An Interdecadal Change of the Boreal Summer Silk Road Pattern around the Late 1990s

Abstract

The Silk Road pattern (SRP) is a well-known teleconnection pattern along the upper-level westerly jet over the Eurasian continent during boreal summer. The SRP has experienced an interdecadal change around the late 1970s. The present study identified a new change of the SRP around the late 1990s, which is characterized by significant weakening and zonal phase shift of the major centers of the SRP during the recent decades. The recent reshaping of the SRP is attributed to an enhanced impact of precipitation anomalies over the northeastern Indian summer monsoon (ISM), which is associated with the leading mode change of the ISM precipitation anomalies around the late 1990s. The interdecadal weakening of the upper-level westerly jet over central and East Asia also favors the southward movement of the SRP during recent periods. The differences of the features, climate impact, and causes related to the recent SRP change from those related to the SRP change around the late 1970s are also contrasted in this study.