Rossby Wave packets (RWPs) are atmospheric perturbations located at upper levels in mid-latitudes which, in certain cases, terminate in Rossby Wave Breaking (RWB) events. When sufficiently persistent and spatially extended, these RWB events are synoptically identical to atmospheric blockings, which are linked to heatwaves and droughts. Thus, studying RWB events after RWPs propagation and their link with blocking is key to enhance extreme weather events detection 10-30 days in advance. Hence, here we assess (i) the occurrence of RWB events after the propagation of RWPs, (ii) whether long-lived RWPs (RWPs with a lifespan above 8 days, or LLRWPs) are linked to large-scale RWB events that could form a blocking event, and (iii) the proportion of blocking situations that occur near RWB events. To do so, we applied a tracking algorithm to detect RWPs in the Southern Hemisphere during summertime between 1979-2020, developed a wave breaking algorithm to identify RWB events, and searched for blocking events with different intensities. Results show that LLRWPs and the other RWPs displayed large-scale RWB events around 40% of the time, and most RWB events in both distributions last around 1-2 days, which is not long enough to identify them as blocking situations. Nearly 17% of blockings have a RWB event nearby, but barely 5% of blockings are linked to RWPs, suggesting that propagating RWPs are not strongly linked to blocking development. Lastly, large-scale RWB events associated with RWPs that lasted less than 8 days are influenced by the Southern Annular Mode and El Niño-Southern Oscillation.

This study aims at understanding the impact of low-frequency climate modes on Rossby Wave Packets (RWPs) during the southern hemisphere summer. In particular, we focus on long-lived RWPs (lifespan above 8 days) and determine how El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Southern Annular Mode (SAM) modulate their frequency of occurrence plus the main areas of detection and dissipation. We find that the occurrence of long lived RWPs is maximum during El Niño years and negative SAM events. Years with largest numbers of long-lived RWPs are characterized by a zonally symmetric and narrow upper level jet that is shifted northward from its climatological position. Conversely, when the jet is shifted southward, as during positive SAM phases, particularly in the southwestern Pacific basin, the number of long-lived RWPs detected diminishes. El Niño sets atmospheric conditions that support the formation of long lived RWPs whereas La Niña years presents high interannual variability in the frequency of occurrence. Moreover, during El Niño events the main formation area is between 61-120ºE and its main dissipation area between 300-359ºE. During La Niña events, the main formation area moves to 241-300ºE and no main dissipation area is identified. During positive SAM two main formation areas appear at 61-120ºE and 241-300ºE and two main dissipation areas between 121-180º and 301-359º, whereas in negative SAM only one formation area at 241-300º is detected and no main dissipation area is found.