Jingyong Zhang & Wenjie Dong

Abstract：

Soil moisture influence on surface air tempera-ture in summer is statistically quantified across East Asia using the Global Land Data Assimilation System soil moisture and observational temperature. The analysis uses a soil moisture feedback parameter computed based on lagged covariance ratios. It is found that significant negative soil moisture feedbacks on temperature mainly appear over the transition zones between dry and wet climates of northern China and Mongolia. Over these areas, the feedbacks account for typically 5–20% of the total temperature variance, with the feedback parameter of −0.2°C to −0.5°C (standardized soil moisture)−1. Meanwhile, positive feedbacks may exist over some areas of Northeast Asia but are much less significant. These findings emphasize the importance of soil moisture-temperature feedbacks in influencing summer climate variability and have implications for seasonal temperature forecasting.

 

J. Zhang; W. Dong

State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource

Ecology, Beijing Normal University,

Beijing 100875, China

 

J. Zhang; W. Dong

Institute of Atmospheric Physics,

Chinese Academy of Sciences,

Beijing 100029, China

 

J. Zhang (*)

Atmospheric Sciences Research Center,

State University of New York at Albany,

251 Fuller Road,

Albany, NY 12203, USA

e-mail: zjy@climate.cestm.albany.edu