Robust Solar Signature in Late Winter Precipitation Over Southern China

Abstract

The 11-year solar cycle (SC) has been widely recognized as a potential source of regional climate variability in the Northern Hemisphere winter. However, whether an SC signal exists in the southern China winter precipitation remains unclear. By analyzing land surface precipitation and sunspot number data from 1901 to 2010 in this study, evidence of a robust positive precipitation response that is synchronous with the SC in late winter (January–March) over southern China is provided, and the most statistically significant signals (p ' 0.01) are detected over the middle Yangtze River basin. In early winter (October–December), there are only nonsignificant negative responses. The late winter SC-precipitation relationship persists over time and appears to largely result from a solar-associated Rossby wave train originating from the North Atlantic/European region. Our results indicate an enhanced predictability of late winter precipitation over southern China.