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The Impacts of East China Sea Kuroshio Front on Winter Heavy Precipitation Events in Southern China
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  • Haokun Bai,
  • Haibo HU,
  • Xuejuan Ren,
  • Xiu-Qun Yang,
  • Yang Zhang,
  • Kefeng Mao,
  • Yihang Zhao
Haokun Bai
Nanjing University
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Haibo HU
Nanjing University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Xuejuan Ren
CMA-NJU Joint Laboratory for Climate Prediction Studies
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Xiu-Qun Yang
Nanjing University
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Yang Zhang
Nanjing University
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Kefeng Mao
National University of Defense Technology
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Yihang Zhao
Nanjing University
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Abstract

The wintertime Kuroshio sea surface temperature (SST) front have the significant climate effects on southern China. The study demonstrates a close relationship between heavy precipitation over Southern China and Kuroshio SST front in winter. More than half winter heavy rainfall events in Southern China are proved to be resulted from strong High-frequency Variability events of the sea surface Wind Coupled with Precipitation (HV-WCP) over Kuroshio SST front. One day before strong HV-WCP events, the initial precipitation appears over Middle-lower Yangtze River due to the significantly enhanced frontal intensity. Then the precipitation generates low level cyclone and southeasterly wind anomalies, after it moving into Kuroshio front area because of the winter monsoon. The significant marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) height gradient over Kuroshio leads to plentiful moisture transporting from MABL into free atmosphere and enhances the local precipitation again. This process further causes the large-scale stratus rainband extending to Southern China and enhancing the heavy rainfall locally. Especially in 2008 winter, several processes of a strong HV-WCP event followed by continuous weak ones are conducive to the low-temperature-precipitation disaster in Southern China