INTERDECADAL VARIATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENSO AND SUMMER INTERANNUAL CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN CHINA

Interdecadal variation of the relationships between ENSO and the summer interannual climate variability in China is investigated by using techniques of sliding correlation analysis with the tropical Pacific SSTA and the observed surface air temperature and precipitation from stations in China. The results indicate that there are stable and robust relations that the Northern China is relatively dry during the developing phase of ENSO while the Yangtze River valley is relatively wet during the decaying phase of ENSO. On the other hand, interdecadal variations of the relations are also found in other regions. Over the time both prior to the Pacific decadal climate shift (before the late 1970s) and after it (after the late 1970s), during the developing phases of ENSO the summer precipitation anomaly in South China changed from below to above normal, whereas that in Northeast China changed from above to below normal; the summer surface air temperature anomaly in North and Northeast China changed from cooling to warming, whereas that in South China changed to cooling; during the decaying phases of ENSO the North China changed from wetter to dryer while the Huai River valley changed from dryer to normal; North China, Yangtze River valley and South China tend to be warmer. Based on the composite analysis of the NCAR/NCEP reanalyze datasets, significant differences existing in ENSO-related atmospheric circulation anomaly in East Asia during pre- and post-shift periods may be responsible for the interdecadal variation of relationships between ENSO and surface air temperature and precipitation in China.