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Asymmetric response in Northeast Asia of summer NDVI to the preceding ENSO cycle

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Abstract

The possibility of an asymmetric response of summer (June–July–August; JJA) vegetation vigor over Northeast Asia (NEA), captured by Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), to the preceding spring (February–March–April; FMA) El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle was investigated. Over the period 1982–2006, negative NDVI anomalies with statistical significance appeared over NEA during El Niño episodes; whereas, during La Niña, only slightly increasing NDVI anomalies appeared, and without statistical significance. Results showed the asymmetric responses of atmospheric circulations to El Niño and La Niña to be the most likely main mechanisms responsible for the asymmetric impacts of the spring (FMA) ENSO cycle on summer (JJA) NDVI over NEA (NEA-NDVI). During El Niño, a meridional teleconnection with an anticyclone–cyclone–anticyclone poleward structure is formed from the Philippine Sea to the Sea of Okhotsk. NEA is located right at the border between the mid-latitude cyclone and the high-latitude anticyclonic anomalies, accompanied by a strong northeasterly wind anomaly and the transport of dry, cold air from Russia and East Siberia to NEA. Therefore, the vegetation vigor is distinctly inhibited during El Niño episodes. However, during La Niña episodes, there is a quasi-meridional teleconnection along the Great Circle Route from the tropical western Pacific to the North Pacific, which is quite different from the meridional teleconnection formed during El Niño episodes. Results showed that the northeastward pattern has little impact on circulation and climate factors over NEA. As a result, during La Niña, only a slightly increasing NDVI anomaly appears over NEA, and without statistical significance.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Gensuo Jia for hel** us process the NDVI data. This research was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 41325018, 41575079, 41175071, 41421004) and Foundation of Chinese Academy of Science innovative International Team.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100029, China

    **g Li, Ke Fan & Zhiqing Xu

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nan**g University of Information Science and Technology, Nan**g, 210044, China

    Ke Fan

  3. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100049, China

    **g Li

  4. Climate Change Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100029, China

    Zhiqing Xu

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  1. **g Li
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Correspondence to Ke Fan.

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Li, J., Fan, K. & Xu, Z. Asymmetric response in Northeast Asia of summer NDVI to the preceding ENSO cycle. Clim Dyn 47, 2765–2783 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-016-2996-8

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