The Synoptic Climatology of Monthly Mean Surface Temperature in Asia in Relation to the 700 hPa Circulation

The synoptic climatology of monthly mean surface air temperature anomaly (MMATA)at 47 surface stations in Asia is assessed by two types of maps. The first consists of simple linear correlation coefficients between the MMATA at a station and the monthly mean 700 hPa height anomaly (MMHA) at 134 grid points in the Northern Hemisphere. In winter, these fields generally contain two equally important centers: a center of maximum positive correlation approximately 1300 km from the reference station and a negative center about 2800 km to its northwest. In summer, the positive center is located an average of 800 km from the reference station and strongly dominates the MMATA, while the negative center is no longer as important as in winter. The second kind of map is a special type of anomaly composite, constructed by multiplying the correlation coefficient at each grid point by the standard deviation of MMHA at the same point. This map shows the optimum distribution of height anomalies for abnormally warm (or cold) weather for winter and summer in each of several climate-Logically similar regions into which Asia is subdivided.