negative effect of thermodynamics (reduced moisture content). The enhanced moisture convergence is caused by two factors: the strengthened northwest–southeast thermal contrast between the cooler Indochina–western Indonesia and the warmer northeastern Australia, and the east–west sea surface temperature gradients between the warmer western Pacific and cooler eastern Indian Ocean, both due to the alteration of land–sea configuration arising from the sea level drop. The enhanced Australian monsoonality in LGM is caused by the local processes rather than the large scale dynamics, which should be taken into account when investigating its future change under global warming. Our findings may also explain why proxy records indicate different changes in Australian monsoon precipitation during the LGM.

scholarly journals Enhanced gravity-wave activity and interhemispheric coupling during the MaCWAVE/MIDAS northern summer program 2002

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1175-1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Becker ◽  
D. C. Fritts
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Rossby Wave ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Summer Program ◽  
Latent Heating ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
Northern Summer ◽  
Mesosphere And Lower Thermosphere

Abstract. We present new sensitivity experiments that link observed anomalies of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere at high latitudes during the MaCWAVE/MIDAS summer program 2002 to enhanced planetary Rossby-wave activity in the austral winter troposphere. We employ the same general concept of a GCM having simplified representations of radiative and latent heating as in a previous study by Becker et al. (2004). In the present version, however, the model includes no gravity wave (GW) parameterization. Instead we employ a high vertical and a moderate horizontal resolution in order to describe GW effects explicitly. This is supported by advanced, nonlinear momentum diffusion schemes that allow for a self-consistent generation of inertia and mid-frequency GWs in the lower atmosphere, their vertical propagation into the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, and their subsequent dissipation which is induced by prescribed horizontal and vertical mixing lengths as functions of height. The main anomalies in northern summer 2002 consist of higher temperatures than usual above 82 km, an anomalous eastward mean zonal wind between 70 and 90 km, an altered meridional flow, enhanced turbulent dissipation below 80 km, and enhanced temperature variations associated with GWs. These signals are all reasonably described by differences between two long-integration perpetual model runs, one with normal July conditions, and another run with modified latent heating in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere to mimic conditions that correspond to the unusual austral winter 2002. The model response to the enhanced winter hemisphere Rossby-wave activity has resulted in both an interhemispheric coupling through a downward shift of the GW-driven branch of the residual circulation and an increased GW activity at high summer latitudes. Thus a quantitative explanation of the dynamical state of the northern mesosphere and lower thermosphere during June-August 2002 requires an enhanced Lorenz energy cycle and correspondingly enhanced GW sources in the troposphere, which in the model show up in both hemispheres.

scholarly journals A weather regime characterisation of winter biomass aerosol transport from southern Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Gaetani ◽  
Benjamin Pohl ◽  
Maria del Carmen Alvarez Castro ◽  
Cyrille Flamant ◽  
Paola Formenti
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
The South ◽  
Predictive Tool ◽  
Weather Regime ◽  
Synoptic Variability

Abstract. During austral winter, a compact low cloud deck over South Atlantic contrasts with clear sky over southern Africa, where forest fires triggered by dry conditions emit large amount of biomass burning aerosols (BBA) in the free troposphere. Most of the BBA burden crosses South Atlantic embedded in the tropical easterly flow. However, midlatitude synoptic disturbances can deflect part of the aerosol from the main transport path towards southern extratropics. In this study, a characterisation of the synoptic variability controlling the spatial distribution of BBA in southern Africa and South Atlantic during austral winter (August to October) is presented. By analysing atmospheric circulation data from reanalysis products, a 6-class weather regime (WR) classification of the region is constructed. The classification reveals that the synoptic variability is composed by four WRs representing disturbances travelling at midlatitudes, and two WRs accounting for pressure anomalies in the South Atlantic. The WR classification is then successfully used to characterise the aerosol spatial distribution in the region in the period 2003–2017, in both reanalysis products and station data. Results show that the BBA transport towards southern extratropics is controlled by weather regimes associated with midlatitude synoptic disturbances. In particular, depending on the relative position of the pressure anomalies along the midlatitude westerly flow, the BBA transport is deflected from the main tropical route towards southern Africa or the South Atlantic. This paper presents the first objective classification of the winter synoptic circulation over South Atlantic and southern Africa. The classification shows skills in characterising the BBA transport, indicating the potential for using it as a diagnostic/predictive tool for aerosol dynamics, which is a key component for the full understanding and modelling of the complex radiation-aerosol-cloud interactions controlling the atmospheric radiative budget in the region.

scholarly journals The influence of direct radiative forcing versus indirect sea surface temperature warming on southern hemisphere subtropical anticyclones under global warming

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah A. Fahad ◽  
Natalie J. Burls
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Diabatic Heating ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Atmospheric Response ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
Subtropical Anticyclone ◽  
Surface Temperature Warming

AbstractSouthern hemisphere subtropical anticyclones are projected to change in a warmer climate during both austral summer and winter. A recent study of CMIP 5 & 6 projections found a combination of local diabatic heating changes and static-stability-induced changes in baroclinic eddy growth as the dominant drivers. Yet the underlying mechanisms forcing these changes still remain uninvestigated. This study aims to enhance our mechanistic understanding of what drives these Southern Hemisphere anticyclones changes during both seasons. Using an AGCM, we decompose the response to CO2-induced warming into two components: (1) the fast atmospheric response to direct CO2 radiative forcing, and (2) the slow atmospheric response due to indirect sea surface temperature warming. Additionally, we isolate the influence of tropical diabatic heating with AGCM added heating experiments. As a complement to our numerical AGCM experiments, we analyze the Atmospheric and Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project experiments. Results from sensitivity experiments show that slow subtropical sea surface temperature warming primarily forces the projected changes in subtropical anticyclones through baroclinicity change. Fast CO2 atmospheric radiative forcing on the other hand plays a secondary role, with the most notable exception being the South Atlantic subtropical anticyclone in austral winter, where it opposes the forcing by sea surface temperature changes resulting in a muted net response. Lastly, we find that tropical diabatic heating changes only significantly influence Southern Hemisphere subtropical anticyclone changes through tropospheric wind shear changes during austral winter.

scholarly journals Rossby Waves Mediate Impacts of Tropical Oceans on West Antarctic Atmospheric Circulation in Austral Winter

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (20) ◽  
pp. 8151-8164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xichen Li ◽  
David M. Holland ◽  
Edwin P. Gerber ◽  
Changhyun Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Rossby Wave ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Ocean Warming ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Tropical Oceans ◽  
Simulation Results

Abstract Recent studies link climate change around Antarctica to the sea surface temperature of tropical oceans, with teleconnections from the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans making different contributions to Antarctic climate. In this study, the impacts of each ocean basin on the wintertime Southern Hemisphere circulation are identified by comparing simulation results using a comprehensive atmospheric model, an idealized dynamical core model, and a theoretical Rossby wave model. The results herein show that tropical Atlantic Ocean warming, Indian Ocean warming, and eastern Pacific cooling are all able to deepen the Amundsen Sea low located adjacent to West Antarctica, while western Pacific warming increases the pressure to the west of the international date line, encompassing the Ross Sea and regions south of the Tasman Sea. In austral winter, these tropical ocean basins work together linearly to modulate the atmospheric circulation around West Antarctica. Further analyses indicate that these teleconnections critically depend on stationary Rossby wave dynamics and are thus sensitive to the background flow, particularly the subtropical/midlatitude jet. Near these jets, wind shear is amplified, which strengthens the generation of Rossby waves. On the other hand, near the edges of the jets the meridional gradient of the absolute vorticity is also enhanced. As a consequence of the Rossby wave dispersion relationship, the jet edge may reflect stationary Rossby wave trains, serving as a waveguide. The simulation results not only identify the relative roles of each of the tropical ocean basins in the tropical–Antarctica teleconnection, but also suggest that a deeper understanding of teleconnections requires a better estimation of the atmospheric jet structures.

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