NON-LINEAR CRITICAL LAYER IN EL NINO AND LA NINA YEARS AND FORMATION, MAINTENTENANCE AND OSCILLATION OF THE SUBTROPICAL HIGH

Monthly mean zonal wind data from the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasting(ECMWF)for December 1982, April 1983, October 1984 and ApriI 1985 are used in numerical integration as thebasic flow in a non-linear critical-layer model. The subtropical high is extensive and limited in number if simulated with the basic now in December 1982 and April 1983. It consists of 2 to 3 cells that move westward at alloscillatory periods of 1～2 months. The subtropical high, simulated with the basic flow in October 1984 and April1 985. is weak and small in coverage, or distributed in strips that contain up to 4 cells. The high. merged or spillover a short time. is moving westward. The years 1982 ～1983 are a process of EI Niño while the years 1984-1985one of La Niña. lt is known from the chart of energy flux that it oscillates by a much larger amplitude and longerperiod in the EI Niño year than in the La Niña year. All the results above have indicated that the basic flow in the EI Niño year is enhancing the subtropical high lagging by about 4 months and that in the La Niña year is decay'ing it. It is consiStent with the well-known observational fact that the SSTA in the equatorial eastern Pacitlc ispositively correlated with the extent and intensity of the subtropical high in west Pacific lagging by 1～2 seasons.The result is also important for further study of the formation, maintenance and oscillation of the subtropicalhigh.