Simulation of the East Asian Subtropical Westerly Jet Stream with GFDL AGCM (AM2.1)

The present study validated the capability of the AM2.1, a model developed at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), in reproducing the fundamental features of the East Asian Subtropical Westerly Jet Stream (EASWJ). The main behaviors of the EASWJ are also investigated through the reanalysis of observational NCEP/NCAR data. The mean state of the EASWJ, including its intensity, location, structure, and seasonal evolution is generally well-portrayed in the model. Compared with the observation, the model tends to reproduce a weaker jet center. And, during summer, the simulated jet center is northward-situated. Results also demonstrate the model captures the variability of EASWJ during summer well. The results of the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) applied on the zonal wind at 200 hPa (U200) over East Asia for both the observation and simulation indicate an inter-decadal shift around the late 1970s. The correlation coefficient between the corresponding principle components is as great as 0.42 with significance at the 99% confidence level.