Coupling of the Quasi-Biweekly Oscillation of the Tibetan Plateau Summer
Monsoon With the Arctic Oscillation
Abstract
The intraseasonal variation of the Tibetan Plateau summer monsoon (TPSM)
during 1979–2011 is investigated. The TPSM shows a dominant
quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) in most summer seasons, and its
active/break phases are closely related to more/less precipitation over
the Tibetan Plateau. We suggest that the TPSM QBWO is associated with a
southeastward propagating nonstationary wave train in the middle and
upper troposphere. It shows equivalent barotropic vertical structures
over the midlatitudes and a baroclinic structure over the eastern
Tibetan Plateau. Wave activity flux analysis indicates that it
originates from northern Europe, which is an active center of the
summertime Arctic Oscillation (AO). The AO also shows significant QBWO
signals and leads TPSM QBWO by about 13 days. Phase composite and wave
activity flux analyses of AO QBWO confirmed that the wave train
influences TPSM QBWO, suggesting that AO plays an important role in the
TPSM on a 10- to 20-day timescale.