Open AccessRecent increase in heat wave frequency around Mongolia: role of atmospheric forcing and possible influence of soil moisture deficit
Author(s) -
Erdenebat Enkhbat,
Sato Tomonori
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
atmospheric science letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 45
ISSN - 1530-261X
DOI - 10.1002/asl.616
Subject(s) - forcing (mathematics) , heat wave , environmental science , climatology , ridge , atmospheric sciences , moisture , intensity (physics) , inner mongolia , water content , troposphere , meteorology , geology , climate change , geography , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , china , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics
A 30‐year meteorological station and reanalysis datasets revealed that the frequency and intensity of hot extremes have increased dramatically around Mongolia since the late 1990s. Many recent heat waves ( HWs ) were triggered by atmospheric forcing with a mid‐tropospheric ridge pattern which appears frequently around Mongolia in 2000s. An observational data analysis for each HW event indicates that the rate of temperature increase at the beginning stage of HW is sensitive to the soil moisture condition. Therefore, it is suggested that the recent drier soil conditions played a role in enhancing the frequency and intensity of HWs and localization around Mongolia.