The Role of the Pacific-Japan Pattern in Extreme Heatwaves Over Korea and Japan

In the Northwestern Pacific, the meridionally propagating Rossby waves, known as the Pacific-Japan (PJ) pattern, is the dominant teleconnection pattern and is considered as a source of heatwaves in East Asia. In this study, the circulation and thermodynamic characteristics of these patterns were investigated based on daily timescale to evaluate their relationship with the likelihood of heatwaves in Korea and Japan. The investigations reveal that stations in Korea and Japan record approximately 90% increase in extremely hot days (T-max > 35 degrees C) during the positive PJ pattern events. According to thermodynamic budget, horizontal heat advection is a key factor for the observed near-surface warming during the positive PJ. The circulation pattern during the positive PJ largely explains the enhanced warm advection and physical heating due to the increased insolation and adiabatic heating are secondary factors for near-surface warming. This phenomenon is robustly observed regardless of the definition.

Automated summary

The study found that during positive PJ pattern events, stations in Korea and Japan recorded approximately a 90% increase in extremely hot days (T-max > 35 degrees C), and horizontal heat advection is a key factor for the observed near-surface warming.