Potential influence of the November–December Southern Hemisphere annular mode on the East Asian winter precipitation: a new mechanism

As the leading mode of the global atmospheric mass inter-annual variability, the Southern Hemisphere annular mode (SAM) may exert potential influences to the Northern Hemisphere (NH) climate, but the related physical mechanism is not yet clear. In this study, it is found that the November–December (ND) SAM exhibits a significant inverse relationship with the winter precipitation over East Asia, particularly southern China. Observational and numerical evidences show that anomalous ND SAM is usually associated with a South Atlantic–Pacific dipole sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) which persists into ensuring winter. The dipole SSTA can modulate the variability of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in Pacific. Subsequently, a distinguished atmospheric tele-connection pattern is induced and prevails over the NH mid-latitude region as a response to the anomalous ITCZ. Large areas of high pressure anomalies are triggered at upper troposphere over East Asia and centered over southern China, which favors less precipitation over East Asia, particularly southern China, and vice versa. Through such a physical mechanism, the notable influence of the ND SAM can sustain through the following season and impact on the NH winter climate.