Atmospheric Circulation Associated with Anomalous Variations in North Pacific Wintertime Blocking
Open Access
- 1 May 2004
- journal article
- Published by American Meteorological Society in Monthly Weather Review
- Vol. 132 (5) , 1049-1064
Abstract
Atmospheric circulation associated with anomalous variation of North Pacific blocking during the northern winter (December to February) is described and examined using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) reanalysis data from 1948/49 to 1999/2000. The divergent wind and pressure vertical velocity are employed for the identification of atmospheric circulation cells. There are several atmospheric cells over the North Pacific associated with an anomalous blocking situation during winter. They are the zonal Walker cell along the equator (ZWC), the regional Hadley cell in the western Pacific (WHC), the regional Hadley cell in the eastern Pacific (EHC), the regional Ferrel cell over the eastern Pacific in the midlatitudes (EFC), and the midlatitude zonal cell (MZC) over the Pacific. During a strong blocking winter (SBW), the ZWC is strengthened and the anomalous EHC is opposite to the anomalous WHC and the thermally driven Hadley cell. T... Abstract Atmospheric circulation associated with anomalous variation of North Pacific blocking during the northern winter (December to February) is described and examined using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) reanalysis data from 1948/49 to 1999/2000. The divergent wind and pressure vertical velocity are employed for the identification of atmospheric circulation cells. There are several atmospheric cells over the North Pacific associated with an anomalous blocking situation during winter. They are the zonal Walker cell along the equator (ZWC), the regional Hadley cell in the western Pacific (WHC), the regional Hadley cell in the eastern Pacific (EHC), the regional Ferrel cell over the eastern Pacific in the midlatitudes (EFC), and the midlatitude zonal cell (MZC) over the Pacific. During a strong blocking winter (SBW), the ZWC is strengthened and the anomalous EHC is opposite to the anomalous WHC and the thermally driven Hadley cell. T...Keywords
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