Abstract
Starting in mid-November, China was hit by several cold events during the early winter of 2020/21. The lowest temperature observed at Beijing station on 7 January reached −19.6°C. In this paper, we show that the outbreak of the record-breaking extreme cold event can be attributed to a huge merging Ural blocking (UB) ridge over the Eurasian region. The sea-ice cover in the Kara and East Siberia Seas (KESS) in autumn was at its lowest value since 1979, which could have served as a precursor signal. Further analysis shows that several successive UB episodes occurred from 1 September 2020 to 10 January 2021. The persistent UB that occurred in late September/early October 2020 may have made an important contribution to the October historical minimum of sea ice in the KESS region. Our results also show that, after each UB episode in winter, significant upward propagation of wave activity occurred around 60°E, which resulted in weakening the stratospheric vortex. Meanwhile, each UB episode also caused a significant reduction in sea-ice extent in KESS and a significant weakening of the westerly jet in mid–high-latitude Eurasia. Results suggest that the Arctic vortex, which is supposed to enhance seasonally, became weaker and more unstable than the climatic mean under the seasonal cumulative effects of UB episodes, KESS warming, and long-lasting negative-phase North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO–). Those seasonal cumulative effects, combined with the impact of La Niña winter, led to the frequent occurrence of extreme cold events.
摘要
2020/21年初冬, 我国遭遇了几次大范围的极寒天气过程. 1月7日, 北京站观测到的最低气温达到-19.6℃. 研究表明, 破纪录的极寒事件的爆发可归因于欧亚地区上空巨大的乌拉尔阻塞脊的发展和合并过程. 秋季喀拉海和东西伯利亚海的海冰覆盖率为1979年以来的最低值, 这可能是一个前兆信号. 进一步的分析表明, 从2020年9月1日到2021年1月10日, 发生了几次连续的乌拉尔阻塞事件. 2020年9月底/10月初发生的持续的乌拉尔阻塞可能对喀拉海和东西伯利亚海10月份的海冰历史最低值有重要贡献. 结果还显示, 冬季每次乌拉尔阻塞发生后, 60°E附近区域对流层大气会发生明显的能量向上传播, 导致平流层涡旋的减弱. 同时, 每次UB事件也会导致喀拉海和东西伯利亚海的海冰明显减少, 欧亚大陆中高纬度地区的西风急流明显减弱. 总得来说, 在乌拉尔阻塞事件、 喀拉海和东西伯利亚海变暖和持续的负位相北大西洋涛动的季节性累积效应下, 本应季节性增强的北极涡旋变得比气候平均值更弱和更加不稳定. 这些季节性的累积效应, 再加上拉尼娜的协同影响, 导致了极端寒冷事件的频繁发生.
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The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants Nos. 41975068, 41790473, and 41975099) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Research Program (Grant No. XDA19070403).
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Article Highlights
• The sea-ice cover in the Kara and East Siberia Seas in autumn 2020 was at its lowest value since 1979, which provides a precursor signal.
• Successive Ural blocking (UB) episodes that occurred from fall 2020 to January 2021 served as crucial physical processes.
• The seasonal cumulative effects of UBs, combined with other abnormal factors, led to the frequent occurrence of extreme cold events.
This paper is a contribution to the special issue on Extreme Cold Events from East Asia to North America in Winter 2020/21.
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Yao, Y., Zhang, W., Luo, D. et al. Seasonal Cumulative Effect of Ural Blocking Episodes on the Frequent Cold events in China during the Early Winter of 2020/21. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 39, 609–624 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-021-1100-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-021-1100-4