Recently, the research by Professor Huang Jianping’s research team was highlighted on Nature Climate Change, a journal affiliated to the world-renowned Nature. The paper entitled “Impact of land–sea thermal contrast on interdecadal variation in circulation and blocking” was published on Climate Dynamics in February, 2014.
The research has found that with global warming, the warming of surface air temperature became much more enhanced during cold season. A land–sea index (LSI) was defined to measure asymmetric zonal thermal forcing and the index changed from a negative to a positive anomaly in the 1980s. In the positive phase of the LSI, the tropospheric planetary wave activity became weaker and exerted less easterly forcing on the westerly wind. These circulation changes were favorable for westerly wind acceleration and reduced blocking. This positive feedback amplified regional warming in the context of overall global warming.
The research finding furthers the understanding of natural change mechanisms and future land temperature changes in the context of global climate change. He Yongli, the first author of the paper, is a doctoral student of Grade 2013 guided by Professor Huang Jianping.
(Translated by Ren Lina, Proofread by Lawrence Xu)
