Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution

Abstract Skillful seasonal climate prediction is critical for food and water security over the world’s heavily populated regions, such as in continental East Asia. Current models, however, face significant difficulties in predicting the summer mean rainfall anomaly over continental East Asia, and fo...

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Main Authors: Jieru Ma, Hong-Li Ren, Ming Cai, Yi Deng, Chenguang Zhou, Jian Li, Huizheng Che, Lin Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55271-1
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author Jieru Ma
Hong-Li Ren
Ming Cai
Yi Deng
Chenguang Zhou
Jian Li
Huizheng Che
Lin Wang
author_facet Jieru Ma
Hong-Li Ren
Ming Cai
Yi Deng
Chenguang Zhou
Jian Li
Huizheng Che
Lin Wang
author_sort Jieru Ma
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Skillful seasonal climate prediction is critical for food and water security over the world’s heavily populated regions, such as in continental East Asia. Current models, however, face significant difficulties in predicting the summer mean rainfall anomaly over continental East Asia, and forecasting rainfall spatiotemporal evolution presents an even greater challenge. Here, we benefit from integrating the spatiotemporal evolution of rainfall to identify the most crucial patterns intrinsic to continental East-Asian rainfall anomalies. A physical-statistical prediction model is developed to capture the predictability offered by these patterns through a detection of precursor signals that describe slowly varying lower boundary conditions. The presented model demonstrates a prediction skill of 0.51, at least twice as high as that of the best dynamical models available (0.26), indicating improved prediction for both the spatiotemporal evolution and summer mean of rainfall anomalies. This advance marks a crucial step toward delivering skillful seasonal predictions to populations in need of new tools for managing risks of both near-term climate disasters, such as floods and droughts, and long-term climate change.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2041-1723
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Nature Communications
spelling doaj-art-5530220ce4854d439f59685d15ca2df52025-01-05T12:39:14ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111010.1038/s41467-024-55271-1Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolutionJieru Ma0Hong-Li Ren1Ming Cai2Yi Deng3Chenguang Zhou4Jian Li5Huizheng Che6Lin Wang7State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather and Institute of Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather and Institute of Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesDepartment of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State UniversitySchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather and Institute of Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather and Institute of Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesKey Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry of China Meteorological Administration, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesInstitute of Artificial Intelligence for Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesAbstract Skillful seasonal climate prediction is critical for food and water security over the world’s heavily populated regions, such as in continental East Asia. Current models, however, face significant difficulties in predicting the summer mean rainfall anomaly over continental East Asia, and forecasting rainfall spatiotemporal evolution presents an even greater challenge. Here, we benefit from integrating the spatiotemporal evolution of rainfall to identify the most crucial patterns intrinsic to continental East-Asian rainfall anomalies. A physical-statistical prediction model is developed to capture the predictability offered by these patterns through a detection of precursor signals that describe slowly varying lower boundary conditions. The presented model demonstrates a prediction skill of 0.51, at least twice as high as that of the best dynamical models available (0.26), indicating improved prediction for both the spatiotemporal evolution and summer mean of rainfall anomalies. This advance marks a crucial step toward delivering skillful seasonal predictions to populations in need of new tools for managing risks of both near-term climate disasters, such as floods and droughts, and long-term climate change.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55271-1
spellingShingle Jieru Ma
Hong-Li Ren
Ming Cai
Yi Deng
Chenguang Zhou
Jian Li
Huizheng Che
Lin Wang
Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution
Nature Communications
title Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution
title_full Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution
title_fullStr Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution
title_full_unstemmed Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution
title_short Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution
title_sort skillful seasonal predictions of continental east asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio temporal evolution
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55271-1
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