ACP Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ACP 1680-7324 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/acp-8-25-2008 Sand/dust storm processes in Northeast Asia and associated large-scale circulations Yang Y. Q. 1 Hou Q. 1 Zhou C. H. 1 Liu H. L. 1 Wang Y. Q. 1 Niu T. 1 Centre for Atmosphere Watch and Services (CAWAS), Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Beijing 100081, China 07 01 2008 8 1 25 33 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/8/25/2008/acp-8-25-2008.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/8/25/2008/acp-8-25-2008.pdf

This paper introduces a definition of sand/dust storm process as a new standard and idea of sand/dust storm (SDS) groups a number of SDS-events in Northeast Asia. Based on the meteorological data from WMO/GOS network, 2456 Chinese surface stations and NCEP-NCAR reanalysis, the sand/dust storm processes in Northeast Asia in spring 2000–2006 are investigated. And the evolutions of anomalies of general circulation in the troposphere are analyzed by comparing the spring having most and least occurrences of SDS in year 2006 and 2003. Associated with the noticeably increased occurrence of SDS processes in spring 2006, the anomalies in 3-D structure of general circulation especially in the mid-and high latitudes of the Northen Hemisphere (NH) are revealed. The transition period from the winter of 2005 to spring 2006 has witnessed a fast-developed high center over the circumpolar vortex area in the upper troposphere, which pushes the polar vortex more southwards to mid-latitudes with a more extensive area over the east NH. In spring 2006, there are the significant circulation anomalies in the middle troposphere from the Baikal Lake to northern China with a stronger southward wind anomaly over Northeast Asia. Compared with a normal year, stronger meridional wind with a southward wind anomaly also in the lower troposphere prevail over the arid and semiarid regions in Mongolia and northern China during spring 2006. The positive anomalies of surface high pressure registered an abnormal high of 4–10 hPa in the Tamil Peninsular make a stronger cold air source for the repeated cold air outbreak across the desert areas in spring 2006 resulting in the most frequent SDS seasons in the last 10 years in Northeast Asia.

 References Chen, X. G., Zhang, C. J., and Dong, A. X.: Classification of sand/dust storm processes in Gansu Province, and associated statistical analysis, Journal of Plateau Meteorology, 23(3), 371–-381, 2004. CMA: Regulations of Surface Meteorological Observation, Beijing, China, Meteorological Press, 21–27, 1979. Franzen, L. G.: The Saharan dust episode of southern and central Europe and northern Scandinavia March, Weather, 50, 313–318, 1995. Gong, S. L., Zhang, X. Y., Zhao, T. L., McKendry, I. G., Jaffe, D. A., and Lu, N. M.: Characterization Of Soil Dust Distributions In China And Its Transport During ACE-ASIA 2. Model Simulation and Validation, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4262, doi:10.1029/2002JD002633, 2003. Qian, W., Quan, L., and Shi, S.: Variability of the Dust Storm in China and its Climatic Control, J. Climate, 15, 1216–1229, 2002a. Qian, Z. A., Song, M. H., and Li, W. Y.: Distribution and variation of sand/dust storms in north China in last 50 years, Journal of China Desert Research, 22, 106–111, 2002b. Sun, J. and Yao, X. P.: Numerical diagnosis of frontogenesis process of a sand/dust storm, and associated surface thermal flux, Journal of Plateau Meteorology, 21, 488–494, 2002. Wang, S. G., Wang, J. Y., and Zhou, Z. J.: Regional features of China's sand/dust storms, J. Geography, 58, 193–200, 2003. Wang, S. G., Yang, D. B., and Jin, J.: An analysis of spatial and temporal distribution and causes of sand/dust storms in northwest China Proceedings of 2nd China Association for Science and Technology annual meeting for young scientists (resources and environmental science), China S and T Press, Beijing, 364–370, 1995. Wang, Y. Q., Arimoto, R., and Zhang, X. Y.: The Contribution from Distant Dust Sources to the Atmospheric Particulate Matter Loadings at XiAn, China during Spring, Sci. Total. Environ., 368, 875–883, 2006. Xu, Q. Y.: Spatial and temporal distribution of sand/dust storms in northwest China, China Meteorological Press, 11–l5, 1997. Yang, Y. Q., Zhang, X. Y., Hou, Q., Zhou, C. H., Wang, Y. Q., Niu, T., Liu, H. L., and Gong, S. L.: An analysis of China's sand/dust storms in the spring of 2006, Proceedings of Chinese Society of Meteorology annual meeting for 2006, 223, 2006. Zhang, D. E. and Wang, J. H.: Preliminary studies on atmospheric circulation and synoptic-dynamic conditions for dustfall processes, in: Loess, edited by: Liu, T. S. and An, Z. S., Quaternary Geology, Global Change, Science Press, Beijing, pp. 151–157, 1992. Zhang, X. Y.: Sand/dust storms of the northeast Asia in the spring of 2006, China Meteorological Press, 9–19, 2006. Zhang, X. Y., Arimoto, R., and An, Z. S.: Glacial and interglacial patterns for Asian dust transport, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 18, 811–819, 1999. Zhang, X. Y., Liu, H. Y., Arimoto, R., and Gong, S. L.: Atmospheric Dust Loadings and Their Relationship to Rapid Oscillations of the Asian Winter Monsoon Climate: Two250-ka Loess records, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 202, 637–643, 2002. Zhao, X. L.: Damages of severe sand/dust storms in Gansu Province and associated countermeasures, Journal of China Desert Research, 13, 1–7, 1993. Zhou, Z. J.: Blowing dust and sand/dust storm processes in last 45 years, J. Quaternary Study, 21, 9–17, 2001. Zhu, Q. G. and Lin, J. R.: Principles and Methods of Synoptic Meteorology, China Meteorological Press, Beijing, 48–102, 1981.