scholarly journals Future intensification of extreme Aleutian low events and their climate impacts

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Giamalaki ◽  
C. Beaulieu ◽  
S. A. Henson ◽  
A. P. Martin ◽  
H. Kassem ◽  
...  

AbstractExtreme Aleutian Low (AL) events have been associated with major ecosystem reorganisations and unusual weather patterns in the Pacific region, with serious socio-economic consequences. Yet, their future evolution and impacts on atmosphere–ocean interactions remain uncertain. Here, a large ensemble of historical and future runs from the Community Earth System Model is used to investigate the evolution of AL extremes. The frequency and persistence of AL extremes are quantified and their connection with climatic variables is examined. AL extremes become more frequent and persistent under the RCP8.5 scenario, associated with changes in precipitation and air temperature patterns over North America. Future changes in AL extremes also increase the variability of the sea surface temperature and net heat fluxes in the Kuroshio Extension, the most significant heat and energy flux region of the basin. The increased frequency and persistence of future AL extremes may potentially cause substantial changes in fisheries and ecosystems of the entire Pacific region as a knock-on effect.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (513) ◽  
pp. 29-35
Author(s):  
M. I. Chepeliuk ◽  

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a challenge for the global community and has led to a sharp downturn in the economies of many countries around the world. In January 2020, the IMF said that the world is heading towards a new Great Depression, as there is a trend similar to the situation of the 1920s. Hence, according to forecasts, the rate of economic growth in East Asia and the Pacific region by the end of 2020 will decrease to 0.5% and will reach the lowest level since 1967, being a reflection of the shocks associated with the pandemic. In China, extremely restrictive measures have led to an almost complete halt in business activity in some sectors and regions. China’s economic growth is expected to slow to 1% in 2020. Economic activity in the rest of East Asia and the Pacific region is projected to decline by 1.2% in 2020 and will recover to 5.4% in 2021. The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have had a detrimental impact on the countries of Europe and Central Asia, with the overall recession to 4.7% as forecasted for 2020. In the Middle East and North Africa, a 4.2% decline in economic activity is forecasted, because of the development of the pandemic and the collapsed oil market. In South Asia, as a result of measures to mitigate the effects of pandemics and collapse of global demand, have sharply fallen the volumes of industry, services and trade activities. The effects of the pandemic and the drastic fall in global commodity prices was a crushing blow for Latin American and Caribbean countries. A sharp slowdown in the economies of U.S. and China has disrupted supply chains to Mexico and Brazil and caused a stark drop in exports from Chile and Peru. The downturn in tourism has also had negative consequences. Such statistics confirm the opinion of many leading scholars in the world that the result of the COVID-19 pandemic will be a decrease in the level of hyperglobization of the world economy. In addition, a move away from U.S.-oriented globalization and a shift toward China-oriented globalization will also be likely.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
You-Lin Wang ◽  
Chau-Ron Wu

The Pacific climate regime has anomalous warm and cool periods every decade associated with atmospheric circulation changes, which are known to have modulated the tropical and subtropical Pacific during the recent Pacific hiatus regime (1999–2013). However, the influence of the hiatus regime on the Kuroshio Extension (KE) remains unclear. Here, we show that the KE jet underwent enhanced warming (increased 1–1.5 °C), intensification (8–19%) and northward migration (0.5–1°). The KE jet became more perturbed in the upstream region (increased by 70%, west of 146°E) but became stable downstream (perturbation decreased 5–11%, east of 146°E). A poleward shift of the mid-latitude jet stream and weakened Aleutian Low (AL) contributed to the northward migration and intensification of the KE jet, respectively. The weakened AL was associated with negative wind stress curl (WSC) in the eastern Pacific, and this WSC generated an underlying positive sea surface height anomaly that propagated westward, intensifying the KE jet when it reached the KE region. Since the recent Pacific hiatus regime ended after 2013, these changes of the KE jet may reverse during the ongoing warming regime.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pfister ◽  
R. Brázdil

Abstract. The paper is oriented on social vulnerability to climate in Switzerland and in the Czech Lands during the early 1770s. Documentary sources of climate related to man-made archives are discussed. Methods of temperature and precipitation reconstruction based on this evidence as well as climate impact analyses are presented. Modelling of Little Ice Age-type Impacts (LIATIMP) is applied to highlight climate impacts during the period 1750–1800 in the Swiss Plateau and in the Czech Lands. LIATIMP are defined as adverse climate situations affecting grain production, mainly in terms of rainy autumns, cold springs and rainy harvest-periods. The most adverse weather patterns according to this model occurred from 1769 to 1771 causing two, in the case of the Czech Lands even three successive harvest failures. The paper addresses the social and economic consequences of this accumulation of climatic stress and explores how the authorities and the victims dealt with this situation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pfister ◽  
R. Brázdil

Abstract. The paper is oriented on social vulnerability to climate in Switzerland and in the Czech Lands during the early 1770s. Documentary sources of climate related to man-made archives are discussed. Methods of temperature and precipitation reconstruction based on this evidence as well as climate impact analyses are presented. Modelling of Little Ice Age-type Impacts (LIATIMP) is applied to highlight climate impacts during the period 1750–1800 in the Swiss Plateau and in the Czech Lands. LIATIMP are defined as adverse climate situations affecting agricultural production, mainly in terms of rainy autumns, cold springs and rainy harvest-periods. The most adverse weather patterns according to this model occurred from 1769 to 1771 causing two, in the case of the Czech Lands even three successive harvest failures. The paper addresses the social and economic consequences of this accumulation of climatic stress and explores how the authorities and the victims dealt with this situation.


Author(s):  
Haiyuan Yang ◽  
Lixin Wu ◽  
Ping Chang ◽  
Bo Qiu ◽  
Zhao Jing ◽  
...  

AbstractUsing eddy-resolving Community Earth System Model (CESM) simulations, this study investigates mesoscale energetics and air-sea interaction at two different time-scale windows in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region. Based on an energy budget analysis, it is found that both baroclinic and barotropic pathways contribute to eddy energy generation within the low-frequency window (longer than 3 weeks) in this region, while both air-sea heat fluxes and wind stresses act as prominent eddy killers that remove energy from ocean. In contrast, within the high-frequency window oceanic variability is mainly fed by baroclinic instability and regulated by turbulent thermal wind (TTW) processes, while the positive wind work is derived primarily from ageostrophic flow, i.e., Ekman drift, and along with air-sea heat fluxes has little influence on geostrophic mesoscale eddies.


Author(s):  
Nguyen Le Thy Thuong ◽  
Nguyen Thi Oanh

The Indo-Pacific region is an area adjacent to some oceans and the gateway that connects the great power and small countries to the world; this region is always considered by Vietnam as a key strategic geographic area, having direct impacts on national security, position and its role in this region. While big powers have different perceptions to the Indo-Pacific region, as a country occupying an important geographic position in the Pacific region, Vietnam shares a common vision of an open and rule-based area, and a common interest in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity as well as building a common space for coexistence and development with the belief that the Indo-Asian-Pacific is large enough for every nation to grow and prosper. This article finds out that recent changes in the Indo-Pacific region in geopolitics, economics, security and national defence have made many countries, including Vietnam, to redefine their global and regional policies to refresh their strategic perceptions. Vietnam has its own perception, position, approach and national orientations, which is shaping its state behaviour and perspectives in this geopolitical vibrant Indo-Pacific region. Besides, this article uses the SWOT analysis model to determine the challenges, strengths and weaknesses of Vietnam in the Indo-Pacific region. Moreover, while the future of the Indo-Pacific in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world remains filled with uncertainty and economic challenges, the crisis also presents an opportunity for Vietnam to re-evaluate its position. Today, Vietnam always maintains its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification of international relations, which attaches great importance to enhancing multi-faceted cooperation with countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Thus, with its own perception and geostrategic advantage, Vietnam—a developing country in the region and in the world with relatively stable economic growth, pursuing rules and order will be a positive factor for a stable, peaceful and prosperous development in the region.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amio Matenga-Ikihele ◽  
Judith McCool ◽  
Rosie Dobson ◽  
Fuafiva Fa’alau ◽  
Robyn Whittaker

Abstract Background Pacific people living in New Zealand, Australia, United States, and the Pacific region continue to experience a disproportionately high burden of long-term conditions, making culturally contextualised behaviour change interventions a priority. The primary aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of behaviour change interventions designed to improve health and effect health behaviour change among Pacific people. Methods Electronic searches were carried out on OVID Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase and SCOPUS databases (initial search January 2019 and updated in January 2020) for studies describing an intervention designed to change health behaviour(s) among Pacific people. Titles and abstracts of 5699 papers were screened; 201 papers were then independently assessed. A review of full text was carried out by three of the authors resulting in 208 being included in the final review. Twenty-seven studies were included, published in six countries between 1996 and 2020. Results Important characteristics in the interventions included meaningful partnerships with Pacific communities using community-based participatory research and ensuring interventions were culturally anchored and centred on collectivism using family or social support. Most interventions used social cognitive theory, followed by popular behaviour change techniques instruction on how to perform a behaviour and social support (unspecified). Negotiating the spaces between Eurocentric behaviour change constructs and Pacific worldviews was simplified using Pacific facilitators and talanoa. This relational approach provided an essential link between academia and Pacific communities. Conclusions This systematic search and narrative synthesis provides new and important insights into potential elements and components when designing behaviour change interventions for Pacific people. The paucity of literature available outside of the United States highlights further research is required to reflect Pacific communities living in New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific region. Future research needs to invest in building research capacity within Pacific communities, centering self-determining research agendas and findings to be led and owned by Pacific communities.


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