Angular Momentum Transportation by Zonal Circulation Helps Meridional Displacements of East Asian Westerly Jet

Abstract

The meridional displacements of the East Asian westerly jet (EAJ) exhibit remarkable interannual variability characteristics, significantly modulating the weather and climate over East Asia. Our study aims to refine the thermal-driven (angular momentum transport) and dynamically driven (atmospheric eddy activities) processes that dominate the interannual meridional motion of the wintertime EAJ. We employ the recently proposed three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation (3P-DGAC) theory to decompose the zonal momentum equation for the purpose of diagnosing the zonal momentum budget of the EAJ from three-dimensional (3D) horizontal, meridional and zonal circulation perspectives. Results indicate that, in addition to the widely recognised driving mechanisms of angular momentum transported by thermal direct meridional Hadley circulation and horizontal eddy momentum flux convergence, the previously neglected role of local zonal circulation in transporting angular momentum significantly impacts the meridional shift of EAJ. The uneven accumulation of angular momentum transported by asymmetric zonal circulations emerges on the northern and southern sides of EAJ axis, causing an abnormal meridional displacement of EAJ. Notably, the local zonal circulation rising from the Tibetan Plateau and descending across the North Pacific Ocean transported angular momentum to the core and downstream regions of EAJ, thereby significantly accelerating zonal winds and pushing the EAJ northward. Further investigation into the potential mechanisms suggests that anomalous snow depth on the southern Tibetan Plateau is the main factor causing abnormal local zonal circulation. Our study addresses the deficiency in traditional two-dimensional (2D) circulation decomposition methods that neglect the significant role of zonal circulation in the thermal-driven process of EAJ, complements the understanding of 3D angular momentum transport mechanisms and reveals potential nonlinear synergies of 3D circulations related to the interannual meridional displacement of EAJ.