Propagation Diversity of Quasi-Biweekly Oscillation of Summer Precipitation in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

Abstract

Abstract Summer precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLYR) has obvious characteristics of intraseasonal oscillation, but there are different inferences about its propagation. Based on observed precipitation and ERA5 data, the propagation diversity of summer quasi-biweekly precipitation in the MLYR is analyzed. The results show that summer precipitation in the MLYR has obvious quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) characteristics, and precipitation QBWO events can be classified into three categories: southward, northward, and local oscillation events. The frequency of southward events is significantly higher than that of northward or local oscillation events. For southward events, a wave train is observed in the mid–high latitudes and propagates southward in East Asia. The northward and local oscillation events are closely related to the QBWO of the northwest Pacific in low latitudes. The meridional asymmetry of quasi-biweekly divergence and background wind is responsible for the diversity of QBWO propagation. Quasi-biweekly convergence is usually located on the south of the quasi-biweekly cyclone, so the convergence interacts with geostrophic vorticity to guide the quasi-biweekly cyclone to move southward; in the southerly basic flow, north of the quasi-biweekly cyclone is positive relative vorticity advection, which leads the quasi-biweekly cyclone to move northward. Therefore, quasi-biweekly disturbances originating from north of the MLYR, with weak basic wind, mainly move southward under the influence of convergence. However, quasi-biweekly disturbances at low latitudes move northward under the guidance of relative vorticity advection due to the strong basic flow. A disturbance originating from the MLYR presents local oscillation under the coaction of quasi-biweekly relative vorticity advection and divergence.