Frequency of spring dust weather in North China linked to sea ice variability in the Barents Sea

Fan, Ke; Xie, Zhongkui; Wang, Huijun; Xu, Zhiqing; Liu, Jiping

doi:10.1007/s00382-016-3515-7

Cited by 55 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Chinese ERPs are among the biggest programs in the world because of their ambitious goals, massive scales, huge payments, and potentially enormous impacts. As a result, the "Green Great Wall" of China has been established in northern China (Fang et al, 2001;Duan et al, 2011). There is strong evidence that a remarkable vegetation increase trend has occurred in the dominant dust source areas, northwestern China, especially after 2000 (Piao et al, 2003;Peng et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of ecological restoration programs on dust concentrations in the North China Plain: a case study

Long

Tie

et al. 2018

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. In recent decades, the Chinese government has made a great effort in initiating large-scale ecological restoration programs (ERPs) to reduce the dust concentrations in China, especially for dust storm episodes. Using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land cover product, the ERP-induced land cover changes are quantitatively evaluated in this study. Two obvious vegetation protective barriers arise throughout China from the southwest to the northeast, which are well known as the “Green Great Wall” (GGW). Both the grass GGW and forest GGW are located between the dust source region (DSR) and the densely populated North China Plain (NCP). To assess the effect of ERPs on dust concentrations, a regional transport/dust model (WRF-DUST, Weather Research and Forecast model with dust) is applied to investigate the evolution of dust plumes during a strong dust storm episode from 2 to 8 March 2016. The WRF-DUST model generally performs reasonably well in reproducing the temporal variations and spatial distributions of near-surface [PMC] (mass concentration of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter between 2.5 and 10 µm) during the dust storm event. Sensitivity experiments have indicated that the ERP-induced GGWs help to reduce the dust concentration in the NCP, especially in BTH (Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei). When the dust storm is transported from the upwind DSR to the downwind NCP, the [PMC] reduction ranges from −5 to −15 % in the NCP, with a maximum reduction of −12.4 % (−19.2 µg m−3) in BTH and −7.6 % (−10.1 µg m−3) in the NCP. We find the dust plumes move up to the upper atmosphere and are transported from the upwind DSR to the downwind NCP, accompanied by dust decrease. During the episode, the forest GGW is nonsignificant in dust concentration control because it is of benefit for dry deposition and not for emission. Conversely, the grass GGW is beneficial in controlling dust erosion and is the dominant reason for [PMC] decrease in the NCP. Because the air pollution is severe in eastern China, especially in the NCP, and the contribution of dust episodes is significant, the reduction of dust concentrations will have important effects on severe air pollution. This study illustrates the considerable contribution of ERPs to the control of air pollution in China, especially in springtime.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of ecological restoration programs on dust concentrations in the North China Plain: a case study

Long

Tie

et al. 2018

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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“…Furthermore, under the positive Pacific Decadal Oscillation phase, the autumn ASI reduction contributed to the subseasonal variability of surface air temperature in the East Asian winter (Xu et al, 2018;He, 2015). The dust (dry particles suspended in air after strong winds) and sandstorms (strong winds carrying sand) over North China, types of weather that are sensitive to wind, also showed close relationships with the variation of ASI after the mid-1990s (Fan et al, 2017). The sea ice over the Barents-Kara seas induced dust-related atmospheric circulations (e.g., a strengthened East Asian jet, increased cyclogenesis, and greater atmospheric thermal instability).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Haze (polluted particulate aerosols suspended in air), also being sensitive to wind, frequently occurred under calm and static weather conditions, i.e., small surface winds and strong thermal inversion (Yin et al, 2015;Ding and Liu, 2014;Chen and Wang, 2015;Cai et al, 2017;Gao and Chen, 2017). For the long-term trend of the number of haze days, human activities are the recognized and fundamental driver Yang et al, 2016;Chen et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2018), but the rapid ASI decline also contributed to the trend of the number of haze days in the North China Plain after 2000 (Wang and Chen, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of early winter haze in the North China Plain to autumn Beaufort sea ice

Yin

Wang

2019

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. Recently, early winter haze pollution in the North China Plain has been serious and disastrous, dramatically damaging human health and the social economy. In this study, we emphasized the close connection between the number of haze days in early winter in the North China Plain and the September–October sea ice in the west of the Beaufort Sea (R=0.51) via both observational analyses and numerical experiments. Due to efficient radiative cooling, the responses of atmospheric circulations partially manifested as reductions of surface wind speed over the Beaufort Sea and Gulf of Alaska, resulting in a warmer sea surface in the subsequent November. The sea surface temperature anomalies over the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska acted as a bridge. The warmer sea surface efficiently heated the above air and led to suitable atmospheric backgrounds to enhance the potential of haze weather (e.g., a weaker East Asian jet stream and a Rossby wave-like train propagated from North China and the Sea of Japan, through the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, to the Cordillera Mountains). Near the surface, the weakening sea level pressure gradient stimulated anomalous southerlies over the coastal area of China and brought about a calm and moist environment for haze formation. The thermal inversion was also enhanced to restrict the downward transportation of clear and dry upper air. Thus, the horizontal and vertical dispersion were both limited, and the fine particles were apt to accumulate and cause haze pollution.

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“…Thus, different studies adopt their own regions of jet streams when using the AC indices. For example, Chen et al [13] chose 40 • -65 • N as the latitudinal range of the NH winter polar jet stream; Thomas and Nigam [14] used the range of 15 • -65 • N for the NH winter subtropical jet stream; and Fan et al [15] adopted the range of (23 • -35 • N, 100 • -150 • E) for the spring jet stream of East Asia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modified Three-Dimensional Jet Indices and Their Application to East Asia

Fan

et al. 2019

Atmosphere

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A set of three-dimensional jet indices (jet speed index, jet pressure index, jet latitude index) has been proposed in previous literature to describe the variation of jet streams in both the horizontal and vertical direction. We refer to these indices at the ‘AC’ indices, after the names of the researchers involved. However, the physical meaning of the AC indices and the relationship between AC indices and climate systems are not fully understood. Further study is still needed for applying the indices in East Asia (70°–140° E). In this study, based on the understanding of the physical meaning of the AC indices, latitudinal ranges of East Asian jet streams are determined, and a set of modified AC indices is proposed. Based on the modified AC indices, the linear trends in East Asian jet streams are studied, and the relationship between East Asian jet streams and the climate is researched. The results show that the jet speed index corresponds to the meridional temperature gradient (MTG) of the middle to upper troposphere (500–200 hPa); the jet pressure index corresponds to the pressure level at which the MTG equals zero; and the jet latitude reflects the meridional MTG distribution. The latitudinal ranges of jet streams are determined based on the meridional profiles of climatological zonal-mean zonal winds. Within such a latitudinal range, the climatological zonal-mean zonal winds between 400 and 100 hPa are only westerly, and the maximum wind speed in the vertical direction at every latitude appears between 400 and 100 hPa. The jet streams can be further classified according to the features of the profiles. For East Asia (70°–140° E), jet streams can be classified into winter subtropical jet streams (15°–47.5° N), summer subtropical jet streams (27.5°–60° N), and summer polar front jet streams (60°–87.5° N). The classification of jet streams can be supported by their correspondence to the distribution of tropospheric baroclinicity. A set of modified AC indices can be acquired by using the new ranges of East Asian jet streams in the definition of the original AC indices. Descriptions of jet streams using the modified AC indices are more in accordance with the distributional features of the climatological zonal winds over East Asia, and the physical meanings of the modified AC indices are more definite than the original indices. Using the modified AC indices, we find a significant weakening trend in the strength of the summer subtropical jet stream (−0.13 m/s/10 yr) and a significant northward shift of the winter subtropical jet stream (0.22°/10 yr), and the possible reasons for these trends are studied. Finally, the relationships of East Asian jet streams in winter and summer with atmospheric circulation, temperature, and precipitation are also investigated in this study.

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Frequency of spring dust weather in North China linked to sea ice variability in the Barents Sea

Cited by 55 publications

References 35 publications

Effect of ecological restoration programs on dust concentrations in the North China Plain: a case study

Effect of ecological restoration programs on dust concentrations in the North China Plain: a case study

Response of early winter haze in the North China Plain to autumn Beaufort sea ice

Modified Three-Dimensional Jet Indices and Their Application to East Asia

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