The Synergistic Effects of the <scp>SRP</scp> and <scp>EAP</scp> on Summer Precipitation in the Tarim Basin of Northwest China: A Case Study in August 2016

ABSTRACT Based on the monthly rainfall data at 28 meteorological stations located in the Tarim Basin of Northwest China extracted by the China Meteorological Data Network and JRA‐55 reanalysis atmospheric circulation data released by the Japan Meteorological Agency from 1961 to 2022, the synergetic effects of the Silk Road Pattern (SRP) and East Asian–Pacific (EAP) teleconnection on August precipitation in the Tarim Basin have been investigated, especially in 2016. The Tarim Basin has received the maximum precipitation in August 2016 over the past 60 years, which was contributed by the increase in precipitation days and precipitation intensity. Both SRP and EAP can affect the precipitation in August in the Tarim Basin independently, but there is a better relationship between the synergetic SRP‐EAP index and precipitation, with a correlation coefficient of 0.49 over the 95% confidence level. The positive SRP‐EAP index is associated with the southward movement of the subtropical westerly jet over Central Asia, southerly prevailing over the Tarim Basin, and strengthened water vapour transport from the Arabian Sea and East Asian monsoon region, which are favourable to generating more precipitation in August in the Tarim Basin. During August 2016, the precipitation in the Tarim Basin experienced three obviously distinct processes corresponding to the positive phases of the daily SRP index and negative phases of the daily EAP index, which furthermore indicate that the synergetic variations of the SRP and EAP play very important roles in modulating the maximum precipitation.