Frequency Associations between East Asian Jet Streams and the Temperature over the Barents–Kara Sea Region/Arctic Oscillation in Winter

Abstract

The frequency associations between jet streams over East Asia and the Arctic key temperature at 2 m (AKT2m) in the Barents–Kara Sea region (40°–75° E, 66°–82° N) and the Arctic Oscillation in winter are investigated using continuous wavelet transform, cross-wavelet transform, and wavelet coherence. The cross-wavelet transforms between the AKT2m/Arctic Oscillation and the East Asian polar front jet stream (EAPJ) suggest that the EAPJ is closely related to the AKT2m and Arctic Oscillation on an interannual (3–5-year band) timescale, but the variation in the phase angle denotes a complex frequency connection between the EAPJ and Arctic Oscillation. The squared wavelet coherence suggests that weakening of the EAPJ is associated with the rise in AKT2m during the period of abrupt climate change in East Asia. The EAPJ contains more forced components from the Arctic than the East Asian subtropical jet stream. By comparison, the relationship between AKT2m and the EAPJ is closer than that between the Arctic Oscillation and EAPJ, especially during the period of abrupt climate change in East Asia. This suggests that the EAPJ serves as a bridge for Arctic warming to affect the weather and climate over East Asia in winter. By contrast, the Arctic Oscillation does not play an important part, although it also contains information about the Arctic.

Keywords

• frequency association
• Arctic key temperature (AKT2m)
• Arctic Oscillation
• East Asian polar front jet stream (EAPJ)
• Winter