Graphical Abstract

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Naoi, M., Y. Kamae, H. Ueda, and W. Mei, 2020: Impacts of seasonal transitions of ENSO on atmospheric river activity over East Asia. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 98, 655-668.
https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2020-027
Graphical Abstract

Plain Language Summary: Atmospheric Rivers (ARs), narrow water vapor transport bands over the mid-latitude, often cause natural disaster when they make landfall. Occurrence frequency of ARs is perturbated over East Asia in association with seasonal transitions of the El Niño Southern Oscillation. A rapid transition from preceding-winter El Niño to summertime La Niña results in more AR occurrence through enhancement and northward expansion of the anticyclone over the western North Pacific.

Highlights:

• The relationship between the seasonal transitions of ENSO and the summertime AR activity over East Asia are examined using an atmospheric reanalysis and high-resolution model ensemble simulations.
• A rapid transition from preceding-winter El Niño to summertime La Niña results in more AR occurrence over northern East Asia.
• The anomalies of AR activity and atmospheric circulation are consistent with a steady response of the atmosphere to the anomalous condensation heating over the Maritime Continent and equatorial Pacific associated with the ENSO transition.