The Climate Characteristics of the Northeast China Cold Vortex against the Background of Global Warming

In this study, by using the ERA5 data of the atmospheric circulation field that was re-analyzed by the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), we revealed the features of the Northeast China Cold Vortex (NCCV) from 1950 to 2020 (including active days, occurrence time of NCCV processes, and process durations). This study focused on a comparative analysis of the differences in the NCCV’s climate characteristics in the cold and warm periods to help future predictions. The results revealed the following: From 1950 to 2020, the NCCV occurred 2961 times on 9782 days. The average annual occurrence time of NCCV processes, annual average of cold vortex days, and average process duration of the NCCVs were 41.7 times, 137.8 days, and 3.6 days, respectively. These indicators of the NCCVs showed an increasing trend, but the trend was not significant. The NCCVs occurred most frequently in May, followed by June, and were located at the southernmost point in June. Therefore, it had the most active days and a relatively long process duration in May and June, significantly impacting Northeast China. During the cold period (1950–1980), the annual occurrence time of NCCV processes, number of cold vortex days, and the process duration of the NCCVs all showed an increasing trend, while in the warm period, these showed a decreasing trend. In addition, the durations of the NCCVs decreased significantly in the warm period, which indicated that the NCCV processes continued to weaken after climate warming. During the warm period (1981–2020), the frequency and active days of the NCCVs throughout the year and most months increased, and its general location was more southerly than in the cold period. Moreover, the annual average occurrence time of NCCV processes, number of active days, and average duration of the NCCV in the warm period were more than those in the cold period. Finally, the NCCVs continued for longer in autumn and winter than in spring and summer, and the durations of the NCCVs increased in warm periods.