Robust Response of the East Asian Monsoon Rainband to Solar Variability

• Published in: Journal of climate Vol. 27; no. 8; pp. 3043 - 3051
• Main Authors: Zhao, Liang, Wang, Jing-Song
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA American Meteorological Society 15.04.2014
• Subjects: Annual variations; Climate cycles; Correlation; Correlation coefficients; Correlations; Datasets; Earth, ocean, space; East Asian monsoon; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Interannual variations; Meteorology; Monsoon rainfall; Monsoons; Precipitation; Rainbands; Rainy seasons; Robustness; Seasons; Solar activity; Solar activity cycles; Solar cycle; Solar variability; Statistical analysis; Sunspot numbers; Sunspots; Variability; Water in the atmosphere (humidity, clouds, evaporation, precipitation); Wind; East Asia; United States > US; China; Japan; China, People's Rep; 1970-1980; time series analysis; atmospheric precipitation; East Asia; 1960-1970; Rainband; Summer monsoon; Wolf number; 1990-2000; 2000-2010; solar activity; solar cycles; 11 year-Cycle; Forcing; Rainy season; 1980-1990
• ISSN: 0894-8755; 1520-0442
• DOI: 10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00482.1

This study provides evidence of the robust response of the East Asian monsoon rainband to the 11-yr solar cycle and first identify the exact time period within the summer half-year (1958–2012) with the strongest correlation between the mean latitude of the rainband (MLRB) over China and the sunspot number (SSN). This period just corresponds to the climatological-mean East Asian mei-yu season, characterized by a large-scale quasi-zonal monsoon rainband (i.e., 22 May–13 July). Both the statistically significant correlation and the temporal coincidence indicate a robust response of the mei-yu rainband to solar variability during the last five solar cycles. During the high SSN years, the mei-yu MLRB lies 1.2° farther north, and the amplitude of its interannual variations increases when compared with low SSN years. The robust response of monsoon rainband to solar forcing is related to an anomalous general atmospheric pattern with an up–down seesaw and a north–south seesaw over East Asia.