Multiscale Changes in Snow Over the Tibetan Plateau During 1980–2018 Represented by Reanalysis Data Sets and Satellite Observations

2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingyun Bian ◽  
Zhongfeng Xu ◽  
Hui Zheng ◽  
Kai Li ◽  
Jingjing Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau

scholarly journals Bayesian Assimilation of Multiscale Precipitation Data and Sparse Ground Gauge Observations in Mountainous Areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1473-1494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhan Wang ◽  
Jinsong Chen ◽  
Dawen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Daily Precipitation ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Precipitation Data ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Terrain Effects

Abstract Estimating the spatial distribution of precipitation is important for understanding ecohydrological processes at catchment scales. However, this estimation is difficult in mountainous areas because ground-based observation stations are often sparsely located and do not represent the spatial variability of precipitation. In this study, we develop a Bayesian assimilation method based on data collected on the Tibetan Plateau from 1980 to 2014 to estimate monthly and daily precipitation. To accomplish this, point-scale ground meteorological observations are combined with large-scale precipitation data such as satellite observations or reanalysis data. First, we remove the terrain effects from ground observations by fitting the precipitation data as functions of elevation, and then we spatially interpolate the residuals to 5-km-resolution grids to obtain monthly and daily precipitation. Additionally, we use Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite observations and ERA-Interim reanalysis data. Cross-validation methods are used to evaluate our method; the results show that our method not only captures the change in precipitation with terrain but also significantly reduces the associated uncertainty. The improvements are more evident in the main river source areas on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, where elevation changes dramatically, and in high-altitude areas, where the ground gauges are sparse compared with those in low-altitude areas. Our assimilation method is applicable to other regions and is particularly useful for mountainous watersheds where ground meteorological stations are sparse and precipitation is considerably influenced by terrain.

scholarly journals Seasonal Features and a Case Study of Tropopause Folds over the Tibetan Plateau

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiali Luo ◽  
Wenjun Liang ◽  
Pingping Xu ◽  
Haiyang Xue ◽  
Min Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Transport Pathway ◽  
Westerly Jet ◽  
Meridional Winds ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
High Potential Vorticity

Tropopause fold is the primary mechanism for stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) at the midlatitudes. Investigation of the features of tropopause folds over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is important since the TP is a hotspot in global STE. In this study, we investigated seasonal features of the tropopause fold events over the TP using the 40-year ERA-Interim reanalysis data. The development of a tropopause folding case is specifically examined. The results show that shallow tropopause folds occur mostly in spring, while medium and deep folds occur mostly in winter. The multiyear mean monthly frequency of shallow tropopause folds over the TP reaches its maximum value of about 7% in May and then decreases gradually to its minimum value of 1% in August and increases again since September. Deep folds rarely occur in summer and autumn. Both the seasonal cycle and seasonal distribution of total tropopause folds over the TP are dominated by shallow folds. The relative high-frequency areas of medium and deep folds are located over the southern edge of the TP. The westerly jet movement controls the displacement of the high-frequency folding region over the TP. The region of high-frequency tropopause folds is located in the southern portion of the plateau in spring and moves northward in summer. The jet migrates back to the south in autumn and is located along about 30°N in winter, and the region where folds occur most frequently also shifts southward correspondingly. A medium fold event that occurred on 29 December 2018 is used to demonstrate the evolution of a tropopause fold case over the TP in winter; that is, the folding structure moves from west to east, the tropopause pressure is greater than 320 hPa over the folding region, while it is about 200 hPa in the surrounding areas, and the stratospheric air with high potential vorticity (PV) is transported from the high latitudes to the plateau by meridional winds. A trajectory model result verifies the transport pathway of the air parcels during the intrusion event.

scholarly journals Note on the application of planar-fit rotation for non-omnidirectional sonic anemometers

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Li ◽  
W. Babel ◽  
K. Tanaka ◽  
T. Foken
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Friction Velocity ◽  
Sonic Anemometer ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Open Part ◽  
Scalar Fluxes ◽  
Sonic Anemometers ◽  
Wind Velocities

Abstract. For non-omnidirectional sonic anemometers like the Kaijo-Denki DAT 600 TR61A probe, it is shown that separate planar-fit rotations must be used for the undisturbed (open part of the sonic anemometer) and the disturbed sector. This increases the friction velocity while no effect on the scalar fluxes was found. In the disturbed sector, irregular values of − u′w′ < 0 were detected for low wind velocities. Up to a certain extent these results can be transferred to the CSAT3 sonic anemometer (Campbell Scientific Ltd). This study was done for data sets from the Naqu-BJ site on the Tibetan Plateau.

scholarly journals A new map of permafrost distribution on the Tibetan Plateau

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2527-2542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Defu Zou ◽  
Lin Zhao ◽  
Yu Sheng ◽  
Ji Chen ◽  
Guojie Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Frozen Ground ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Spatial Data Sets

Abstract. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) has the largest areas of permafrost terrain in the mid- and low-latitude regions of the world. Some permafrost distribution maps have been compiled but, due to limited data sources, ambiguous criteria, inadequate validation, and deficiency of high-quality spatial data sets, there is high uncertainty in the mapping of the permafrost distribution on the TP. We generated a new permafrost map based on freezing and thawing indices from modified Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperatures (LSTs) and validated this map using various ground-based data sets. The soil thermal properties of five soil types across the TP were estimated according to an empirical equation and soil properties (moisture content and bulk density). The temperature at the top of permafrost (TTOP) model was applied to simulate the permafrost distribution. Permafrost, seasonally frozen ground, and unfrozen ground covered areas of 1.06  ×  106 km2 (0.97–1.15  ×  106 km2, 90 % confidence interval) (40 %), 1.46  ×  106 (56 %), and 0.03  ×  106 km2 (1 %), respectively, excluding glaciers and lakes. Ground-based observations of the permafrost distribution across the five investigated regions (IRs, located in the transition zones of the permafrost and seasonally frozen ground) and three highway transects (across the entire permafrost regions from north to south) were used to validate the model. Validation results showed that the kappa coefficient varied from 0.38 to 0.78 with a mean of 0.57 for the five IRs and 0.62 to 0.74 with a mean of 0.68 within the three transects. Compared with earlier studies, the TTOP modelling results show greater accuracy. The results provide more detailed information on the permafrost distribution and basic data for use in future research on the Tibetan Plateau permafrost.

scholarly journals Recent mass balance of the Purogangri Ice Cap, central Tibetan Plateau, by means of differential X-band SAR interferometry

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1623-1633 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Neckel ◽  
A. Braun ◽  
J. Kropáček ◽  
V. Hochschild
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Sar Interferometry ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Fine Grid ◽  
Mass Budget ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Time Period ◽  
X Band

Abstract. Due to their remoteness, altitude and harsh climatic conditions, little is known about the glaciological parameters of ice caps on the Tibetan Plateau. This study presents a geodetic mass balance estimate of the Purogangri Ice Cap, Tibet's largest ice field between 2000 and 2012. We utilized data from the actual TerraSAR-X mission and its add-on for digital elevation measurements and compared it with elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The employed data sets are ideal for this approach as both data sets were acquired at X-band at nearly the same time of the year and are available at a fine grid spacing. In order to derive surface elevation changes we employed two different methods. The first method is based on differential synthetic radar interferometry while the second method uses common DEM differencing. Both approaches revealed a slightly negative mass budget of −44 ± 15 and −38 ± 23 mm w.eq. a−1 (millimeter water equivalent) respectively. A slightly negative trend of −0.15 ± 0.01 km2 a−1 in glacier extent was found for the same time period employing a time series of Landsat data. Overall, our results show an almost balanced mass budget for the studied time period. Additionally, we detected one continuously advancing glacier tongue in the eastern part of the ice cap.

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