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The interannual variability of summer rainfall in the arid and semiarid regions of Northern China and its association with the northern hemisphere circumglobal teleconnection

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Abstract

Using the latest daily observational rainfall datasets for the period 1961–2008, the present study investigates the interannual variability of June–September (JJAS) mean rainfall in northern China. The regional characteristics of JJAS mean rainfall are revealed by a rotated empirical orthogonal function (REOF) analysis. The analysis identifies three regions of large interannual variability of JJAS rainfall: North China (NC), Northeast China (NEC), and the Taklimakan Desert in Northwest China (TDNWC). Summer rainfall over NC is shown to have displayed a remarkable dry period from the late 1990s; while over NEC, decadal-scale variation with a significant decreasing trend in the last two decades is found, and over TDNWC, evidence of large interannual variability is revealed. Results also show that the interannual variability of JJAS rainfall in northern China is closely associated with the Northern Hemisphere circumglobal teleconnection (CGT). Correlation coefficients between the CGT index and regional-averaged JJAS mean rainfall over NC and NEC were calculated, revealing values of up to 0.50 and 0.53, respectively, both of which exceeded the 99% confidence level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment Research for Temperate East Asia, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100029, China

    Gang Huang  (黄 刚)

  2. State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Center for Monsoon System Research, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100083, China

    Gang Huang  (黄 刚), Yong Liu  (刘 永) & Ronghui Huang  (黄荣辉)

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

    Yong Liu  (刘 永)

Authors
  1. Gang Huang  (黄 刚)
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  2. Yong Liu  (刘 永)
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  3. Ronghui Huang  (黄荣辉)
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Correspondence to Gang Huang  (黄 刚).

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Huang, G., Liu, Y. & Huang, R. The interannual variability of summer rainfall in the arid and semiarid regions of Northern China and its association with the northern hemisphere circumglobal teleconnection. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 28, 257–268 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-9225-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-9225-x

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