The sea surface temperature configuration of Greenland Sea–subpolar region of North Atlantic and the summer rainfall anomaly in low‐latitude highlands of China

• Published in: International Journal of Climatology
• Main Authors: Cao, Jie, Ding, Yuchao, Wang, Jian, Tao, Yun
• Other Authors: National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2018
• Subjects: Greenland; Greenland Sea; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/joc.5484; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjoc.5484; https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/joc.5484

Based on reanalysis and observational data sets, the present study reveals that the variability of summer rainfall in the low‐latitude highlands of China (CLLH) is significantly correlated to the sea surface temperature (SST) configuration from the Greenland Sea (GS) southeastwards to the subpolar region of North Atlantic (NASR). The SST configuration orientated in northwest–southeast direction exerts its impact on the summer rainfall coming into the CLLH via modifying the activity of cold air in the northeast CLLH. When SST is warmer than normal in the GS and colder than normal around the NASR, a teleconnection with an anomalous cyclone over the Europe, an anomalous anticyclone around the Lake Baikal and an anomalous cyclone over the East Asia will be forced out by the dispersion of Rossby wave on the spherical surface of the earth. The teleconnection traversing Europe–East China is favourable to transportation of cold air from the East Siberian southwestwards to the CLLH and thus gives rise to the increase of summer rainfall in the CLLH. When SST is colder than normal in the GS and warmer than normal around the NASR, the similar teleconnection with opposite phase is forced out, causing a less than normal summer rainfall in the CLLH.