Variations in Strong and Light Winds Significantly Influence the Decadal Transition of Winter Mean Near‐Surface Wind Speed Across China

Abstract The phenomenon of wind stilling which means continuous weakening and its reversal reflects decadal variations in near‐surface wind speed (NSWS); however, the causes across China remain poorly understood. This study found that the decadal transition of winter mean NSWS across China around 1991 could be induced by the alterations in strong and light winds, which accounted for approximately 76% of decadal variations in mean NSWS. Meanwhile, the variance contributions of frequencies and intensities for strong and light winds to the mean NSWS were also considerable, which exceeded 70%. We found that the decadal variations in strong and light winds were linked to variations in weather types. Under a specific weather type, surface air temperature anomalies in East Asia displayed a warm Arctic and cold Eurasia pattern, and sea level pressure increased at Eurasia's high latitudes and declined across regions south of 30°N. Additionally, an upward propagation of planetary waves sustained a deep anticyclone over the Arctic region, motivated a robust Rossby wave train to propagate downstream, and facilitated the strengthening of Siberia High. These dynamics contributed to increase in strong wind events in China. Conversely, more light winds could be generated if opposing horizontal and vertical circulation patterns occurred. This study provides an insight into understanding the decadal variations in NSWS.