Transient behavior of the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone associated
with eastward eddy shedding
Abstract
The Asian monsoon anticyclone (AMA) exhibits a trimodal distribution of
sub-vortices and the western Pacific is one of the preferred locations.
Amplification of the western Pacific anticyclone (WPA) is often linked
with eastward eddy shedding from the AMA, although the processes are not
well understood. This study investigates the dynamics driving eastward
eddy shedding associated with the emergence of the WPA in the upper
troposphere and lower stratosphere on synoptic scales. Using reanalysis
data during 1979 to 2019, our composite analysis reveals that amplified
WPA events are closely related to the upstream Silk Road (SR) wave-train
pattern over mid-latitude Eurasia as identified in previous studies. The
quasi-stationary eastward propagating eddies result from baroclinic
excitation along the westerly jet, as identified by coherent eddy heat
fluxes and relaxation of the low-level temperature gradient. The
upper-level westerly jet is important in determining the longitudinal
phase-locking of wave trains, which are anchored and amplify near the
jet exit. Occasionally enhanced convection near the Philippines also
triggers anticyclonic eddies that propagate upward and northeastward via
the Pacific-Japan (PJ) pattern, forming the WPA in the upper
troposphere. Correlation analysis suggests that the SR and PJ mechanisms
are not physically correlated.