Local finite-amplitude wave activity as an objective diagnostic of midlatitude extreme weather
Abstract
Midlatitude extreme weather events are responsible for a large part of climate related damage, yet our understanding of these extreme events is limited, partly due to the lack of a theoretical basis for midlatitude extreme weather. In this letter, the local finite-amplitude wave activity (LWA) of Huang and Nakamura [2015] is introduced as a diagnostic of the 500-hPa geopotential height (Z500) to characterizing midlatitude weather events. It is found that the LWA climatology and its variability associated with the Arctic Oscillation (AO) agree broadly with the previously reported blocking frequency in literature. Here, there is a strong seasonal and spatial dependence in the trend13 s of LWA in recent decades. While there is no observational evidence for a hemispheric-scale increase in wave amplitude, robust trends in wave activity can be identified at the regional scales, with important implications for regional climate change.
- Authors:
-
- Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1255407
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1402379
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-116218
Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276; KP1703010
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0012374; AC05-76RL01830
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 42; Journal Issue: 24; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; local wave activity; wave breaking; blocking; extreme weather
Citation Formats
Chen, Gang, Lu, Jian, Burrows, D. Alex, and Leung, Lai-Yung Ruby. Local finite-amplitude wave activity as an objective diagnostic of midlatitude extreme weather. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1002/2015GL066959.
Chen, Gang, Lu, Jian, Burrows, D. Alex, & Leung, Lai-Yung Ruby. Local finite-amplitude wave activity as an objective diagnostic of midlatitude extreme weather. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL066959
Chen, Gang, Lu, Jian, Burrows, D. Alex, and Leung, Lai-Yung Ruby. Sat .
"Local finite-amplitude wave activity as an objective diagnostic of midlatitude extreme weather". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL066959. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1255407.
@article{osti_1255407,
title = {Local finite-amplitude wave activity as an objective diagnostic of midlatitude extreme weather},
author = {Chen, Gang and Lu, Jian and Burrows, D. Alex and Leung, Lai-Yung Ruby},
abstractNote = {Midlatitude extreme weather events are responsible for a large part of climate related damage, yet our understanding of these extreme events is limited, partly due to the lack of a theoretical basis for midlatitude extreme weather. In this letter, the local finite-amplitude wave activity (LWA) of Huang and Nakamura [2015] is introduced as a diagnostic of the 500-hPa geopotential height (Z500) to characterizing midlatitude weather events. It is found that the LWA climatology and its variability associated with the Arctic Oscillation (AO) agree broadly with the previously reported blocking frequency in literature. Here, there is a strong seasonal and spatial dependence in the trend13 s of LWA in recent decades. While there is no observational evidence for a hemispheric-scale increase in wave amplitude, robust trends in wave activity can be identified at the regional scales, with important implications for regional climate change.},
doi = {10.1002/2015GL066959},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 24,
volume = 42,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Dec 12 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Sat Dec 12 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
How waviness in the circulation changes surface ozone: a viewpoint using local finite-amplitude wave activity
journal, January 2019
- Sun, Wenxiu; Hess, Peter; Chen, Gang
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 19, Issue 20
Reduced European aerosol emissions suppress winter extremes over northern Eurasia
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Climatology of tracked persistent maxima of 500-hPa geopotential height
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Sensitivity of Atmospheric Rivers to Damping of Midlatitude Subseasonal Variability
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Response of the Hydrological Cycle in Asian Monsoon Systems to Global Warming Through the Lens of Water Vapor Wave Activity Analysis
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North American Weather Regimes Are Becoming More Persistent: Is Arctic Amplification a Factor?
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Large-Scale Atmospheric Control on Non-Gaussian Tails of Midlatitude Temperature Distributions
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