In this study we have built two atmospheric river (AR) databases for mainland China and Australia using Japanese 55-year Reanalysis data with manual detections. By manually checking the magnitude, shape and orientation of vertically integrated vapour transport fields calculated from the reanalysis data and analysing its embedded synoptic patterns and other meteorological information, we detected 625 AR events over mainland China during 1986-2016 and 576 AR events over the Australian continent during 1977-2016. This manuscript documents the mean climatology, spatial distributions, seasonality and interannual variations of ARs occurring in these two regions. We also assessed possible underlying drivers influencing AR activities. Our results showed that: (i) most ARs over mainland China occured in its lower latitudes, including southern, eastern and central China, but ARs also reached its far north and northeast regions. In Australia, most ARs occurred in the states of Western Australia, South Australia and part of New South Wales and Victoria. These regions of high AR frequencies also frequently experienced Northwest Cloud Bands during the cool season; (ii) ARs in China reached their peak during the East Asian summer monsoon season (May-September). This was also the period when AR frequency in the Australian region tended to be higher, but its seasonal variation was weaker than in China; (iii) ARs exhibited large interannual variations in both regions and a declining trend in central and eastern China; (iv) there was a notable influence of tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) on the AR activities in the region, with the ARs in Australia being particularly affected by Indian Ocean SSTs and El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific. ARs in China appear to be affected by ENSO in its decaying phase, with more ARs likely occurring in boreal summer following a peak El Nino during its preceding winter; (v) the Western Pacific Subtropical High plays a dominant role in forming major moisture transport channels for ARs in China, and South China Sea appears to be a key moisture source. In the Australian region, warm and moist air from the eastern part of the tropical Indian Ocean plays a significant role for ARs in the western part of the continent. In addition, moisture transport from the Coral Sea region was an important moisture source for ARs in its east. Results from this study have demonstrated the value of using AR diagnosis to better understand processes governing climate variations in the A-A region.

Results from a collaborative project between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and China Meteorological Administration found that atmospheric rivers (ARs) can occur simultaneously in East Asia and Australia. Furthermore, ARs and the Northwest Cloud Band in the Australia region tend to reach their peaks during austral cool season (May-August). At the same time that the Asian summer monsoon develops and its meridional moisture transport and AR activities intensify. This has prompted us to explore potential connections of ARs in the two regions. In this study, we firstly analysed two ARs and their mechanism that occurred in China and Australia in June 2016, which caused significant rainfall in both countries. We then explored the atmospheric circulation background for such AR connections. From this case study, we show that ARs originating from the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans can become bifurcated through Indo-Pacific inter-basin interactions. The position of the bifurcation appears to depend on the location and intensity of Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH), the subtropical high in the Australian region and the middle-latitude storm track migration in the southern hemisphere. Moreover, by analysing bifurcated AR events from the past two decades, we show that they are more likely to occur during boreal summer months. Most of the bifurcations occurred in the boreal summer following the decaying phase of an El Niño in its preceding winter, due to a delayed El Niño Southern Oscillation influence on the WPSH and a subtropical high in the Australian region. Our research further demonstrates the value of applying AR analysis in improving our understanding of the weather and climate in the Australia-Asian monsoon region.

Background The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. Our study aimed to estimate the changing trends in the prevalence and incidence of diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among Xiamen residents and the floating population using real-world data. Method We used real-world data from the System of Xiamen Citizens Health Information from 2014 to 2019 to estimate the changing trends in the prevalence and incidence of diagnosed T2DM. The System included the diagnosis of diabetes and the prescription of hypoglycemic drugs. Prevalent cases of T2DM were individuals who were diagnosed with T2DM and/or using hypoglycemic drugs. Incident cases were individuals with diagnosed T2DM and/or using hypoglycemic drugs in 2014 or 2019 who had not been diagnosed and/or did not use hypoglycemic drugs in the past. Results In 2014 and 2019, the prevalence of T2DM in Xiamen was 4.04 and 4.84%, respectively. In 2014 and 2019, the incidence rate of T2DM in Xiamen was 14.1 per 1000 person-year and 15.0 per 1000 person-year, respectively. There was a significant increase in both the prevalence (Prevalence difference: 0.80, 95%CI 0.76–0.83%, P < 0.001) and the incidence of T2DM (Incidence difference: 0.9, 95%CI 0.7–1.1, P < 0.001). in Xiamen. The prevalence and incidence of T2DM in people aged 18–39 increased significantly (P < 0.001), while the prevalence and incidence of T2DM in people aged 40–69 reduced significantly (P < 0.001). Conclusions There was a significant increase in the prevalence and incidence of T2DM in Xiamen from 2014 to 2019 especially among those with younger age.

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