Abstract: The connections of atmospheric circulation and runoff for the upper Yangtze River with the variation of Antarctic sea-ice extent are discussed by using correlation analysis in this paper.The processes associated with these connections are also analysed.It follows from the analysis that the variation of Antarctic sea-ice extent can change the intensity of zonal circulation in south Indian Ocean and affect the SST(sea surface temperature) at equatorial west Indian Ocean,and further,affect the 500hPa height distribution over the region between India and Burma.It also shows that there are some connections between the Antarctic sea-ice extent in Feb.to Mar.and runoff for the upper Yangtze River in Aug.to Sep.,which could be useful for revealing the physical background that affects the variation of runoff for the upper Yangtze River.