Controls on South Pacific Convergence Zone Precipitation and Its Variability

南太平洋辐合带降水及其变化的控制

• 批准号: 1312865
• 负责人: Benjamin Lintner
• 金额: $ 12.35万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-01 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1312865&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Controls; South; Pacific; Convergence; Zone

This project studies the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), a large region of cloudiness and rainfall south of the equator extending southeastward from the Western Pacific (the warm pool region) past Fiji and American Samoa to about 30S, 140W. The basic dynamics that produce the SPCZ are still poorly understood, and climate models have difficulty in simulating it correctly (the simulated SPCZ is often too zonally oriented and too close to the equator). This project has two objectives: first, to diagnose multiscale SPCZ circulation-moisture-precipitation relationships evident in observations, reanalysis datasets, and simulations of current generation coupled climate models (from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 5). Second, to develop an SPCZ region air mass trajectory climatology using a parcel dispersion model. A fully 3-dimensional, Lagrangian perspective of the pathways of air masses interacting with the SPCZ will be produced and analyzed, motivated by the idea that variations in the flow of dry air into the SPCZ drives precipitation variability in the region.Aside from its scientific merit, the work is expected to produce results of interest to decision makers and stakeholders in the South Pacific, who would benefit from better understanding of rainfall variability given vulnerability to floods and droughts in the region. The Pacific Centre for Environmental and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD) will serve as a venue for interactions between the PI of this project and South Pacific researchers, forecasters, and decision makers. The project also fosters international collaborations, including collaborations with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the participation of a Costa Rican scientist with expertise on Lagrangean trajectory analysis. In addition, the project supports and trains a graduate student, thereby providing for the future work force in this research area.

该项目研究南太平洋辐合带（SPCZ），这是赤道以南的一个大面积云量和降雨区，从西太平洋（暖池区）向东南延伸，经过斐济和美属萨摩亚，到达大约30 S，140 W。 人们对产生SPCZ的基本动力学仍然知之甚少，气候模型很难正确模拟它（模拟的SPCZ往往过于纬向，过于靠近赤道）。 该项目有两个目标：第一，诊断多尺度SPCZ环流-水分-降水关系，这些关系在观测、再分析数据集和当前一代耦合气候模式（来自耦合模式相互比较项目第5版）的模拟中很明显。 第二，发展一个SPCZ区域的气团轨迹气候学使用的包裹扩散模式。一个完整的三维，拉格朗日的角度与SPCZ相互作用的空气质量的路径将产生和分析，动机的想法，在干燥的空气流到SPCZ驱动器在该地区的降水变化。除了其科学价值，这项工作预计将产生感兴趣的决策者和利益相关者在南太平洋的结果，鉴于该区域易受洪水和干旱影响，世卫组织将受益于更好地了解降雨量的变化。 太平洋环境和可持续发展中心将作为该项目的主要参与者与南太平洋研究人员、预报员和决策者之间进行互动的场所。 该项目还促进国际合作，包括与澳大利亚气象局的合作以及一名具有拉格朗日轨迹分析专门知识的哥斯达黎加科学家的参与。 此外，该项目还支持和培训一名研究生，从而为这一研究领域的未来工作人员提供支持。