Vertical tilt structure of East Asian trough and its interannual variation mechanism in boreal winter

Vertical tilt structure of the East Asian trough (EAT) and its interannual variation mechanism in boreal winter are studied using NCEP/NCAR, ERA40, and NCEP/DOE reanalyses. A vertical tilt index (VTI) is defined as the mean slope of vertical trough line on the longitude-height cross section to describe the tilting extent of the EAT, with high index indicating a more west-tilted trough and vice versa. The VTI series derived from the three reanalysis datasets are highly correlated with each other during the corresponding periods. A significant positive correlation is found between the VTI and the zonal range of the vertical trough line. Based on the close relation, a possible physical mechanism is proposed to explain the interannual variation of VTI. It demonstrates that positive (negative) temperature anomalies within the mean zonal range of the EAT result in expansion (contraction) of the zonal range and lead to high (low) VTI years. The composite analyses based on the three reanalysis datasets well support the proposed mechanism. Furthermore, the general relationship between the VTI and the zonal temperature gradient is discussed based on the proposed mechanism. It is revealed that the asymmetric change of temperature gradient on the western and eastern sides of the EAT plays an important role in the variation of VTI, which suggests that the tilting extent of the EAT is strongly affected by the two-order zonal change of temperature instead of the zonal temperature gradient (i.e., one-order change). Climate variability not only in the simultaneous winter but also in the following spring and summer over East Asia is closely related to the variation of the VTI. This study on the vertical tilting of the EAT may enrich knowledge of the East Asian winter monsoon and the climate variability over East Asia and may be helpful in improving the regional climate prediction in East Asia.