We examined atmospheric responses to 35,000+ oceanic eddies in the Kuroshio Extension region during the period of 2006–2009. Using satellite data, we showed that cold (warm) eddies cause surface winds to decelerate (accelerate) and reduce (increase) latent and sensible heat fluxes, cloud liquid water, water vapor content, and rain rate; all of these changes are quantified. Both the linear correlation between wind divergence and downwind sea surface temperature (SST) gradient and the correspondence between vorticity and crosswind SST gradient support the vertical momentum mixing mechanism, which indicates that SST perturbations modify surface winds by changing the vertical turbulent mixing in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL). High‐resolution National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) data can reproduce the atmospheric responses to the oceanic eddies in the MABL albeit with some differences in intensity. In addition, the CFSR data reveal that the atmospheric responses to these oceanic eddies are not confined in the MABL. MABL deepens (shoals) over the warm (cold) eddies; enhanced (reduced) vertical transport of transient zonal momentum occurs over the warm (cold) eddies from the sea surface to about 850 hPa level; vertical velocity anomalies over oceanic eddies penetrate beyond the MABL into free atmosphere; there exists a positive correlated relationship between SST and convective rain rate anomalies, indicative of ocean eddies' impact on the free troposphere. However, the composites of cloud liquid water and rain rate are different from the results based on the satellite data.

This paper studies how the anthropogenic‐induced global warming affects the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) by using 26 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) models. The simulated present‐day EAWM is evaluated and future projections under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios are presented in terms of the climatology and interannual variability. All 26 models can well reproduce the spatial pattern of EAWM climatology and 16 out of the 26 models can reasonably capture major features of interannual variability. The projection made by 26‐model ensemble mean indicate that winter surface air temperature averaged over 20°–60°N, 100°–140°E will increase by 3 °C in RCP4.5 and 5.5 °C in RCP8.5 towards the end of the 21st century. The corresponding regional mean precipitation will increase by 12.3% in RCP4.5 and 21.8% in RCP8.5. The strong warming over high‐latitude North Pacific due to melting sea ice in the Bering Sea and Okhotsk Sea leads to significant intensification and a northward shift of the Aleutian Low, resulting in prominent increase in the low‐level northerly along the coastal regions of northeastern Asia. At 500 hPa the characteristic East Asian Trough is projected to weaken slightly and tilt more eastward with latitude. The selected 16‐model ensemble mean projects future enhanced interannual variability of surface air temperature and sea‐level pressure over mid‐latitude North Pacific and high‐latitude East Asia (EA) and reduced variability over eastern China, suggesting that the EAWM will be more variable in the high‐latitude EA and mid‐latitude North Pacific but less variable in East China. Accordingly, the year‐to‐year precipitation variability will be significantly enhanced over high‐latitude EA. Majority of the 26 models project that the leading mode of EAWM interannual variation (the ‘northern mode’) will become more dominant in the warmer climate.

Effects of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the interannual variability in spring aerosols over East Asia are investigated using the Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis aerosol data. Results show that the ENSO has a crucial effect on the spring aerosols over mainland South East Asia, southern China, and the ocean south of Japan. The above-normal (below-normal) aerosols are found over these regions during the ensuing spring of El Niño (La Niña). In contrast to the local aerosol diffusion in winter, the ENSO affects East Asian aerosols in the following spring mainly via the modulation of upstream aerosol generation and transport processes. The underlying physical mechanism is that during the ensuing spring of El Niño (La Niña), the dry (wet) air and reduced (enhanced) precipitation are beneficial for the increase (reduction) in biomass burning activities over northern mainland South East Asia, resulting in more (fewer) carbonaceous aerosol emissions. On the other hand, the anomalous anticyclone (cyclone) over the north-western Pacific (WNP) associated with El Niño (La Niña) enhances (weakens) the low-level south-westerly wind from northern mainland South East Asia to southern Japan, which transports more (less) carbonaceous aerosol downstream. Anomalous precipitation plays a role in reducing aerosols over the source region, but its washout effect over the downstream region is limited. The ENSO's impact on the ensuing spring aerosols is mainly attributed to the eastern Pacific ENSO rather than the central Pacific ENSO.

Land surface warming is amplified over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) compared with the global climate warming hiatus since the end of the 1990s. Based on in situ observations and two reanalysis datasets, the processes involved were investigated by calculating partial temperature changes using the surface energy budget equation. The results indicated that the enhanced downward longwave radiation under clear‐sky condition and the positive surface albedo feedback (SAF) related to the reduced snow cover are responsible for the pronounced surface warming, especially in winter. Meanwhile, the changes in cloud radiative forcing, surface sensible and latent heat fluxes (H + LE), and heat storage (Q) had a much weaker cooling effect. These results indicate that the enhancement of downward clear‐sky longwave radiative fluxes and SAF have played an important role in the accelerated surface warming over the TP during recent decades.